Stir-frying -- the ultimate fast food -- is also comforting, with its rich savoury sauces. It's healthy and gentle on the budget -- you don't need much protein and fuel costs are low.
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| Stir-fried Beef & Peppers in Black Bean Sauce |
CARBS
The addition of rice or noodles adds to the comfort level but are not essential. The easiest carb option (unless you have remembered to defrost pre-cooked rice the night before) is egg noodles. Supermarket egg noodles are ready after soaking in boiling water for only 5 minutes. Another option is thinly sliced new potatoes added to the stir-fry veg.
VEGETABLES
80g packs of quick cooking veg are easy to prepare; you may need to trim the bottoms and halve larger pieces but that will be that. The best stir-fry veg are tenderstem broccoli, green beans, cauliflower florets, mushrooms, peas, peppers, spinach and carrot curls peeled from the body of the carrot.
MEAT
- Chicken is good but reduce fat by removing skin. Breast slices easily but with less expensive thighs you can slice the meat off the bone and toss the bone in for stir-frying too. If you're not worried about fat in chicken skin, wings are low-budget but need more cooking.
- Beef. (Only on occasion for oldies.) Rump steak, bashed with a rolling pin is perfect. Beef roasts on special offer which may not be tender enough for roasting are also good. (Test beef for tenderness by flash frying a slice)
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If using raw fish, go for firm-fleshed fish. If budget conscious, try frozen fish. Smoked fish, especially smoked mackerel, and tinned drained tuna are also terrific in stir fried rice.
TOFU
Firm tofu is recommended; most Chinese supermarkets stock it. Organic firm tofu is readily available in health food shops.
THE MARINADE
The standard marinade for protein is:
- one part normal or reduced-salt soy sauce (be careful, some low salt soys are not tasty)
- one part dry sherry (or white wine or white grape juice)
- grated ginger (1 tbsp to every cup of marinade)
- grated garlic (1 tbsp to every cup of marinade)
- 1 tbsp fresh finely diced chilli or a sprinkling of chilli flakes or a dash of tobasco (opt)
Don't marinade meat for more than twenty minutes; the protein begins to break down.
CORNFLOUR
Once marinated, the protein should be drained and the juices reserved. Lightly coat the protein slices with cornflour. This step is optional but helps maintain juiciness and thickens the sauce.
WATER
Asian cooks always have a bit of water to hand to prevent sticking. You may only need a tablespoon but it enhances the final result.
HOT PAN
Prepare everything before cooking. Your pan should be very hot before you start, smoking hot. If you hold your hand above the pan, you should feel the heat. A cast iron or steel wok or a heavy-bottomed non-stick that can withstand high temperatures are best.
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| Tofu with Chillis & Broccoli |
STARTING THE STIR-FRY WITH VEG OR MEAT
There are, clearly, two schools of thought on this. Starting with the veg leaves a cleaner pan. Starting with the meat requires two lots of oil.
THE TECHNIQUE
I like to start with the veg. (With very hard veg like cauliflower, I will put it in the frying pan with a generous tablespoon of water and cover it for 1-2 mins or until half done. The veg is then set aside with its cooking liquid). Spray pan lightly with oil; add any other veg and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add to the pre-cooked veg
Spray pan generously with cooking oil; add meat, drained of marinade, in one layer. Cook over high-ish heat without stirring for a minute or until the meat is carmelised/dark brown on the underside; Flip and leave a half minute or so. Remove from pan with juices and set aside.
Add the veg back to the pan with a tablespoon'ish of water and the marinade; turn heat down to medium, cover and cook until the veg are done to your liking - usually 1-3 mins.
Return the meat and juices to the pan, giving the veg-meat mix a good stir.
If you like your sauce thick, make a slurry of 1 teaspoon of corn flour and 1 tbsp COLD water. Add to the veg/meat mix; stir and heat through. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of water.
COOKING OIL
The standard oil for stir-fries is groundnut (peanut) but any vegetable oil will do, apart from olive oil. Coconut oil is said to be good for stir-frying but is expensive and high in saturated fat.
NOTES ON COOKING TIMES
If you are cooking for adults and like al dente vegetables and rare meat, and have a gas cooker, the standard stir-fry flash-bang-whiz-and-serve technique is fine.
But with families, especially those with children and older members who don't enjoy chewing, crunchy vegetables can be difficult. Also, in my experience, an electric or convection cooker won't get your pan hot enough for a swift stir fry; you really need gas for the standard stir-fry. If you haven't got gas, the technique described in Starting the Stir Fry With Veg or Meat (above) will be fine.
This recipe and this advice has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
THE TECHNIQUE
I like to start with the veg. (With very hard veg like cauliflower, I will put it in the frying pan with a generous tablespoon of water and cover it for 1-2 mins or until half done. The veg is then set aside with its cooking liquid). Spray pan lightly with oil; add any other veg and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add to the pre-cooked veg
Spray pan generously with cooking oil; add meat, drained of marinade, in one layer. Cook over high-ish heat without stirring for a minute or until the meat is carmelised/dark brown on the underside; Flip and leave a half minute or so. Remove from pan with juices and set aside.
Add the veg back to the pan with a tablespoon'ish of water and the marinade; turn heat down to medium, cover and cook until the veg are done to your liking - usually 1-3 mins.
Return the meat and juices to the pan, giving the veg-meat mix a good stir.
If you like your sauce thick, make a slurry of 1 teaspoon of corn flour and 1 tbsp COLD water. Add to the veg/meat mix; stir and heat through. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of water.
COOKING OIL
The standard oil for stir-fries is groundnut (peanut) but any vegetable oil will do, apart from olive oil. Coconut oil is said to be good for stir-frying but is expensive and high in saturated fat.
NOTES ON COOKING TIMES
If you are cooking for adults and like al dente vegetables and rare meat, and have a gas cooker, the standard stir-fry flash-bang-whiz-and-serve technique is fine.
But with families, especially those with children and older members who don't enjoy chewing, crunchy vegetables can be difficult. Also, in my experience, an electric or convection cooker won't get your pan hot enough for a swift stir fry; you really need gas for the standard stir-fry. If you haven't got gas, the technique described in Starting the Stir Fry With Veg or Meat (above) will be fine.
This recipe and this advice has been developed by B Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises. They may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.
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