Stir Fry

[Thunderhoof]

Do any of you do this at home?

I have always liked stir-fried food, and it has to be quick and easy and at least moderately healthy.

How do YOU stir fry at home? I'm sure that oils and spices play a big role -- which ones do you use? What vegetables work well? Timing -- when do you throw meat (if any) in the pan?

 

[WhoseHouse]

I'm still experimenting, but so far I've decided that sesame oil works well, and I like to use broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms and water chestnuts. I throw in the mushrooms and water chestnuts after the broccoli and zucchini have cooked for a few minutes. Teriyaki sauce, garlic powder, kosher salt, soy sauce all work well.
Oh, also, I scramble eggs and slightly under-cook brown rice first, then add these to the stir fry when the veggies are almost cooked so it can all cook together for a few minutes. This makes more of a fried rice dish than stir fry.

 

[texascoder]

Here's what I normally do at home when I get a hankering for stir fry.

First, I start some rice cooking in my rice cooker. Then I start some pre-marinated teriyaki chicken breasts (HEB brand) grilling on my grill. Be careful NOT to turn them over too soon. The teriyaki sauce will cook and will make it look like the chicken is burning but it's not. While the chicken is cooking, I'll slice up some carrots, onions, maybe celery, fresh mushrooms, brocolli, pea pods, whatever kind of vegetable I feel like and have on hand.

After the chicken is finished grilling, I'll cut it up into small pieces... about 1 inch cubes or so...

To cook the stir fry, I usually use a medium sized (non-stick) stir fry pan or a non-stick frying pan. Get the pan nice and hot on the stove on high heat, add a little olive oil, then add about a TSP of minced garlic and then add the veggies (a small handful of each one), then I add a little teriyaki sauce (2-3 TBS). Stir the veggies and let them cook for a couple of minutes. The heat should still be high. The idea is to cook the food fast. This way, the veggies don't get mushy, etc. Next add in some chicken and a little more teriyaki sauce (2-3 TBS again). After a couple more minutes, I'll add on a little sweet and sour sauce or maybe a garlic and ginger sauce. Stir to coat the veggies and cook for another minute or two. By now, the rice should be cooked. Put some rice on a plate and then pour your stir-fry right on top.

Tips:
- You'll want to make sure that all the veggies and chicken are sliced and ready to go before you start cooking.
- The actual cooking time is not very long. You'll be cooking the food fast on high heat. You'll just need to play it by ear as far as how long you end up cooking it. You'll want the veggies to be on the borderline between too hard (undercooked) and too soft (overcooked).
- I normally will cook each person's stir-fry separately, perhaps using 2 pans at a time. This allows each person to have whatever veggies and/or sauce that they want, plus it means that each stir-fry will take a little less time.
- You can use whatever meat you like or have on hand... chicken, beef, shrimp, pork
- You can use a variety of different sauces
- You can serve it on rice, lo mien noodles, or without any rice or pasta

Enjoy

 

[texascoder]

Here's another type of "stir-fry" that I cook now and then...

This is an "italian" stir-fry. First, start a few italian sausages cooking on the grill. While they're cooking, start cooking some penne pasta, and also start warming some Prego (or Ragu or you name it) red gravy (spagetti sauce for you non-Italians

). After you start the penne and sauce, slice up a red pepper or two, an onion, a couple of carrots, a handful of fresh mushrooms, and some sun dried tomatoes if you have some. Basically, whatever kind of veggies you like.

After the sausage has finished grilling, slice it into about 1/4 or 1/2-inch slices cut on a diagonal so they turn out oval shaped. After the penne is finished cooking, drain it, cover it and set it aside.

At this point, your meat and veggies are cut up and ready to go... your sauce is probably all warmed up by now and the penne pasta is cooked.

Using a non-stick stir fry pan, get it good and hot on high heat, then add a TBS or so of olive oil, then a TSP of minced garlic, along with a small handful of each of the veggies. Let it cook for a minute or two. Then you might want to add 2-3 TBS of beef or chicken stock or water (whatever you might have). Next, add a handful of the sausage slices (or 2-3 handfuls if you like sausage as much as I do). Stir the contents of the pan and continue to cook until the veggies are a good consistency (not hard, but not mushy either). When the stir fry is done, scoop some of the penne pasta onto a plate, then pour the stir fry right on top, and add some of the red gravy, along with some shredded parmesan cheese and maybe a breadstick, and you have yourself a quick, fantastic meal

I normally cook this for one person at a time. Use two pans at a time if you have several people to cook for.