September 2024 – A Pinch of Nom

This month, our featured partner Wendy Wu Tours are sponsoring our Cook Club with the chance to win a copy of the recipe book A Pinch of Nom by Kay Allinson. You can also try out the recipe below for a delicious Chicken Shiitake Mushroom and Chilli Broth.

Wendy Wu Tours are a specialist tour provider known for creating exceptional, fully inclusive tours led by award winning guides. Their tours explore amazing destinations that you may have only dreamt of visiting. Wendy Wu’s journey began in China over 25 years ago when she placed a newspaper ad to lead her first tour to China, serving as the tour guide herself! Fast forward 25 years, she has built a renowned tour operator empire that offers journeys to over 40 countries worldwide!

A core value of Wendy Wu Tours is to fully immerse customers in the culture of each destination, with food playing a significant role. Including experiences such as savouring Peking Duck in Beijing, being hosted by a local family to learn Keralan cooking, learning to make soba noodles in Japan, and visiting a local market in Hoi An to select fresh, seasonal product for a Vietnamese cooking class.

To find out more visit Wendy Wu Tours or call 0800 4125678 and speak to our team of travel experts.

Wendy Wu tours have recently released their new China 2025-26 brochure jam packed full of exciting tours, including two exciting new tours “Gems of China” and “Natural Treasures of China” which explore incredible destinations such as Zhangjiajie National Park and a cruise down the beautiful Yangtze River. So, this month we are taking you to China with the following recipe…

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Recipe: Chicken Shiitake Mushroom and Chilli Broth

This Chicken, Shiitake Mushroom, and Chili Broth is a delicious and easy to make dinner, inspired by the vibrant flavours of Chinese cuisine. It’s perfect for anyone counting calories, making it a go-to meal when you’re looking for something both healthy and satisfying.

Ideal for cozy nights in, this broth brings warmth and comfort with every spoonful. For an even lighter option, skip the noodles or rice and add more fresh vegetables like carrots and broccoli to enhance the flavours.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs skinless – on the bone
• 10g ginger sliced
• 400g shiitake mushrooms roughly chopped
• 4 spring onions shredded
• 1 litre water enough to just about cover the thighs – might be more/less
• 1 dash soy sauce or you can use Tamari for gluten free
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• low calorie cooking spray
• 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 tbsp corn flour mixed with 3 tbsp water
• 25 ml Shaoxing rice wine
  

Method:

1. Add low calorie cooking spray to Instant Pot and sauté the ginger for 3 minutes.
2. Add chicken thighs and cook till sealed (approx 5 mins).
3. Once meat is sealed, deglaze the pan with a splash of Shaoxing rice wine making sure to unstick any bits that may have stuck to the bottom.
4. Fill with enough water to come to the level of the thighs.
5. Add all the other ingredients except the cornflour/water mix – stir well.
6. Set Instant Pot to manual pressure and cook for 45 mins.
7. Allow for natural release (10-15 mins) and then remove thighs from broth.
8. Carefully take the meat off the thigh bones and shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot.
9. Add cornflour/water mix and stir until you reach the thickness that you require.
10. Sauté for 5-10 mins to thicken the sauce.
11. Serve over rice or noodles.

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How to win a copy of A Pinch of Nom by Kay Allinson

Comment below and tell us what your favourite comfort food recipe is and why.

A winner will be chosen at random in early October2024.
The competition closes on 30 September 2024.