Chinese Time: Chicken Chow Mein!

I have a thing for noodles or pasta of whatever you want to call them. My love for them keeps me looking for new recipes that I can try; the most recent noodle adventure being Chicken Chow Mein. I found a very easy recipe on the internet & made a few changes. Didn't get quite the results I was hoping for but still it was worth the try. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
250g Medium Egg Noodles
2 tablespoons Oil
1 tablespoons Sesame Oil
2 cloves of Garlic, chopped
4 Chicken Breasts, thinly slices
1/2 cup Chicken Broth or 1 Chicken-Flavor Cube
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons White Pepper
1 large Bell Pepper (whatever color you want), thinly sliced
110g Sweet Corn
8 Spring Onions, cut into thin strips
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

Directions:

1. Put a large pan of water on boil. Add noodles and cook until al dente.
2. Heat both oils in a large saucepan, add garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
3. Add chicken broth, salt and pepper to the oil.
4. Add chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until cooked.
5. Remove from pan with a draining spoon and set aside.
6. Add bell pepper and stir-fry for 4 minutes, then add corn and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add spring-onion and stir-fry for 1 minute.
7. Return chicken to the pan and add the noodles.
8. Add soy sauce & heat through, tossing the mix for 2 minutes.

Original Recipe: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/8458/chicken-chow-mein.aspx

On Spot @ Chinatown

I've lived in Islamabad for about 6 years now. & yesterday was the first time I went to Chinatown. I'd heard a lot about it but never had the chance to actually dine there - until a "fate-changing" call yesterday told me to  get there "as soon as possible".

As soon as I entered the doors, I was impressed. The ambiance of that place is amazing - they have cherry blossoms painted on the walls in every booth!! (Well, yeah, I guess it doesn't really take a lot to impress me when it comes to interior design!)

The food, unfortunately, wasn't really as impressive. The 'chicken chow mien' was probably the only thing that we ordered which was just the way I would want it. The 'sweet & sour chicken' was more sweet than sour and the 'Szechuan chicken' was more of a vegetable dish with very little "Szechuan" in it!

If you're in Islamabad & in the mood for a good Chow Mein in a very ethnic environment, then Chinatown is the place to be!

But if you're interested in a better "Szechuan Chicken", I'd suggest Cafe Incantare or for a better Chinese experience, I would suggest Heng Chang, although it lacks the ethnic ambiance that Chinatown provides.