… it’s a bit odd isn’t it… to call something ‘chicken’ style… particularly when a lot of people think vegetarians don’t want anything to do with anything that is in the style of any meat product… but you see I think its all about the thought process of food and cooking… if you’re having sausages… I want sausages… the average household wouldn’t know how to wrap their heads around a lentil, let alone tofu or goats cheese, so I do believe that products like Quorn have their place… plus, in something like a stir-fry they are a brilliant and healthy alternative to meat…
quorn ‘chicken’ style fillets stir-fry
i think the knack to a good stir-fry is not to try too hard… it doesn’t even have to be Chinese in taste, just inspiration, wonderful seasoning and fresh vegetables… below is my list of ingredients, you should use whatever you have in the house…
1 packet of Quorn Fillets (i prefer these to the ‘chicken’ style pieces as you can decide on the final shape and size
1 bunch of spring onions (about 6) – finely sliced
a handful of chestnut mushrooms – finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
a nugget of fresh ginger – chopped into matchstick sized pieces
1 carrot – finely sliced
1 small head of broccoli – broken into florets
1/4 savoy cabbage
a handful of bean sprouts
sesame oil
chinese 5 spice
soy sauce
– heat your wok or frying pan to a gentle heat and throw in some oil followed by the spring onions and garlic and let these soften, then add the mushrooms and saute until cooked – set aside
– in the same wok, add some more oil and then add the quorn fillets, let them brown slightly before adding a teaspoon of Chinese 5 Spice and a little soy sauce, let the fillets brown further, then remove them from the wok and let them cool down before slicing them into nice bite-size chunks
– now you’re really ready to make your stir-fry
– heat the wok again, add a little more oil and throw in your ginger, followed by the broccoli, cabbage and carrots, add a little soy, and flip them around a bit… add a dash of water from the kettle so they steam a little and as they are reaching the al dente stage throw in the rest of the veg, the cooked onions and mushrooms and the quorn fillets
– flip it all together and continue to heat until everything is hot through, you may wish to add a little more water just to give it a bit of liquid
– serve directly from the wok, eat and of course, enjoy!
Dom; My wife Jane once won a recipe competition sponsored by Quorn (and has a nice engraved glass trophy to prove it). Her recipe was for “Indonesian Quorn” in the style of Pork. It worked really well because Quorn absorbs spices and flavourings brilliantly. You could hardly tell that it was not pork.
Broccoli I frown upon in the last few months, I don't know why, but I simply love the combination of chicken and garlic, so I know this must be really good 🙂
We enjoy Quorn, even though we are not vegetarians. It's really convenient to keep in the freezer and is brilliant with pasta. I love the meatballs, you can't tell the difference and they are much lower in fat too.
I've never tried Quorn but it looks surprisingly like chicken in your stir-fry. And I like the bit about not trying to hard to be something, rather just taking inspiration. I seem to follow this principle in most of my cooking, mostly from laziness and lack of conformity 😉
I love making Quorn stir fry. Yours looks so colourful and delicious, it's given me new ideas 🙂
I don't think we have Quorn in the US. If we do I have never seen it. I am assuming Quorn is something like Tofu. Your stir fry looks bright, healthy and all around good for you.
Can't say I have ever bought Quorn although I think we do have it here. Yes if I dig deep into the memory banks I think some years back there was a bit of an advertising campaign on it. Having two vegetarians in my family perhaps I should consider it more seriously. Your stir fry looks good, we are addicted to asian food so this couldn't help but be a winner.
I've never even heard of Quorn. Although I've never been on the hunt for it either. This stir fry looks wonderful though.. “chicken” style and all!!
I've never really understood why vegetarians want their non meat food to taste or look like meat?! But you're right if you think of it simply as quorn it becomes just another staple to cook with and flavour. GG
I completely agree with you and GG's comment above. If I were a vegetarian, I'm not sure I'll be looking for an alternative that looks like meat. I've only cooked with Quorn once, and I don't mind it, so maybe I'll give it a go again sometime…
I went 'back' to Quorn the other day – not vegetarian but don't like eating too much meat (quality meatage one or twice a week is the informal Salty house rule) – have to say the mince wasn't that bad – with lots of flavourings and herbs, it could pass for the real deal if you don't think too much about it. Flavour is key.