I'm soliciting stir-fry recipies:

[CanuckAmok]

Can someone help-out a novice cook? I'm tired of my usual "at home" fare of frozen organic pizzas, health shakes, sandwiches, and handfulls of whatever's in the fridge.

I have a rice cooker and more organic rice than Viet Nam.

I have a wok. It came with my condo.

I have Chinese Five Spice, soybean oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, corn starch and natural wasabi.

I need some stir-fry recipies. Here are the only requirments:

No red meat or pork (acceptable "meats": poultry, seafood)

No damned GINGER.

No damned COCONUT.

Nothing insanely spicy. I'm English.

Anything else is fair game.

Anyone?

[xmas74]

1. about.com

has a mailing list for Chinese cooking. They will send a recipe at least once a week or so. Might be a great way for you to learn some basics.

http://chinesefood.about.com/od/chinesecookingbasics/index.htm?terms=chinese+cooking

(found a spot on their site just for stir fry recipes. http://chinesefood.about.com/library/blstirfryrecipes.htm )

[CanuckAmok]

2. wow, what a great idea!

I love the internets! :loveya:

[xmas74]

3. you're welcome.

I subscribed to the newsletter for a time but recently cancelled it. Seems like they have other letters for Italian, vegetarian, etc.

About.com is great for things like this.

[GirlinContempt]

4. Ok

How about.... cloves, chicken, cinnamon, yellow curry, anise, white pepper, yogurt, potatoes, onions, garlic and random veggies? Also, maybe some pickled ginger.

[CanuckAmok]

7. Holy cats, woman!

Anything else? The livingroom sofa, perhaps?!

[GirlinContempt]

12. TRUST me

[NMDemDist2]

5. the vegetarian group has a pinned recipe thread and the Cooking and Baking

group are the nicest people around. Try searching for stir fry in the C&B group, we've had lots of recipes over the last few years on that order

here's the C&B group

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=236

and here's the link to the Veggie group


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=231&topic_id=497&mesg_id=497

good luck and have fun!

[TransitJohn]

6. My secret stir-fry weapon is..........

CASHEWS

[vogonjiltz]

8. Random meats, veggies,

throw in some of those spices, cook it in oil and add to rice.

[grannylib]

9. I find that stir-fry is very much like soup...as long as you use

ingredients you like, it's pretty hard to fuck it up.
I am not very fond of the Five Spice, not sure what's in it that I don't care for, so I DO tend to use ginger, but you can certainly leave it out!

One of my fave sauces that I use with meats, veggies, noodles, and combinations of the aforementioned, is:
equal parts cider or rice wine vinegar and honey (about a half-cup of each); garlic powder, crushed red pepper (a very little goes a long way), celery seed, soy sauce (a couple of tablespoons) and then thicken with a little cornstarch at the end of cooking. It's kind of an all-purpose thing. (Again, I'd be using ginger in it, but it's not necessary)

Have fun!

[femmocrat]

10. What vegetables do you have on hand?

You don't really need a recipe. Just slice the chicken into strips. Saute it in some pre-heated oil until it's white, no longer pink. Push it aside, or remove to a dish. Toss in your chopped-up veggies, and saute them until tender-crisp. Start with the denser vegetables, like carrots. They will take longer than mushrooms, for example.

(When you use a wok, you are supposed to push the cooked ingredients to the side, but I put them on a separate dish and then toss everything together at the end, so the first things don't get too soft.)

You can just serve the meat and veggies over(or along side)the rice.


If you want a sauce, sprinkle the mixture with about 1-2 Tbsp. of soy sauce. In a separate cup, mix about 2 Tbsp. corn starch with a little COLD water, until no lumps. Stir in some broth a little at a time (or use bouillon, whatever you have) until you have about a cup of liquid. Then, slowly mix it with the meat and vegs, and let it cook until thickened. Add about a tsp. of the Chinese 5-spices if you want it.

I wouldn't use seafood, except possibly shrimp. Good luck!

[catbert836]

11. With stir-fries, you don't really need a recipe

I cook them often, and have found that improvisation is almost always better than a set recipe.

The spices you have seem fine for what you're aiming for (not too spicy). Use your judgement in how much spice to put in, cooking isn't an exact science. If you want to save yourself the trouble of making a sauce, there are probably plenty of flavors at your grocery store.

I usually only use one kind of meat, but I've found putting a meat and shrimp together is delightful. Chicken or Turkey and Shrimp in your case, I guess.

Of course, you'll need plenty of vegetables, so I recommend just about all of them. Aside from the normal onions and peppers, I've found that celery, carrots, scallions and zucchini go great in stir fries. If you want a more authentic Asian taste, you might want to try watered chestnuts, bamboo shoots (both of which come in cans), and bok choy, a Chinese cabbage. I would also recommend using nuts, especially cashews and peanuts.

Otherwise, it's up to you. Stir-fries are one of those great meals that there doesn't have to be an exact recipe for. I hope this helps. :-)

[trackfan]

13. Here it is

Mince some garlic and, if you wish, onion. Cut into small pieces some chicken meat or some tofu.
Mix the garlic and onion with oil, soy sauce, sherry and any spice you might like.
Brown this in the wok for a few minutes. Remove and set aside. Add a bit of oil to the wok and, on very high heat stir fry your favorite veggies which have been cut up small or julienned. Add the cooked meat mixture and mix it all together adding any more liquid if necessary, (or liquid plus corn starch to thicken if desired).

[Monk06]

14. First of all ditch the cornstarch. Flash fry with olive oil and add a

spices mixed in a couple of oz of water and
finish off by steaming.

I like gai lan, bok choy, chinese broccoli and
a small quartered onion with green or red thai
chili. Green chili has a nice flavour and isn't
very hot.

Brown your meat or fish first and add in last for
about a minute.