Cinnamon, Cassia and a Stir-fry

Some time back I mentioned that I was having trouble getting proper cinnamon quills. In the end, I managed to find some in bulk in a health food shop in Greystones. Below is a picture of all I could find in the Asian and Chinese shops, with the type of quill that I was looking for in the centre.. The packaging says that this is the true cinnamon, but anything I can find leaves me thinking that my original cinnamon is the right one, and that the barky one may well be Chinese cinnamon but is possibly really cassia? The barky one has a warmer sort of scent, but a bit less aromatic.


This is one of C's favourite meals, he has been rhapsodising about it all evening. Originally it came from a BBC Good Food magazine, I've adapted it somewhat over time.
Water chestnuts were something else I was having trouble finding in the supermarkets, but I got them in an Asian shop in town last week.
Noodle Stir-Fry - 3 medium or two large servings
2 nests of fine or medium egg-noodles
6 tbsp each orange juice and light soy sauce - preferably a low-salt one
1 tsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch, 1 tsp orange zest
1 tbsp oil,
1/2 tbsp grated ginger, 1 clove crushed garlic
1 red pepper, finely sliced
2 tbsp sherry
1 carrot and 1 courgette cut in fine strips (I use the julienne blade on a mandolin)
2 ounces mangetout peas finely sliced
1/2 tin water chestnuts, drained and sliced
3 or 4 spring onions/ green onions
Some fried cashew nuts for garnish
Cook the noodles according to instructions on pack and drain - approx 4 minutes in boiling water.
Mix together the soy sauce, orange juice and zest, cornflour and sugar and set aside.
Heat the oil and fry the ginger and garlic briefly.
Add the sherry and peppers and stir-fry over a hot ring for 1 minute. The sherry should pretty much all have boiled away by then.
Add the carrots, mangetout and courgette and fry for 3 minutes.
Add the water chestnuts and most of the chopped spring onions, reserving a few for garnish. Fry for 1 minute.
Stir in the noodles, add the sauce ingredients and stir-fry till heated through.
Serve on hot plates, with remaining chopped spring onions and fried cashew nuts for garnish.