What’s it like to grow up on a dairy farm? In New Zealand? Well, for starters, it teaches you a few things about where food comes from, which helps explain why chef Jason Roberts is so passionate about cooking with “real” ingredients.
He’s got a vegetable garden in the backyard of his New Jersey home, shops at the farmer’s market—and when his nine-year-old son, Hunter, asks for chicken nuggets, let’s just say he gets the real deal.
“I’ll say ‘sure’ and we’ll march down to the supermarket, so he knows where his food comes from: a real chicken,” says Roberts, who spent seven years as executive chef at Sydney, Australia’s acclaimed Bistro Moncur.
So, it’s no surprise that in his professional work, Roberts—who’s also a former cast member on ABC’s popular The Chew—focuses on helping the rest of us eat this way too. His latest book, Good Food—Fast! is all about how to get a nutritious and tasty meal on the table (see the recipe below for an example).
“These days, it’s important to be more conscious of the food we eat,” Roberts told Your Teen. “Ignorance is not bliss.”
“This is quick and easy one-pot cooking at its best and a perfect mid-week meal for busy families,” says chef Jason Roberts.
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz chicken thigh fillets, sliced
- 3 long red chilis, seeds removed and finely sliced
- 1 clove garlic, finely sliced
- 1 inch knob of ginger, finely sliced
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- ¼ cup chicken stock (or water)
- 7 oz baby corn
- ½ cup basil leaves (optional)
- 1 lime
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oil in a wok until just smoking.
2. Add chicken and stir-fry until golden. Pour off any excess oil then toss in chili, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for 30 seconds, add the stock, oyster and fish sauces, sugar and baby corn. Cook for an additional 30 seconds, finishing with the fresh basil and a squeeze of lime.
3. Spoon onto a serving plate accompanied with a bowl of steamed rice.
4. Enjoy!
Jason Roberts is an internationally known chef, author, television personality, brand ambassador, fitness enthusiast, and gluten-free lifestyle advocate. Find more of his recipes at http://www.chefjasonroberts.com/recipes/
