Simple Stir Fry
Are you put off by stir frying because it looks complicated? Has your meat turned soggy? Are your vegetables too raw? Is the whole thing just too oily? What are the secrets of a simple and delicious stir-fry?
The key to the successful stir fry is in the preparation. This style of cooking is quick and effortless only if you put everything in place before you embark on the wok phase. Once you know what to cook first, what to cook separately and what to combine, you are well on the way to being a confident stir-fryer! The beauty of it is in its flexibility, once your vegetables are prepared and your meat diced, you are ready to roll… If like me, you have a delicate stomach, do not mix too many vegetables in one dish. In the meal photographed below I used broccoli, kale and carrots (leftovers from my Moroccan Carrot Salad) and it was delicious. Basically, use anything you have available.
Kitchen equipment: A good sized wok and a spatula for mixing. As I am not a purist, I prefer to use a non-stick wok (my dad would not approve!). If you can get an enamel coated one, that would be even healthier.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Fat: 2 Tbs coconut or avocado oil. Do not use the popular seed oils.
Aromatics: 1 onion thinly sliced or chopped, 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or crushed, and/or 1Tbs freshly grated ginger.
Protein: 400-500 gram grass-fed beef, lamb, pasture raised chicken or turkey or a pack of non GM tofu - cubed.
Veggies: ~ 4 cups colourful veg (broccoli, peppers. mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, kale, etc...). Use whatever you have available, quantities can vary.
Pre Cooking Marinade: 1 tsp tapioca flour, 1 Tbs Tamari/Soy/coconut aminos
Post Cooking Sauce: 1/4 cup lime/lemon/rice-wine vinegar, 2 Tbs coconut aminos or gluten free Tamari, a dash of mirin or honey, optional: a tablespoon of roasted sesame oil. You can also add the garlic and ginger from the aromatics list at this stage of the cooking with the other sauce ingredients.
Garnish: 1/2 cup chopped cashews or almonds (or other nuts), fresh coriander, optional: sliced chilli pepper, sliced spring onions, sesame seeds
Method:
Peel and chop your vegetables into small bite size pieces or thin strips, and place each vegetable into a separate bowl, to ensure you can add them at different stages of the cooking.
Slice your meat, chicken, turkey or tofu and dry thoroughly to prevent it turning soggy during the stir-frying process. Place in a bowl and add 1 tsp tapioca flour and 1 Tbs Tamari sauce, mix well. If using tofu, you will need to marinate in a bit more soy sauce and you could add some chilli or other flavourings.
Mix sauce ingredients in a glass container with lid, set aside.
Steam your hard vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, cauliflower or green beans until cooked through if you don’t want them to be al-dente. To retain their green or orange colour, plunge the steamed vegetables into ice-water, then strain and set aside.
Heat oil in pan over low-medium heat. Add onions and sauté about 5 minutes (or) until translucent (I always sprinkle a little salt to help them along), add garlic and ginger and sauté another 2 min.
Turn heat to med-high, add protein and combine well with aromatics. Cook until brown, turning frequently, until just cooked through. Do not overcook, this takes only a few minutes.
Add fresh vegetables and continue stirring and cooking for 2-3 minutes, until heated through but still crunchy. Add the cooked vegetables. If you have skipped stage 3, add the hardest vegetables first, cook for about 5 minutes before adding the softer ones that cook faster.
Pour the sauce over the food in the wok and mix it through.
Divide into 4 bowls and sprinkle with garnish.
If you eat grains, serve with rice or quinoa, otherwise, serve as is.