What's Cookin' - Stir Fry

Published August 8, 2007 in The Spectrum & Daily News

By Kathryn van Roosendaal

I absolutely love stir fry. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s versatile – everything you want in today’s busy world. You can use whatever meat you have on hand and whatever veggies you want. You can serve it over rice or noodles. And it is easy to play with the recipe to suit your personal tastes – or the tastes of your kids.

The basics of a stir fry are the meat, the marinade and the cooking sauce. Add a veggie or two and a base – the rice or noodles – and you have a complete meal. If I think enough ahead of time I like using brown rice as a base. For last-minute meals, nothing works better than ramen noodles – just cook the noodles according the package, but without adding the seasoning. Drain the noodles and they are ready to go in about 3 minutes.

I use whatever veggies are in season or I happen to have on hand: asparagus is a fave, but broccoli, zucchini and snow peas also work very well. You can throw in baby corn for fun – kids love it – and celery is good if you like the taste. You can even add roasted cashews or peanuts for a tasty crunch.

I absolutely adore shrimp in stir fries; it is tasty and comes ready-made in bite-sized pieces. Any other meat will do as well, even leftovers. Just skip the marinade and put the cut up pork, turkey, beef or chicken in the pan just before the cooking sauce.

You can also play around with the sauce. If you like yours tangy, replace the sherry with malt vinegar. For a spicier sauce, add some red pepper flakes. Or you can try one of the sauces found in the Asian food section of the grocery store: Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, plum sauce or black bean sauce. Just dilute it with 1 part water to 2 parts sauce before you add it to the pan.

Basic stir fry

Marinade:

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons dry sherry

2 teaspoons water

white pepper, to taste

1 1/2 teaspoon salad oil

Stir fry:

1 1/2 pounds meat, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 teaspoons salad oil (I use olive oil)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots (optional)

1/4 to 1/2 pound snow peas, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli or other vegetable, cut into bite-sized pieces

Cooking sauce:

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon dry sherry

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Combine marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add meat and toss to coat. Let stand 15 minutes. Combine the ingredients for the cooking sauce and set aside. Place a wok or wide frying pan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the 2 teaspoons oil. Add garlic and stir once. Add the meat and stir-fry about 3 minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the remaining oil. Add bamboo shoots, if using, and stir-fry 1 minute. Add vegetables and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes, adding a few drops of water if the pan appears dry. Return the meat to the pan. Stir in cooking sauce and cook, stirring, until the sauce bubbles and thickens. Serve hot over rice or noodles. Serves 3 to 4.