Marvellous mince and pineapple

Marvellous Mince: The Australian Way, Allyson Gofton and Ann Boardman 1993

Quick Chow Mein

I thought this looked like a very Australian take on a Chinese dish but the book says

“Chow Mein hails from the gold mines of the USA, where it was prepared by Chinese gold miners using locally available ingredients. This is an ultra-quick version.”

1 onion; 2 stalks celery; ¼ large cabbage; 1 tblsp oil; 500g minced beef; ¼ cup short grain rice; 2 tsp prepared curry powder; 32g packet chicken noodle soup; 227g can pineapple pieces in juice or syrup; 2 cups water; 1 cup chopped green beans (fresh or frozen)

I made some adjustments to the recipe in keeping with the spirit of Chow Mein and availability of ingredients by using brown rice, leaving out the chicken noodle soup, using fresh chopped pineapple and adding some chopped chilli as we grow them and love them! Anne

1. Peel and chop the onion (not too finely)

2. Trim and finely slice the celery and cabbage

3. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the mince and brown, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks

4. Add the curry powder, chicken noodle soup, celery, pineapple pieces and juice or syrup, and water

5. Add the cabbage and beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve over fluffy rice

Serves 4