Stir-Fry Even Teenagers Love

Deep fry some tofu, and set it aside to drain.

Have ready (cleaned and chopped) in bowl one: Bok Choy (or celery) carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and water chestnuts and in bowl two: one onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 tsp. grated ginger, green pepper, snowpeas, mushrooms, spinach and cashews.

Add about two tablespoons peanut oil to the wok and turn it up fairly high.

Toss the contents of bowl one in the oil for about three minutes, adding a little sesame oil if you have it. Add to this the contents of bowl two, toss, and add a little sechjuan sauce. Sit-fry until the spinach is wilted, add the tofu and a little soy-sauce and walla!

This recipe works well with steamed rice or with Chinese noodles, and anything (except the seasonings) can be omitted for personal preference.

Enjoy!

Stir-Fry Ideas

stir-fries are pretty easy once you get the rhythm. basically, cut up your choice of vegetables, such as carrot, zucchini, broccoli, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, chunks of tofu, onion, pepper, cabbage, bok choy, straw mushrooms, regular mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, snow peas etc. cut them into similar-sized pieces, and cut on diagonals to increase surface area.

mince up a few cloves of garlic and about 1-2 tsp. of fresh ginger root (1-2 very thin slices, minced).

in a bowl, dissolve 1 TBS of corn starch in a small amount of warm water, then add about a cup of warm water and a veg bullion cube or a tbs of miso paste; stir until dissolved. add 1/4 tsp of chinese 5-spice mix and 1 TBS of light soy sauce; stir and set aside.

heat the wok *very* *hot*; then add a couple of tbs. of peanut oil (peanut oil tolerates heat well), and optionally add a couple of quick shakes of sesame oil. add the garlic and ginger, stir for about 30 seconds; then:

starting with the heaviest vegetables and working towards the lightest, add the vegetables and stir/toss constantly, with about 1 minute between vegetables. when most of the vegetables have been added, pour in a couple of TBS of sherry, sake, or marsala wine and maybe 1/4 cup of water; the idea is that the oil quickly heats the vegetables, but the steam is what cooks them. properly done, the vegetables are crisp and hot, not limp.

after the last veg is added, stir the sauce mix and pour it in, possibly reducing heat (depends on your wok and your stove); stir until it thickens, then take off of the heat, and serve. Once you get used to the technique you can prepare and cook a stir-fry in the time it takes the rice to cook.

enjoy!

chuck/

p.s. the sauce is just an example; you can do a wide variety of sauces, such as veg. (mushroom) oyster sauce, or spicy black-bean sauce, or various hot sauces, etc.

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| Chuck Narad -- diver/adventurer/engineer                |
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Stir-Frying

Here are some random stir-fry basics:

• cut all of your vegetables to appoximately the same size, so they have the same cooking time.
• cut diagonally to increase surface area.
• the wok should be *hot*
• start with the densest vegetables, work towards the lightest.
• start with a little oil in the wok (peanut oil handles the heat best; add a few dashes of sesame oil if desired for flavor).
• minced garlic and fresh ginger should be tossed in the oil for about 30 seconds, then add the first vegetable.
• toss constantly; add a new veg about every 2 minutes
• the oil is not intended to fry the food, it should just coat and heat it; the veggies actually should steam, either in their own juices or from a splash of sherry or other liquid added with a near-to-last veg. Don't overcook the veggies, they should be heated through but crisp!
• a good basic sauce is 1 cup of vegetable broth (you can use bullion), with 1/4 tsp of chinese 5-spice, 1 tbs. of soy sauce, and 1-1/2 tbs cornstarch (dissolved in a small amount of warm water before adding). when the veggies are almost done, stir this mixture, pour it in, and stir lightly until it thickens.