Frivolous Friday

_Funny how childhood recipes never leave our memories . All still influence greatly the ingredients in my cupboards the cakes in my cake tins. Many many moons ago, most of my friends knew about rock cakes but they knew them to be made with raisins or currants, sultana's or cherries. When they came to my house after school - which they would often ask to come  because of my Mam's cooking  - they would enjoy after dinner, a delightful surprise . . along with a glass of milk they would be given the most divine rock cakes.  Chocolate Rock Cakes!!! Usually on a Friday, our late teen is off out to her boyfriends & we don't see her again til Sunday. As there's usually just the two of us home alone we always have a 'treat' on a Friday evening when I make the kind of food we love & the teens' don't enjoy at all ..  . like hot spicy curries, spicy stir fries, chilli etc
Today dear hubby put in a request . . If I can choose the main course please could he choose the afters, would I make him some Chocolate Rock Cakes to enjoy with his cuppa coffee next to the fire after a long hard day at work. That was an easy request . . sure I would, we all love Rock Cakes so great idea . . there'll be some left - hopefully - for next week's cuppas too!!
After seeing a gorgeous picture of some chicken chow mein I decided we'd do the Oriental style cooking. I'd make a cauldron style chinese chow mein, with chicken, red onions, garlic & peppers. . . ie the ingredients I have to hand :)  I'd also make the Rock Cakes, hmm with the chocolate I had in the pantry which happens to be something like an aero style with bubbles. . . ah well I'm sure it'll be fine.  Soooo without further ado ..

__ Oriental Cauldron  __

 Ingredients 
x2 Chicken Breasts
1 Red Onion
1 Rep Pepper
3 Bulbs Garlic
Dozen Mushrooms
Oil

Egg Noodles


 Oriental Flavours 
4 tblspn Oyster Sauce
3 tblspn Hoisin Sauce
3 tblspn Soy Sauce
2 tblspn Plum sauce
4 tblspn Water

Method

• Wash the chicken breast.
• Slice into small pieces.
• Marinate chicken in flavouring of your choice, (I like guava, sweet fiery chilli dipping sauce)
• Top, tail & peel onions. slice into thin strips.
• Core & deseed red pepper. Slice into thin strips.
• Wash mushrooms. Cut into very thin slices.

• Peel garlic bulbs. Crush, slice & dice into tiny pieces.
• Pour some oil into large cauldron & heat.
• Add garlic, gently cook. 

• Raise heat & add onions, sizzle til cooked

• Add mushrooms, sizzle til cooked

• Add red pepper , sizzle til softened.
• In another cauldron, add drizzle of oil & warm
• Add chicken pieces & sizzle til cooked.
• Add onions, mushrooms, garlic & peppers to the chicken.
• Stir & mix together

• Add tablespoons of the oriental flavourings (theyre all I have in stock, but please add your own preferences!) to a jug & mix well
• Add flavourings to the chicken & veggies, stir in well.

• Continue to sizzle, meanwhile boil kettle & add egg noodles to a saucepan
• Add large pinch of salt to the noodles, pour over & cover totally in boiling water.

• Heat for 2 minutes. ..  then drain, add the noodles to the cauldron

• Serve immediately .. piping hot , flavoursome & simple :)
• ENJOY!!!! :)

• Hmm, I wish I could take photographs as well as I can't!! The colours haven't turned out very well, but the colours were very attractive, the red ribbons of peppers, the purple onions, the cream noodles & glazed chicken. 
• Regardless of the colours, this meal was soooooo tasty & throughly enjoyed.

Then we had a lovely cuppa coffee with hubbys requested chocolate rock cakes!! However, I think the teen could smell them as she & a few others landed ..  now there aren't any chocolate rock cakes left!!

*Update: I'm not too sure about the bubbly chocolate!! Hubby's not too sure about the Oyster Sauce, bit too rich. (but my mistake, I added more just before serving which I shouldn't have done)

Mmmmm rock cake