Sally's wok kitchen!
From past healthy eating plans, I know that speed and ease are two of the main ingredients when cooking from scratch and cooking for health. So, for the Bikini Promise + One we are going to feature the wok!
Most people have a wok hidden away in one of their kitchen cupboards, but if you don’t have one, I urge you to go and get one. They don’t have to be expensive at all, you can spend between £10 and £20 on a decent one. Non-stick is great, but not too important. If you buy a wok that isn’t non-stick, just read the instructions on how to season your wok before using it.
So, why is a wok meal so good? Well, it’s fast, healthy and combines vegetables and protein in a single dish. Because the vegetables are cooked very quickly and are often slightly under-done, they retain more of their goodness than being overcooked. On the Bikini Promise + One plan, I want you to cook in your wok for at least 10 meals a week. That sounds like a lot, but the combinations you have available will keep your taste buds entertained the whole way through and beyond. This is the blueprint for each of your wok dishes.
To feed one person you need to choose from the list below:1 x portion of protein 3 x portions of vegetables 1 x essential aromatic mix 1 x topping If you are cooking for more than one person, simply add more portions.
Step 1Start by choosing 1 x protein portion per person, prepare and pop to one sideChicken 1 x small skinless breast portion – thinly sliced or dices 1 boneless and skinless thigh portion - chopped
Pork 1 x pork tenderloin – sliced
Beef Any palm-sized steak cut across the grain
Fish/seafood Any palm-sized portion of cod, haddock, Pollock, hoki, salmon, monk fish6 x small prawns 3 x large/tiger prawns
Vegetarian 1 x handful cubed Tofu 1 x small cup canned beans (Kidney, Berlotti, Canellini) Extra Mushrooms
Step 2Choose 3 x vegetable portions per person, from the list below or anything else you can think of that I’ve missed! Prepare and set aside. Asparagus – small handful - woody ends snapped off and chopped Alfalfa sprouts – small handful Bean sprouts – small handful Green beans – small handful – topped and tailed Runner beans – small handful – topped and tailed Peas – small cupful – frozen or fresh Mangetout or Sugar Snap peas – small handful Pok choy - 1 head Broccoli - small handful - chopped Brussels sprouts - 6, sliced Cabbage - small handful - sliced Carrots – 1 medium – sheared with a vegetable peeler Cauliflower - small handful - chopped Celery – 1 stick, sliced Chard – 3 leaves, sliced Fennel – ½ small head, sliced Kale – 1 large handful, sliced Mushrooms - small handful, sliced Leek - 1 - sliced Onion – ½ - diced Shallot –2 - diced Spring onion – 4 - sliced Sweetcorn - frozen or fresh, small cupful Green Pepper – ½ sliced Red Pepper – ½ sliced Yellow pepper – ½ sliced Radish –4 - sliced Spinach – 2 large handfuls Courgette – ½ finely sliced/diced Water chestnut – ½ small tin – drained - sliced Watercress – 2 handfuls – roughly chopped Pineapple – 2 slices, chopped
Step 3 Choose your essential aromatic mix. For these mixes you can either use fresh ingredients or if you are really pushed for time, you can now buy garlic, ginger and chilli ready prepared, either frozen or pureed in tubes. Cutting time corners like this is fine. I have also added some shop bought sauces to this mix, like black bean and hoisin sauce. Using a small amount of these is fine – I usually just use a tablespoon full and add extra water to balance the flavours with the goodness.
Garlic, Ginger & Chilli ½ red chilli, finely diced 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and minced Or the equivalent of the above in frozen or pureed pre-prepared
Honey, Soy Sauce & Ginger 1 tbsp runny honey 2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and minced – (or the equivalent in frozen or pureed pre-prepared)
Lemon, Garlic & Chilli Juice & zest of ½ lemon 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced – (or the equivalent in frozen or pureed pre-prepared) ½ red chilli, finely diced – (or the equivalent in frozen or pureed pre-prepared)
Blackbean, lemon and ginger Juice & zest of ½ lemon 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and minced – (or the equivalent in frozen or pureed pre-prepared) 1 tbsp blackbean sauce
Sweet and sour 1 tbsp cider vinegar 1 tbsp runny honey 1 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce (this works beautifully with pineapple from the vegetable ingredients list)
Hoisin Plum Sauce 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced – (or the equivalent in frozen or pureed pre-prepared) 1 tbsp shop bought Hoisin plum sauce Juice & zest of ½ lemon
5 Spice 1 tsp dried 5 spice ½ red chilli, finely diced 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1 cm fresh ginger, peeled and minced Or the equivalent of the above in frozen or pureed pre-prepared
Choose and mix your sauce and set aside.
Topping:Choose one of the following to add a little crunch and extra goodness to the finished dish!
1 x tbsp chopped cashew nuts
1 x tbsp chopped hazelnuts
1 x tbsp sunflower seeds
1 x tbsp pine nuts
1 x tbsp flax seeds
1 x tbsp sesame seeds
Method:
Once you have all your ingredients prepared, grab a couple of clean plates and a small jug/cup of water to also have on standby beside your wok
Start by mixing the aromatic mix with the protein portion. (You can do this ahead of time and leave marinate if you like) I usually cook with olive oil but in a wok you need to use vegetable oil because it doesn’t burn so easily.
Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the wok over a high heat. Add the protein ingredient mixed with aromatic mix and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until almost cooked. Transfer to a plate.
Next add the vegetable ingredients to the hot wok, along with approx 3 tablespoons of water. There will still be some of the aromatic sauce mix left in the wok too. Stir fry the veggies for 2-3 minutes. (All should be finely sliced so will cook really quickly)
Keep the veggies moving around the wok. Then add the protein ingredients back in for a final 2 minutes of cooking, adding a little more water if needed to thin the sauce.
Finish by adding your choice of extra topping and serve!
Have fun with your combinations and try to have as many meals as possible without rice or noodles. By eating plenty of the protein and vegetables, you will be satisfying your hunger without piling on the pounds. If you do want to serve with some carbohydrate, have a small portion of brown rice or noodles. Enjoy!