Thursday, September 16, 2010

Simple and tasty (very tasty) stir-fry recipe

I've been using this very simple, and very tasty stir-fry recipe that I got out of a great cookbook called "The Bear and Fish Family Cookbook" by Yabin Yu and Jialin Tian. I suggest actually following the recipe. If you're like me, you tend to jump to improvisation before trying the original recipe...well, this one is really great if you actually follow it (as best as you can). I mention it later, but I usually double the marinade and sauce amounts, because I prefer it that way. Plus, I usually make more than the original recipe calls for (it calls for only 6 oz. of meat).
I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

-Stir fry meat (for as many people as you need. I usually use a couple of small steaks or a couple of pork chops...but the necessary amount depends on what you want your meat-to-veggie ratio to be)
-Onion
-Other Veggies (I usually use any or all of the following: zucchini, red bell pepper, broccoli, snow peas, green onions, asparagus, carrot, napa cabbage....and probably more. Basically, use whatever is in season or whatever you like. You could even do just meat and broccoli if that's what you have.)

-1 clove garlic, thinly sliced (I always use at least 2 cloves worth, I think, and I send it through my garlic press...works great!)
-3 slices of fresh ginger, minced
-Oyster sauce to taste, optional

Note: I usually double both the marinade and the sauce

Marinade Ingredients
-1/4 tsp granulated sugar
-1/2 Tablespoon soy sauce
-1 Tablespoon medium-dry Sherry (I'm assuming that the rest of you don't have Shaohsing rice cooking wine either, so I didn't feel that it was necessary to mention it here. The sherry was given as an alternative to this! When I didn't have sherry, I used rice vinegar. I just use cooking sherry now. Both taste great!)
-1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 Tablespoon water

Sauce Ingredients
-1 Tablespoon soy sauce
-1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
(I usually use a bit less)
-1 Tablespoon chicken stock or water
-1 Tablespoon of same sherry
(or vinegar)
-a pinch of salt

Directions
-Make up sauces in separate bowls
-Chop meat and put in marinade. Dice onion. Chop other veggies.
-Heat up wok or fry pan with a few Tablespoons of canola oil.
-Fry marinaded meat, onion, mushrooms, garlic and ginger until cooked (doesn't take long). Put them aside in another dish.
-Put a little more oil in your pan if you need it and fry up the remaining veggies (be sure to put the ones that take a few minutes in first...then put the ones that are done almost instantly in last. That way they don't all get super soggy.)
-Pour sauce over veggies and add the meat mixture. Bring to a simmer and it's ready to go!

Serve with rice.

After your sauces are made, the veggies are chopped and the meat has been marinaded (it only needs to be marinaded for a few minutes, but sometimes I make it quite a while ahead of time and stick it in the fridge) the rest of the cooking only takes a few minutes! For best results on the rice (if you have a rice cooker): start the rice 45 minutes to 1 hour before you eat, and let it stand on the 'warm' setting until it's time to eat. This makes for fluffier, more authentic rice!

No comments: