How To Make a Quick & Easy Stir Fry

 

Today's recipe is the type of recipe everyone should have tucked up their sleeve.  It comes in very handy when you find yourself with a few bits in the refrigerator which are still good to use, but not enough that a person could make a meal of them on their own. You could probably could use a trip to the grocery store but you have neither the time nor the inclination.

I will often find myself with part of a head of broccoli, an onion, perhaps a carrot or two, a couple pieces of bell pepper, a tomato, etc.   You know what I mean.   There is nothing wrong with them but for the fact that there are not huge amounts of any of them.

It happens to us all, but that doesn't mean that any of these tasty vegetables should go to waste, or that you need dash to the store until you really want to or have the time.   You can make a delicious, quick and easy stir fry with them by adding a bit of this, a bit of that, and a lot of ingenuity!  

 

 One thing I love about stir fries is you don't need a lot of anything really, not even the protein part . . . and almost anything works protein wise.   Beef, chicken, pork, fish, tofu, lamb, etc .   You can even use leftover cooked meats if you really wanted to.

Using fresh protein however means that you can marinate the protein first and really get some flavor into it, but I suppose you could marinate cooked meats as well if you really wanted to.   

A few nice flavors such as soy sauce, sesame oil, hot chili oil, garlic, five spice powder, garlic . . . and all of that lovely veg and protein thrown together in a pan and stir fried into a delicious Oriental inspired feast.  

All you need on the side is a bit of rice, and Bob's your Uncle. Dinner is served!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE

CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE STIR FRY

The vegetables used can vary according to what you have on hand, as can the protein.

• vegetable or peanut oil to cook
• 1/4 lb. (4 ounces/115g) pound of meat or poultry (You can use raw beef steak, chicken, lamb or pork)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp five spice powder
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger root
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp red chili oil
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 pound (8 ounces/230g) of assorted raw vegetables, cut into bite sized pieces or thinly sliced (I used broccoli, carrot sliced thinly on the diagonal, wedged onion, broccoli florets, assorted peppers cut in slices and a ripe tomato cut into wedges)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• cooked rice to serve

 

On this day I used a piece of flank steak, partially frozen for ease of cutting. I cut it into strips about 1/3 of an inch thick and about 3 inches in length. You can use any protein so long as you cut the pieces similarly and in a size that can comfortably be eaten in a bite without having to use a knife.

Today I used bok choy, yellow and red peppers, onions and baby corn. You can use any vegetables which you enjoy and which you have available to use.

Five spice powder is a type of spice which contains five or more ingredients, usually star anise, cloves, cinnamon, pepper and fennel seeds. You can easily make your own mixture. There is a great recipe here.

You can find rice wine vinegar and dark soy sauce in the oriental ingredients aisle of your grocery store.  Fresh ginger and garlic can be found in the produce aisle. 

Toasted Sesame oil and Chili oil can also be found in the oriental ingredients aisle. Make sure you use the TOASTED sesame oil and not the plain. The toasted oil has a deeper flavor.

 

HOW TO COOK 

CLEAN OUT THE FRIDGE STIR FRY

This is a quick and easy dish. No special skills required!

1. About an hour before you plan on eating, cut your meat into thin strips on the diagonal. Place into a bowl. (This is best done using a sharp knife. Steak cuts thinner and easier if it is partially frozen.)
2. Whisk together the soy sauce, five spice powder, sugar, vinegar, ginger root and oils, along with a bit of salt and black pepper. (Be judicious as the soy sauce is salty and the chili oil quite spicy). Pour over the meat and give it a quick stir to coat. (You can leave out the chili oil if you don't like really spicy food. I hardly ever use it these days.)
3. Allow to marinate for about half an hour while you get your vegetables ready, giving it a stir every now and then. (This helps to make sure that it is evenly marinated.)
4. Cut your broccoli into florets if you are using it and your carrots in thin diagonal slices. I cut the onion into wedges along with the tomato, if using. (Today I didn't use tomato.) The remaining vegetables I thinly slice. (I slice them about 1/4 inch thick.)
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/2 TBS of peanut or vegetable oil. Drop in the meat. No need to drain.
6. Cook and stir, flipping it around. (I use a pair of tongs to do this.)
7. Start adding vegetables as required and according to the length of time it will take them to cook. Add the ones who take the longest first and work your way up to the ones which will cook really quickly.
8. Keep flipping and stirring until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are crispy tender. Serve hot with rice. (You want your meat, especially if it is poultry, cooked through. You want your vegetables to still have a bit of a bite.)

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR STIR FRY SUCCESS

• Read through the recipe several times before beginning. This helps to familiarize you with any ingredients or equipment needed to make this recipe.
• Assemble all of your ingredients together before you begin. This helps to prevent you leaving out anything integral to the recipe.
• Make sure you cut your protein into bite sized pieces that can be easily eaten without having to cut them with a knife.
• Cut all of your vegetables into similar shapes. By that I mean cut all of your carrots to the same size. Cut all of your onions to the same size. Your peppers, etc. That way they will cook in the same amount of time.
• Cut ingredients into thin pieces for quick cooking.
• Make sure your oil is hot before you start adding anything.
• Cook your protein first and then add your vegetables. If you wish to prevent your protein from over cooking, you can remove it, cook your veggies and then readd the protein at the end, heating it through.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHAT KINDS OF PROTEIN ARE SUITABLE FOR THIS RECIPE?

You can use fresh meat (lamb, beef, pork), poultry (chicken or turkey), or vegetable protein (tofu) in this quick and easy stir fry. Just be sure to cut all everything into an even size for stir frying and eating. On this day I used some steak, cut into strips. 

WHAT KINDS OF VEGETABLES ARE SUITABLE FOR STIR FRYING?

I cannot think of a vegetable that you could not stir fry successfully. Today I used peppers, onions, bok choy and baby corns.

WHAT SIZE SHOULD I CUT MY VEGETABLES?

Make sure that all of your vegetables are cut bite sized or to a size that can easily be eaten without having to use a knife to cut them up. Cut like vegetables to the same size.  You also don't want them to be too large. You want them to be of a size and thickness that cooks quickly. Peppers and onions are best cut into strips. Harder vegetables such as carrots should be cut into thin diagonal slices. Leafy greens should be cut into bite size pieces about 1-inch square.

CAN THE INGREDIENTS BE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME?

You can certainly cut up your vegetables and meat ahead of time. Prepare them and place them (separately) into zip lock baggies and refrigerate. I would not do this more than twenty-four hours ahead of time. Since different vegetables cook in different times, I would also store them in separate baggies.

HOW FAR AHEAD OF TIME CAN I MARINATE THE PROTEIN? 

I would not marinate it more than one half hour prior to needing it.

 

A FEW OTHER

STIR FRY DISHES TO ENJOY

CHICKEN POT PIE STIR FRY - A delicious throw together meal of a bit of cooked chicken, some cooked rice and some veggies with delicious pot pie flavors and flair.  I threw this together when I was in quarantine after returning to Canada during the Pandemic using just what I had in the refrigerator. It turned out to be very delicious!

BOK CHOY CHICKEN - An easy bok choy chicken stir fry that can be whipped together quickly for a speedy weekday dinner. The tender chicken and crisp bok choy are brought together with a gingery garlicky brown sauce, which tastes comforting and satisfying.  This is a real favorite.

  

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Yield: 2 servings

Author: Marie Rayner

Clean Out the Fridge Stir Fry

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Quick to make, easy and delicious! Uses a variety of proteins and vegetables. No waste here!

Ingredients

• vegetable or peanut oil to cook
• 1/4 lb. (4 ounces/115g) pound of meat or poultry (You can use raw beef steak, chicken, lamb or pork)
• 1/4 cup (60ml) of dark soy sauce
• 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 tsp five spice powder
• 1 TBS rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger root
• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1/2 tsp red chili oil
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 pound (8 ounces/230g) of assorted raw vegetables, cut into bite sized pieces or thinly sliced (I used broccoli, carrot sliced thinly on the diagonal, wedged onion, broccoli florets, assorted peppers cut in slices and a ripe tomato cut into wedges)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• cooked rice to serve

Instructions

1. About an hour before you plan on eating, cut your meat into thin strips on the diagonal. Place into a bowl.
2. Whisk together the soy sauce, five spice powder, sugar, vinegar, ginger root and oils, along with a bit of salt and black pepper. (Be judicious as the soy sauce is salty and the chili oil quite spicy). Pour over the meat and give it a quick stir to coat.
3. Allow to marinate for about half an hour while you get your vegetables ready, giving it a stir every now and then.
4. Cut your broccoli into florets if you are using it and your carrots in thin diagonal slices. I cut the onion into wedges along with the tomato. The remaining vegetables I thinly slice.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 1/2 TBS of peanut or vegetable oil. Drop in the meat. No need to drain.
6. Cook and stir, flipping it around.
7. Start adding vegetables as required and according to the length of time it will take them to cook. Add the ones who take the longest first and work your way up to the ones which will cook really quickly.
8. Keep flipping and stirring until the meat is cooked through and the vegetables are crispy tender. Serve hot with rice.

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