We are
now obsessed with stir fry. It's our go to dish. It's the most versatile dish I know, too. You can toss almost anything (any edible thing that is) into a stir fry and it will most likely turn out fantastic!
We eat stir fried vegetables and chicken probably 2-3 nights out of the week. Usually, I have no specific plan as to what vegetables will go in a stir fry on which night. Most nights, I open the fridge and choose the vegetable combination that sounds most delicious to me that night that we have available. My Stir fry style is unplanned, unmeasured and thrown
together. Most nights I use vegetables, chicken, a tsp or two of oil, a
squirt of Braggs and call it a night. It's delicious just like that.
I say now about as referring to the last 5 years. Since right before we've moved abroad basically. Just before we moved to Korea, I lived
with grand parents for the summer, and saw them stir fry often. Seeing
them stir fry so much placed a little bit of stir fry knowledge in my
brain, stored away, ready to be taken out upon our arrival to Korea. In Korea, we didn't have an oven, only a stove top, and had something like a whopping 3 man fleet of pots and pans, which included the glorious Wok, the King of stir fry's.
Growing up we never saw our mothers make stir fry (besides fajitas! We ARE Texans after all. Or sauteed mushrooms and onions to top our steaks on steak night! Holla!). So, it made us think maybe others were the same, and are still living in a stir-fry-less world.
So, because we love stir fry so much, I decided to share with you some of our best stir fry tips and recipes!
Why Make Stir Fry
1. You only use one pot! Easy cooking and easy clean up!
2. They're super easy and fast.
3. They're healthy.
4. They're a great way to clear out veggies in your fridge.
5. It's a great way to add more vegetables to your diet!
6. They're delicious!
7. You don't need a recipe.
My Stir Fry Tips
-Buy a Wok. I good, thick wok. Our wok is our most used kitchen accessory. Woks are perfect for stir frying because of their fantastic heat retention.
-Only use a few tsp of oil. Seriously, this is all we use for a huge wok-full of stir fried veggies & meat. Depending on what kind of oil I am using, I usually put 1 to 2 tsp down first, tilt the pan around to coat the bottom, then I place the veggies. I usually cook the meat last. Before placing the meat in the pan, I push all the veggies to one side, drop another tsp of oil on the other side, and place the meat on top.
-Any vegetable will do! Any vegetable is stir friable (is that a word?). Before you slice up your veggies, think about flavor combinations. Some things just go great together! Making stir fry is also a great way to get your leafy greens in. In China, any and all greens are cooked. Thinly chop a whole bunch of spinach, kale or other leafy green and throw it into your stir fry the last 30 seconds.
-Use garlic and ginger. Add more flavor to your stir fry without increasing the sodium or adding fake junk into your veggies.
-Think about how you should cut/slice/chop. Some days I go with long sliced vegetables. Other days, if I'm making stir fried veggies as a side dish, I go with chopped small veggies. Some days, its all random.
-Think about order. If you're adding large pieces of potatoes, carrots or other hard vegetables, put those in first. If your cooking large chunks of potatoes with thinly cut mushrooms, you don't want to cook away your mushrooms while your potatoes are softening.
-Get creative! Try different oils. Add a drop of sesame oil. Add some nuts. Sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Add a vegetable you seldom cook with or have never tried. Sprinkle with some fresh herbs. Throw some kimchi in there.
-Seasonings. Kind of a repeat but I'll touch on it. First, try to season with natural, low calorie things, like ginger, garlic, onion, kimchi, lemon, lime, red chilli and fresh herbs and spices. If you still need more flavor, add some low sodium soy sauce, or better yet add Bragg's Amino Soy Sauce. Try a tbs or two of oyster sauce or fish sauce (these are go to flavor boosters in our house). I have even added a little mustard to some stir fry. Again, get creative!
-Try adding fruit. Pineapple is a great one to add! But hard apples, oranges and pears also work. The fruit is great for bringing out the meats flavor.
-Think about steaming. If you have a lot of hard vegetables your cooking with or you want things to cook even faster throw all your veggies in the wok. Put 1/2 or so of water, put that amazing Wok lid on, and let your veggies sit for awhile steaming under that glass dome. After 5 minutes or so, remove the lid and let the veggies stir fry uncovered, so all the water cooks up. If I steam them, I don't use oil, and just cook the meat in a thin layer or the left over water.
-Protein Sources. We use chicken most often but there are nights we throw shrimp, salmon, clams or tofu in instead. We rarely use pork or beef, but both are great, too!
-Think about trying some new curries. Curry paste packets are extremely easy to find and can turn your stir fry into something even more amazing! I rarely follow the vegetable recommendations on curry packets. I add the coconut milk or water it calls for, and then load it up with the vegetables I want.
-Serve with rice, quinoa, noodles or eat plain.
-Make a straight veggie stir fry as a side dish to a main. I've done this the last few nights. I've made a baked chicken dish with a finely chopped vegetable medley stir fried on the side.
-Save the left overs. There's so many things to do with the left overs. You can throw it in eggs the next morning. Throw it in a soup the next night or make lettuce wraps with it, to name a few examples.
-Remember portions! Just because it's healthy and mostly vegetables doesn't mean you can eat the whole pan. I am seriously just learning this. I mean I knew, but I didn't think about it. It was just good! And so I'd eat more and more. Ugh, sad but true. Use a measuring cup to serve your self, or if you're cooking for two and you have enough for four, dish the 3rd and 4th serving into containers before you serve your self for dinner. It's perfect for lunch the next day!
A few of my Stir Fry Obsessions
I am obsessed with..
Mushrooms, red bell pepper and broccoli.
Previously any stir fry I made you could guarantee that it would have these three veggies in it. But then Zachary requested that we take a break from broccoli, "What husband? You don't love having broccoli every night?!" So, now you can guarantee that there will always be red bell pepper and mushrooms included. And if there's not, I get a little sad.
Cabbage. It's kind of an obsession in our house. In Dongying there were months where we'd eat stir fried cabbage with peanuts almost every single night. It was just amazing.
Coconut oil. Oh man. I'm in love. Currently, I am loving cooking the chicken first in coconut oil, then adding mushroom, red and yellow bell pepper and zucchini. Stir frying it all together and topping it with a few cashews.
Happy Stir frying!
Do you stir fry often? What are your best tips?
*Original Photo Source by Ginny
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