RECIPE: Meat & Vegetable Stir-Fry

If time is short and you want a tasty, nourishing meal, look no further. Here is a real winner. Also, if you have a glut of vegetables at home, here is a great way to use them up.

One part meat: Beef, chicken, or pork. Cube or cut into bite-sized pieces.

Two parts vegetable: cut into bite-sized pieces (see ‘Vegetables’ below)

1 Tablespoon ginger, garlic, shallots (optional)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs like coriander or basil.

Vegetables

Chose vegetables in both categories below.

Category 01: Onions, Baby Corn, Snow Peas, Snap Peas, Mushrooms, Celery, Zucchini, Bok Choy. These cook very quickly so watch out.

Category 02: Carrots, Cauliflower Capsicum (bell peppers), Broccoli, Green Beans. These take more time to cook due to their denseness. They have a great ‘crunch.’

Sauce for Stir-fry

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar, preferably rice wine

1 cup broth

Put all ingredients in a bowl and then whisk together until fully blended. For thicker sauce, add 1 teaspoon of corn starch, whisk until blended, and let sit for 10 minutes before mixing with the stir fry.

Cooking Instructions

1.      Have all your ingredients chopped and ready to go before you start cooking, because once you begin the stir-fry, it will go quickly. Make sure your rice or noodles are also cooked before frying. Everything should be cut and prepared to a similar size to ensure uniform cooking.

2.      Take your wok or frying pan and set it over medium to high heat. Once hot, then add 1 Tablespoon of oil (peanut or coconut) for a non-stick pan or 2 Tablespoons for a regular pan. Do not begin to cook until the pan is hot and the oil sizzling.

3.      Once heated, add your meat of choice and cook thoroughly on all sides. Remove the cooked meat and place to the side. Do not stir the entire time; give opportunity for ‘frying’ and then ‘stirring,’ so the meat and vegetables are sufficiently cooked.

4.      Add your Category 02 vegetables next. These take longer to cook. Only fry for 1 minute. If you have too many, then fry them in batches. Don’t overcook or the vegetables will lose their wonderful texture, crunch, and colour.

5.      Add your Category 01 vegetables, which cook more quickly than Category 02, and fry 1 more minute.

6.      Add ginger, garlic, and/or shallots, if you are using at all. Cook no more than half a minute and continuously stir to avoid burning.

7.      It is now time to return the meat to the pan. Add the above stir-fry sauce. Coat the vegetables and meat in sauce and make sure there is not excessive liquid at the bottom that can make the vegetables soggy. Cook until it bubbles, around 60-90 seconds.

8.      Remove from the heat and add fresh herbs.

9.      May be served with cooked noodles or rice (Jasmine or Basmati are great choices).

10.  Enjoy!