Stir-Fry my way

STIR FRY MY WAY

Staying with the healthy eating theme lets look at cooking a stir-fry.

Stir-fry’s are really quite easy once you have the hang of it.

I prefer the traditional round bottom wok I understand the flat bottom wok is to accommodate electric cookers.

The first time I saw a wok being used was at the food stalls in Singapore where the food was cooked fresh in front of you. There the round bottom would sit comfortably inside the gas ring with the flames licking up the sides. It was quite mesmerising to watch these wizened Chinese cooks throw the noodles and vegetables around in and out of the wok with such dexterity.

When I cook a stir-fry I like to have colour, lots of red and green vegetables, with a blend of tastes from the Asian sauces. I recently went to stir-fry demonstration at a local posh kitchenware shop. Their dishes tasted okay but lacked the excitement or colour and different tastes.

A great website for Chinese and stir-fry cooking is www.chinghehuang.com. I may have mentioned the website on a previous post but it is well worth checking out the site.

Ching he Huang cookery books and Ching’s wok are available from; www.amazon.com

www.amazon.co.uk

What you’ll need for your Stir-Fry;

A round bottom non-stick wok; I like electric for a few reasons, your not tied to cooking over a hot oven. You can place them anywhere in the kitchen or cooking area, close to where you’re chopping up the meat and vegetables. When the weather is okay you can cook outside, that’ll save the cooking smell inside. Electric woks are so convenient, very easy to take apart and wash, even in the dishwasher.

Provisions;

It’s best if you can keep a supply of meats or seafood and vegetables in the fridge or freezer. Not forgetting the sauces and spices you may like. Once you’ve mastered your favourite stir-fry’s you’ll cook them more than once a week. They are quite quick and easy to prepare.

Any meat you fancy, even a mix will do. I only mix white meats like chicken and pork. Good quality beef cuts are a must. I’ve never used lamb. Prawns a must when thinking of seafood but just about all seafood are fine for stir-fry. Fish, you have to be a bit more selective, salmon is fantastic tuna works as well.

The vegetables, green and red; Onions red or white, shallots, spring onions (scallions) fresh ginger, garlic, broccoli, mangetout, asparagus, celery, baby carrots, red and green bell peppers, red and green chillies, baby sweet corn, bean sprouts, cilantro, there maybe more you like. Just try them and experiment, trial and error that is how the recipes are discovered.

Asian sauces and spices; Chinese 5 spice powder, light soy sauce, Thai fish sauce, Shao Hsing rice cooking wine, plum, hoisin, black bean, teriyaki, oyster sauces and any that I’ve missed. Canola and sesame oil, sesame gives your stir-fry a more subtle flavour.

The noodles, there oodles of noodle types. My preference is the fat pansit style noodle that comes from Philippines. You get some equally good nodles from Thailand, what ever you prefer. I always get those you just pour boiling water over for a few minutes before adding to the main event.

How I cook a stir-fry;

I would first get all the ingredients together, sauces and spices, meat and or seafood and the vegetables. Then prepare the meat/seafood and the vegetables you’ll be using.

Lets say a chicken breast and prawn dish; the prawns break off the head and the leggy bits, leaving on the main shell and tail. The chicken breast cut into thinnish strips so it will cook quickly and evenly. You could also use pork loin.

Then prepare the vegetables;

Onion or shallot thinly sliced, crushed cloves of garlic to your taste, finely chopped or grated ginger.

Broccoli broken into florets, mangetout, celery, a note about celery. You don’t have to cut off and throw away the leaves, if they are fresh chop them up with the celery and cook with the dish.

That’s enough greenery, red pepper de-seeded and cut long ways, carrots cut the same way for Feng shui or cut into slivers with a potato peeler. If you like a little spicy heat a few whole red chillies. Keep them whole and whoever doesn’t like them can avoid them.

The sauces, decide what you’ll use, not too many. Maybe hoisin and plum this time and a little oyster sauce.

Boil a kettle of water to have ready to pour over the noodles, have the noodles in a suitable bowl or saucepan.

Have the wok nice and hot, pour in a little oil to cook the chicken and prawns. Cook until the prawns are pink and the chicken slightly cooked coloured all over. Remove from the wok and keep warm.

In with a little more oil if needed and fry the onions, garlic, ginger, celery and chillies if you’re using. Fry until onions starting to go translucent add the sauces you’ll be using, using a teaspoon. Taste to see if you like adding a little more if needed. Add a little soy sauce and rice wine, with a little fish sauce for a salty taste. Then add the broccoli, mangetout and carrots. Cook for a few minutes stirring in well with all the sauce, don’t over cook the broccoli, it looks horrible.

Add the chicken and prawns mixing in well the vegetables.

While you were doming all this, you would have poured the boiling water over the noodles to soften them. Drain of the water in a sieve and stir in well with the sauce, meat and vegetables.

Garnish with cilantro (coriander) and/or spring onions cut length ways.

You could serve the noodles separately.