Chicken Breast with Stir-Fried Vegetables

August 14, 2001

The Spouse and I spent a week in Melbourne, Australia recently and I must report on one of the more bizarre catering arrangements I have ever come across.

We were there for a newspaper conference which involved no less than four conference dinners. Each one offered the same sort of menu - a fairly innocuous "suit most people" appetiser, two main courses, a dessert and a cheese selection.

All was OK until it came time for the main course on the first night. A Frenchman, Fred, sitting next to me said "No one has taken our orders," as the mains started appearing, born by a string of immaculately dressed young waiters. I had already explained to him that barramundi was an Australian fish. "What about venison?" he asked. "Deer meat." So he was ready to choose.

I regaled to him a strange tale someone had told me during pre-dinner drinks of how they had heard of a Melbourne dinner where no choices were given - the meals were simply alternated around the table - fish, chicken, fish, chicken and so on. We laughed at the oddity of the arrangement but soon we were duly sobered. I got venison, he got fish, next chap got venison, next person fish. Well, my French friend was mentally prepared for venison, but the waiter curtly told him: "You get barramundi."

It was tersely pointed out to us that if we weren't happy with the luck of the draw, it was up to us to arrange our own exchanges around the table. Can you imagine dining with a group of complete strangers and having to horse-trade over mains?

Anyway, we joked about it next day but then found, to our amazement, the arrangements were the same at a different venue the next night. I swapped a beef for The Spouse's chicken and was quite happy. Next night I yielded to a friend's pleading and swapped my salmon for his beef.

By the fourth night, however, the natives were in revolt. It was fish or lamb and the fish could be sniffed at 40 paces so definitely wasn't that fresh. The several men around our table insisted on lamb. They were suddenly "allergic" to fish. The waiters were in a tizz as fish after fish plate was declined.. While the chaps were managing to get their lamb, in dribs and drabs, I remained with an empty plate. Then I noticed the one genuine vegetarian in our midst had this pretty respectable looking eggplant dish. Needs must, so I quickly converted to vegetarianism on the spot, as did another wife a couple of seats away.

I can truthfully say I have never encountered such a curious way of catering in my life and I have attended a huge number of banquets over the years.

Catering establishments will soon tell you that there's a law of averages relating to food choices and they can generally predict how many people will opt for chicken, or beef, or lamb, or fish, or whatever. Spread two choices over 300-500 people and there won't usually be huge amounts of wastage - this is generally built into the price, anyway. Considering we were being charged substantially for the meals, I think we were entitled to object to lack of choice. One might well ask how on earth do small restaurants survive with a la carte menus?

Well, back home to the reality of having to cook once again. Chicken, please, said the son who had been reduced to fending for himself for a week and owned he had lost the knack of cooking for one.

After a week of lunches, dinners, wines and wines, I was ready for light fare. This is an easy one.

Chicken Breast with Stir-Fried Vegetables

4 chicken breasts halves, skinned
olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon chilli sauce, or one chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic crushed
1 Chinese cabbage or several roots of bok choy, sliced
12 brown mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
6 spring onions, sliced diagonally

Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix together the soy sauce, sesame oil, tomato and oyster sauces, lemon juice, sugar, garlic and chilli and set aside.

Put a tablespoon of oil in a pan and, when hot, add the chicken breasts. Cook for about 6 or 7 minutes each side and remove to a plate and keep warm in the oven, sprinkling with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce.

Wipe out the pan, add a little more oil and saute the mushrooms, pepper and spring onions for two or three minutes, then add the Chinese cabbage. Stir-fry a couple of minutes until tender and hot then pour over the remaining sauce.

Serve in a bowl, topped with the sliced chicken breasts. To make a more substantial meals, add some Asian noodles, cooked as per packet directions.