Stir-fry is one of my favorites and it is so easy to prepare, and the combinations are endless. You can vary the flavor with spices, or you can change the meats and vegetables you use. You can make a specific stir-fry recipe or lookin your refrigerator and assess what will go together for your dish. There is really no wrong way to combine stir-fry ingredients.
- Clean and prepare the vegetables. If they take a long time to cook,you may choose to precook. I prepare my vegetables in small bowls and then line them up in the order that I will put them in to the stir-fry. Add the vegetables that will cook longest first.
- If you want marinated meats: Place prepared meat in a Ziploc bag. Add half the marinade (reserve the other half for later), seal the bag, and refrigerate 20 to 30 minutes (place it in a bowl, just in case the bag leaks).
- Drain the meat, discard the marinade, and fry the meat in a little heated canola oil. Remove from pan and set aside. If you are using precooked, skip this step and add the meat at the end of the cooking process. When meat is ready, remove from pan andcook the vegetables.
- Add prepared vegetables to the hot pan (may need a little oil) in the order of their required cooking time. Stir constantly until the vegetables are just barely tender (there is a reason it’s called stir-fry). Now add the meat to the vegetables.
- Add sauce to the pan and stir. If you need a thicker sauce, make it with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water, stirring out all lumps (Ultra Gel is also great to thicken the sauce and will not lump on you.) Add to reserved marinade or marinade that you want to thicken. Pour over meat and vegetables and stir just until bubbling hot and thickened. Serve.
Basic Stir-Fry Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 4 oz of raw beef, chicken or pork, thinly sliced across the grain
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ginger, finely grated
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken stock or water
- 2-3 c. vegetables, cut into bite-sized pieces (*carrots, celery, mushrooms, asparagus, bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, bean sprouts, broccoli, *cauliflower, snow peas, bean sprouts, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon Tamari (reduced sodium)
- 1 Tablespoon Ultra Gel
Directions:
- Warm oil in a hot wok; add uncooked meat. Stir-fry until no longer pink. Remove meat and set aside.
- Add onion, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
- Add prepared vegetables and chicken stock and stir until vegetable are well combined. Cover with tight-fitting lid and steam for about 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.
- Stir in cooked meat.
- Season with Tamari or other seasonings, as desired.
- Push meat/vegetable mixture to the side and gradually add Ultra Gel to broth, stirring constantly until broth thickens.
- Mix vegetables and meat with thickened broth to coat. If desired, served with steamed rice.
Serves 2
*Cut dense vegetables like carrots and cauliflower into smaller pieces or add them before the other vegetables and let them cook for a minute or two before adding the rest of the vegetables.
