This is the perfect stir fry for you if you don’t like things too saucy. Instead of a gloopy sauce, here you have more of a glaze which coats the meat and veggies. I serve mine with 60g (dried) jasmine rice per person for an extra 6 points per portion.

If you can’t get a hold of Thai basil, don’t worry, normal basil will be fine instead.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 9 points or 439 cals, 2.5g fat, 62.7g carbs, 44.2g protein

INGREDIENTS

For the sauce

½ chicken stock cube made up with 100ml boiling water

2 tbsp each oyster sauce and light soy sauce

1 tsp each dark soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar

For the stir fry

120g basmati or jasmine rice

300g chicken breast, chopped into bitesize pieces

200g green beans, trimmed

4 spring onions, sliced into rounds

4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

15g fresh Thai basil (or normal basil if you can’t get it), roughly shredded

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

METHOD

1. Pop all of the sauce ingredients into a jug, stir and set to one side.
2. Pop the rice on to cook.
3. Put the chicken in a large frying pan or wok, season with salt and black pepper, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and then fry for 7–8 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
4. While the chicken is cooking, pop the trimmed green beans in a pan of salted boiling water and simmer for 4 minutes until al dente. Drain and set to one side.
5. Next, add the spring onion, garlic, chilli and green beans to the wok with the chicken, fry for a minute and then add the sauce. Simmer on a medium/high heat until the sauce thickens and the meat is nicely glazed in the sauce.
6. Finally, remove from the heat and toss through the shredded basil. Serve with the rice and enjoy!

The post Thai Basil Chicken first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 2 – per serving = 14 points or 532 cals, 8.7g fat, 74.6g carbs, 42.5g protein

Ingredients

For the chicken

2 tbsp cornflour

½ tsp salt, black pepper, chilli powder and garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

300g chicken breast, diced into medium sized chunks

1 tsp sesame oil

Low calorie cooking spray

For the sauce

3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated 

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and grated 

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp chilli jam or sweet chilli sauce

2 tbsp reduced salt and sugar tomato ketchup

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

½ tbsp honey

Juice of 1 lime

For the stir fry

1 tsp sesame oil

2 peppers, deseeded and diced

2 chillies (1 or if you don’t like things too hot), sliced (reserve a few to dress the dish at the end)

4 spring onions, sliced (reserve a few for garnish)

To serve/finish

100g basmati rice

1 tsp sesame seeds

Method

1. To begin, put the cornflour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chilli powder and paprika in a large bowl. Mix to combine and then add the diced chicken. Toss the chicken in the flour mixture until it is well covered.
2. Take a large wok, pour in 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil, pop the heat on and add the chicken. Fry for 5–6 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Add a little low-calorie cooking spray to the pan if needed to stop the pan going dry (don’t add water as this will stop the chicken crisping up).
3. While the chicken is cooking, you can get on with making the rest of the dish. Pop the rice on to cook. Then add all the sauce ingredients to a small bowl with 50ml cold water, stir and pop to one side.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the pan and keep to one side in a bowl.
5. Pour 1 teaspoon of sesame oil into the same pan you used for the chicken and then add the peppers, chilli and spring onion. Stir-fry for 2–3 minutes until the peppers start to soften, and then remove the veg from the pan into the same bowl as the cooked chicken.
6. Pour the sauce into the same pan again and bring to a simmer, then add the cooked veggies and chicken back to the pan. Simmer for another 3–4 minutes. This will give the sauce a chance to thicken and stick to the chicken nicely.
7. Pop the rice into bowls and then add the sticky chilli chicken. Top with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and the reserved chilli and spring onion.

The post Sticky Chilli Chicken first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 11 points or 513 cals, 23.6g fat, 48.7g carbs, 25.2g protein

Ingredients

For the duck

400g duck breasts fillets, skin removed, raw

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

Low calorie cooking spray

Salt and black pepper

For the stir fry

1 tsp sesame oil

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks

1 pepper, deseeded and sliced

4 spring onions, finely sliced

200g white cabbage, finely sliced

100g beansprouts

2 tsp each of Chinese 5 spice and chilli powder

3 tbsp light soy sauce

3 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

10g fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 chilli, finely sliced (and deseeded if you don’t like things too spicy)

400g fresh egg noodles

1 lime

Method

1. Begin by making the duck. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Take a baking dish, spray with low-calorie cooking spray and add the duck breasts skin-side up.
2. Season with salt and pepper and the 5-spice, spray the duck again with low-calorie cooking spray and then roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes until cooked through. Remove the duck from the oven, rest for 10 minutes, and then shred with two forks.3
3. While the duck is cooking, you can prepare the rest of the stir-fry. Take a wok or large frying pan, pour in the sesame oil and bring to a medium/high heat.
4. Add the carrot, pepper, spring onion, white cabbage and beansprouts. Stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the carrot starts to soften. Add the 5-spiceand chilli powder, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, honey and rice wine vinegar. Pour in a splash of cold water and toss everything together, continuing to fry on a medium/high heat.
5. Add the shredded duck, coriander and chilli to the pan, toss everything together again, and check for seasoning. Season with salt and pepper if required.
6. Add the egg noodles to the pan with a splash of water, toss to combine, and fry on a medium heat until everything is piping hot.
7. Finally, remove the stir-fry from the heat and squeeze in the lime juice. Serve in nice big bowls.

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If you don’t like things too spicy, just add the one chilli and leave out the chilli oil. If you like a nice heat, make as below and when you add the chilli oil, make sure you get some of the crushed chillies from the bottom of the jar as they add a lovely warmth. I use Chiu Chow chilli oil which you can get in most supermarkets now but you can also find it in Chinese supermarkets and on Amazon or Ebay. It tastes amazing and is great added to loads of things to make them a bit more exciting – from scrambled eggs to dumplings.

For this dish I used lean beef frying steak but you could also use lean rump steak if you prefer. The dish would also work nicely with chicken (this would reduce the points to 2sp per serving) just make sure you cook the chicken through before removing from the pan.

This is a dish packed with veg and so I just served it as below however I served my hubbies with 60g of plain boiled rice. Egg fried rice or noodles would also work well but remember to add the extra points.

Chinese Spicy Orange Beef Stir Fry

Ingredients

Serves 4 = 4sp per serving (Flex)

For the stir fry sauce

2 large oranges

3 tsp Shaoxing rice wine

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp cornflour

For the stir fry

600g lean raw stir fry beef, cubed

1 red onion, peeled and sliced

1 white onion, peeled and sliced

2 peppers, deseeded and sliced

2 chillies, finely sliced (or 1 chilli if you don’t like things too hot)

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped (or 2 tsp of lazy garlic)

Thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced (or 2 tsp of lazy ginger)

Pack of mange tout, halved

Pack of baby corn, halved

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp chilli oil (I use Chow chilli oil which I get from the Chinese supermarket)

Method

Begin by using a potato peeler to peel the skin of one of the oranges (try to avoid the white pith closest to the flesh as this is very bitter). Slice the peel into small matchsticks and set to one side. Then slice both oranges in half and squeeze out the juice. You should end up with around 6-8 tbsp of orange juice. Take a bowl and add the orange juice to it with the rest of the sauce ingredients. Stir to ensure the cornflour is dissolved into the liquid. Pop the sauce to one side.

Next, take a large frying pan or wok, spray with 1kal and add the frying steak. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 5-6 minutes until browned (or cooked to your liking). Remove the beef from the pan and pop on a plate to one side.

To the same pan, spray again with 1kal and then add the onions, peppers and chilli. Stir fry for 5-6 minutes until the onion starts to soften (add a little water if the pan gets a bit dry) and then add the orange peel, garlic, ginger, mange tout and baby corn.  Once all of the veg is cooked to your liking (I like my mange tout and baby corn with a bit of a bite), add the beef back to the pan with the sauce, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce and the chilli oil (if you are having). Toss everything together and simmer for a few more minutes to heat the sauce through. Taste and season further if required.

Plate up and enjoy!

The post Chinese Spicy Orange Beef Stir Fry – 4sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

The result was more than I hoped for. The beef crisped up like a dream and the sauce was tangy and luxurious, my husband almost licked the bowl after he finished!!

Don’t be put off by the length of the ingredients list here. Most of them are store cupboard essentials and this really is an easy recipe to make.  Two important things before you get started – firstly, to get the beef to crisp up you need the pan very hot so it’s best to fry the beef in batches (see the method for more detail on this). Secondly, to make the cooking process really straightforward, it’s best to have everything chopped and mixed before you start. You want to mix the sauce, coat the beef in the flour and spice, have the veggies chopped and have two plates ready and out on the side before you get a pan out the cupboard. That means cooking and assembling the dish will be nice and speedy.

POINTS AND NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Serves 4 – per serving = 10 points or 391 cals, 5.4g fat, 62.3g carbs, 27.2g protein

Ingredients

For the sauce

2 garlic cloves, peeled and very finely minced

4 tbsp dark soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar)

1 tbsp sriracha (1/2 tbsp if you don’t like it too spicy!)

1/2 tbsp honey

1 tsp Chinese 5 spice

¼ tsp ground ginger

For the beef and rice

400g lean beef strips

2 tbsp cornflour

2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice

240g basmati rice

1 tsp sesame oil

For the stir fry

1 onion, finely sliced

1 peppers, deseeded and finely sliced

1 chilli, sliced (if you like it hot, if not, feel free to omit)

¼ tsp ground ginger

2 limes

2 spring onions, finely chopped

Method

1. Begin by making the sauce. Put all the ingredients into a mixing jug with 2 tablespoons water, give it a good stir and then leave to one side.
2. Next, put a couple of pieces of kitchen paper onto a plate, pop the beef onto the paper and dab away any of the excess water from the surface. Put the beef in a large bowl, add the cornflour and 5-spice and mix everything together until the beef is well coated.
3. If you are having rice with this, pop it on now.
4. Take a large wok, heat to high and pour in ¼ teaspoon of the sesame oil. Once hot, add about a third of the beef in one layer and fry for a few minutes until you see one side starting to go nice and crispy. Turn the beef and let it crisp up on all sides, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Repeat this until you have cooked all the beef.
5. Once all the beef is cooked and on a plate, pour in the final ¼ teaspoon of sesame oil to the now empty wok and add the onion, pepper and chilli. Fry for 5–6 minutes until the onion has gone soft and translucent. Remove the onion, pepper and chilli from the pan, popping to one side on another plate.
6. Finally, add the stir-fry sauce to the pan, simmer for a couple of minutes to allow it to reduce and thicken a little, and then add all of the beef back to the pan, coating well in the sauce. Once coated, add the cooked onion, pepper and chilli to the pan.
7. Add the ground ginger and the juice of 1 lime, toss everything together, and then, once everything is coated nicely in the sauce and piping hot, remove from the heat.
8. Put the rice in a bowl, top with the crispy chilli beef and finish with a sprinkle of spring onion. Serve with a small slice of lime per person.

The post Crispy Chilli Beef first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

You can buy Korean chilli paste from most Asian supermarkets or you can buy it online (I bought mine from souschef.co.uk). It has the most amazing flavour;  a little savoury, a little sweet but nice and spicy. I also ordered the Korean chilli powder at the same time but, if you don’t like things too hot, you can leave this out (or if you like it hot but don’t have this ingredient, replace with ½ tsp normal chilli flakes).

This chilli paste is definitely worth investing in and will feature in a few of my upcoming recipes too! For 11sp this dish really is a bargain!

Spicy Korean Chilli Chicken – Dak Galbi

Serves 2 = 11sp in total (5sp for the chicken and marinade and 6sp for the rice)

Ingredients

For the marinade

½ tbsp. gochujang chilli paste

1 tsp Korean red pepper powder (optional if you like it hot – replace with ½ tsp crushed chillies if you don’t have red pepper powder)

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. honey

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar

Pinch of salt

For the rest of the dish

400g chicken breast, raw and diced or sliced

1 white onion, finely sliced

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

120g basmati rice, dried

½ a small cucumber

½ a small courgette

Splash of white wine vinegar

Method

Combine all of the marinade ingredients with a small dash of water (up to 2 tsp) and stir until the chilli paste has dissolved. Pop the chicken in a large bowl and then add the marinade, coating well. Marinade for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours).

Next pop the rice on the cook. Then either sprialize or julienne peel the courgette and cucumber. Pop into a bowl, top with a little white wine vinegar and toss through. Pop in the fridge until you come to eat.

Next, spray a wok with 1kal and then add the onion and pepper. Season. Fry on a high heat until the onion starts to soften and then add the chicken (reserving the marinade in the bottom of the bowl). Stir fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes until cooked through and then add the rest of the marinade. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is nicely coated in the marinade.

Finally serve the spicy chicken on top of the rice, add the cucumber and courgette salad to the side and top with a sprinkling of spring onions (and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds if you have them).

Enjoy!

The post Spicy Korean Chilli Chicken– 11sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

This recipe uses roasted chicken but you could also use chicken breast (add before the mushrooms and peppers and cook through) or even prawns. Just be sure to amend to SP to suit. I used green curry paste as it’s what I had left over, but feel free to use any colour you fancy.

You can also add to this recipe by adding some egg ribbons. Simply spray some 1kal into a non stick frying pan, pour in two beaten eggs, swirl and cook for a minute. Then flip and cook other side. This should leave you with a nice neat omelette. Roll the omelette and then chop into ½ ribbons.  Stir through the finished dish.

Ingredients

Serve 2 = 9sp (previously 9pp) each without egg or 11sp (previously 11pp) with egg

90g dried basmati rice (or jasmine rice)

80g frozen peas

Handful of mushrooms, sliced

1 pepper, sliced

3 tbsp thai curry paste (red on green, I used green as that’s what I had left over)

½ tbsp fish sauce

¼ tsp sugar

3 or 4 spring onions, sliced

150g roast chicken, light meat, shredded

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 lime, halved

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Method

Pop the rice on to cook adding the peas for the last few minutes.

Whilst this is bubbling away, take a large frying pan or wok, spray with 1kal and add the mushrooms and peppers and cook until softened (3-4 minute). Then add curry paste, sugar and fish sauce, stir through and fry for another minute. Then add the chicken, cooked rice, peas, spring onions give a good stir to combine all the ingredients, add the soy and fry for another minute or two.  Take off the heat, squeeze in the juice of half the lime and the coriander and stir again.

Taste and add a little extra soy to your taste if you fancy.

You can also top with chopped red chilli.

Enjoy!

The post Thai Dry Fry – 9sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.

Ingredients

Serves 2 = 11sp (previously 12pp) each

For the beef

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground turmeric and chilli powder

Juice of half a lime

225g rump steak, finely sliced into 0.25cm strips

Thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 onion, finely sliced

1 pepper, deseeded and finely sliced

3 spring onions, finely sliced

Handful of cherry/plum tomatoes, sliced

1 chilli, sliced

Salt, to taste

Handful of chopped fresh coriander

For the yoghurt rice (dahi bhaat)

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 level tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumin seeds

10 fresh curry leaves, shredded (optional)

1 chilli, finely chopped

Thumb size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

1 large tomato, diced

Juice of one lime

150ml fat free natural yoghurt

Handful of chopped fresh coriander

120g basmati rice, cooked according to packet instructions

Salt to taste

Method

Begin by marinating the beef, In a large bowl, mix together all of the spices until well combined. Stir in the lime juice to form a smooth paste. Then add the beef and mix until completely covered in the marinade. Cover the bowl with cling film and chill the beef in the fridge for at least an hour.

Once marinade, you can begin preparing the rice. Pop the rice on to boil and then meanwhile, heat the oil in a lidded pan over a high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds and cover the pan with the lid and reduce the heat slightly (the mustard seeds will pop and can jump out of the pan – so be careful). Once the mustard seeds have popped, remove the lid, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, and stir-fry for a few seconds, until the cumin seeds start to darken. Add the chillies and ginger then stir-fry for a further 1-2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and lime juice and stir-fry for a further 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down. Remove the pan from the heat, allow the pan contents to cool slightly, then stir in the yoghurt, coriander and cooked rice. Season to taste and set aside, keeping warm.

Once the rice is on and keeping warm, you can start cooking the beef. Spray a large pan with 1kal and add the marinated beef pieces. Stir-fry for around 3-4 minutes, until evenly browned. Remove the beef pieces from the pan and set aside on a plate.

Return the pan to the heat, spray with 1kal and add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Then add the onions and continue to stir-fry until just softened. Add the peppers, spring onions, plum tomatoes and chillies to the pan and continue to stir-fry until the vegetables have softened and are starting to colour. Drizzle in the juices from the reserved beef and season to taste.

When almost all of the beef juices have evaporated from the pan, add the beef back into the pan and toss for a minute to reheat. Remove the wok from the heat and stir through the fresh coriander.

To serve, divide the yoghurt rice equally among serving plates and spoon over the chilli beef.

The post Indian Beef Stir Fry with Yoghurt Rice -11sp first appeared on Slimming Kitchen Secrets.