STIR FRY DINNER
Stir Fry is one of my favorite dishes to cook and to eat. You can literally clean out your refrigerator and almost always come up with enough items to make a delicious Stir Fry Dinner. Beef, Pork Chicken or Fish or even Tofu will serve as the Protein. Vegetables such as Cabbage, Celery, Carrots, Onion, Spinach or Broccoli will complement your protein items. Asian Condiments such as Soy Sauce, Bean Sauce, Hoison Sauce and even Oyster Sauce will add the flavor enhancements. A Stir Fry Dish can be served with either Rice or Noodles.
The Noodles that I prefer with Asian Stir Fry are Rice Noodles which only need to be cooked or soaked for a short time. (This will depend on the manufacturer and the directions on the package they come in)
Cooked Rice Noodles
This particular night we had decided that we wanted Stir Fry Shrimp. While I had the Shrimp in the freezer I did have to go out and purchase a few of the Vegetable items for the Stir Fry. The Vegetables that I did have on hand were:
Broccoli Stalks – I love the crunchiness of the stalks – peel the stalks and then slice thinly.
Peeled Broccoli Stalk
Peeled & Sliced Broccoli Stalks
Green Cabbage –
Green Cabbage
Orange Carrots – Carrots can be had in a variety of colors these days – Red, Yellow, White or even Purple.
Onions
Garlic – an absolute necessity when it comes to Stir Fry
Eight Ball Zuchinni – an interesting shape – this is a round zuchinni just about the size of a pool table ball ‘8’ ball.
- Eight Ball Zuchinni
Garlic & Zuchinni
Ginger Root – adds amazing flavor – a little zing! Cut off the amount you need (usually a piece about the size of a quarter) and peel. This can be done with a teaspoon as the skin has a contrasting texture to the Ginger itself. Then mince before using.
Ginger Root
Maitaki Mushrooms – these are also known as Beech Mushrooms which also come in a white variety. They grow together in a cluster which you can cut apart at the base leaving tiny mushrooms on a slender stem.
Maitaki Mushrooms
Maitaki-Mushrooms
The Vegetables that I purchased for this dish were:
Bean Sprouts – I usually use Mung Bean Sprouts – just add them at the very end – these also need very little or no cooking
Mung Bean Sprouts
Chinese Pea Pods – wash and remove the strings – they need very little or no cooking
Chinese Pea Pods, Broccoli Stalks, sliced & Zuchinni
You will want to marinate whatever Meat you are using in your Stir Fry; Shrimp or any other Seafood should not be marinated for more than about 20 minutes. Chicken, Beef Pork or Lam on the other hand can be marinated for several hours or even overnight. For our Stir Fry this night I did use Shrimp. For the Marinade I used:
Hoison Sauce – 1-2 Tbsps.
Black Bean Sauce – 1- 2 Tbsps.
Fish Sauce – 1 Tbsp.
Peanut Oil – 2 Tbsps.
To make your Stir Fry start with the Onion; sauté in a wok or large sauté pan just to soften and then add the Garlic. Next add the Vegetables that would need the most cooking, starting with the Cabbage and then the Carrots and lastly the Zuchinni which needs very little cooking.
Vegetables for Stir Fry
Once these Vegetable are almost done (about 2-3 minutes) remove them to a covered dish and then Stir Fry the Shrimp. Stir Fry the Shrimp in the same vessel as the Vegetables were cooked in – Shrimp should take 3-4 minutes to cook. Add the Noodles (if the Noodles have stuck together, just rinse them with some warm water) and combine with the Shrimp Mixture.
Shrimp-Sauce- & Noodles
Once the Noodles have warmed and been coated with the Sauce, add the cooked Vegetables along with the Pea Pods, Bean Sprouts and the Bell Pepper.
Vegetables and Shrimp combined with the Pea Pods and Bean Sprouts added.
Once everything is combined and hot serve immediately. This is a great one-dish meal or can be served as a second course after a soup or salad starter.
Stir Fry in serving Dish
Stir Fry Completed
Categories: Asian, Condiments, Cooking for Everyone, Dinner Ideas, Leftovers, Main, One Dish Meals Tags: Bean Sauce, Bean Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, family dinner, Fish Sauce, Gourmet Foods, Hoison Sauce, Mushrooms, Pea Pods, Rice Noodles, Stir Fry, Vegetables
ONE DISH MEALS
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! New Years seems to be a time for Resolutions, but quite honestly, I never make them. Unfortunately, most New Year’s Resolutions are never implemented. The trick is to just add new self-improvement items on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. One at a time would be much easier to do. All that being said, I am making myself a promise that I will pay more attention to this blog and try to write something, if not daily then at least twice weekly. And starting off will be a new series of ‘One Dish Meals’ or almost ‘One Dish Meals’. The first one is my Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry that we had for dinner last night. So, here goes!
Cut the Tenderloin in half lengthwise and rub with 2 Tbsps. of Granulated Sugar. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then Slice the Pork Tenderloin into thin crosswise slices, being sure to cut against the grain. Completely cover the Tenderloin pieces with the Marinade Mixture. (see recipe) pork-tenderloin-stir-fry/ Cover and refrigerate for several hours or even overnight.
Marinating the Tenderloin Halves
When ready to cook prep your Vegetables. The Vegetables you use are a matter of personal choice. Personally I usually like to use up what I have in the refrigerator. If I don’t have enough of those certain Vegetables that I like in Stir-Fry then I will purchase more. The Vegetables that I used this time were:
Shitake Mushrooms (any variety will do)
Onions
Garlic
Carrot
Snow Peas
Bean Sprouts
Scallions
Red Bell Pepper (The colored ones are sweeter than the Green)
Stir-Fry Vegetables
Clean the Mushrooms by wiping with a damp paper towel. Remove the stems (Shitake stems are too woody to eat) and then cut into quarters. If they are very large, then just slice crosswise.
Peel the Onion and then slice into petals – quarter the Onion and then slice each quarter into ¼” pieces lengthwise.
Wash and dry the Scallions and cut crosswise into thin slices – both the White and Green Parts.
Peel the Carrots and then slice diagonally into 3/8” slices.
Remove the string from the Snow Peas and the stem end. Rinse with cold water and drain. Cut each in half lengthwise.
Remove the stem and seeds from the Bell Pepper; wash and dry and then slice into julienne pieces. If these are too large for you, then slice again into halves or quarters.
Just before serving time heat a small amount of Peanut Oil (or Vegetable) in a wok or sauté pan. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. When the Oil is hot add the Mushrooms and Onions. Sauté until the Mushrooms are soft and the Onion is translucent. Add the Carrot slices and sauté just until the Carrots are almost fork tender. Transfer the Vegetables to a covered dish and then add the Pork. Sauté the Pork for about 2-3 minutes and then add the Sauce Ingredients (See recipe) along with the Snow Peas. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Return the Vegetables to the wok along with the Bean Sprouts, Scallions and Red Bell Pepper. Cook for another minute or so or until everything is hot.
One Dish Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry
Serve with Rice or Rice Noodles. Voila! Dinner is ready.
Categories: Dinner Ideas Tags: family dinner, Mushrooms, One Dish, Pork, Stir Fry, Vegetables
