3.31.12

I love my wok.  I don't use it nearly enough. Mostly because I have to store it in a cabinet above my refrigerator and my angel food cake pan (which I also don't use nearly enough) and my 2nd-oldest-brother-made lazy susan (only used on taco night) is stored on top of it.

Tonight's dinner also reminded me how much I truly love bok choy. I didn't use enough in tonight's stir fry. And, as you can see from this picture, I had a lot of bok choy to use.

My stir fry secret comes from an inspired article in Food Network Magazine (I think it was the March 2010 issue). They lay out a "system" where you can choose a protein, veggies, and then give you recipes for several different kinds of sauces. Tonight we had chicken, carrots, broccoli, celery, mushrooms, pea pods, and bok choy. I used the recipe for the "clear sauce" and served it over rice.

Pick a Protein

¾ lb flank steak, trimmed and thinly sliced against the grain

¾ lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced

12-oz package extra firm silken tofu, cubed

¾ lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced

¾ lb medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Marinate

Whisk 1 egg white, 1 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry and 1 T cornstarch. Toss with your protein; cover and refrigerate, 1 hour.

Prep 3 cups of vegetables (in any combination)

Sliced carrots                             whole snow peas

Sliced celery                              sliced asparagus

Sliced bell peppers                   quartered plum tomatoes or

1 inch scallion pieces               halved cherry tomatoes

sliced onions or shallots           baby spinach

quartered mushroom caps       blanched broccoli or cauliflower florets

sliced bok choy or cabbage     thawed frozen peas or edamame

sliced leeks                               

Choose a Sauce

Clear Sauce: Mix ¾ cup chicken broth, 1 T cornstarch, 2 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, ½ t sesame oil, 1 t salt and ½ t sugar

Sweet-and-Sour Sauce: Mix ¾ c chicken broth, 2 t cornstarch, ¼ c ketchup, 2 t soy sauce, 3 T rice vinegar, ¼ c sugar, ½ t salt and 1 t sesame oil

Brown Sauce: Mix ½ c chicken broth, 1 T cornstarch, 1 T soy sauce, 1 T hoisin sauce and 1 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry.

Oyster Sauce: Mix ¾ c chicken broth, 1 T cornstarch, 1 T Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 1 T soy sauce, 3 T oyster sauce and 2 t sesame oil

Spicy Sauce: Mix ¾ c chicken broth, 1 T cornstarch, 2 T each soy sauce, rice vinegar and Chinese rice wine or dry sherry, ½ t sesame oil, 1 T sugar and 2 t Asian chili sauce

Stir-Fry

Drain the excess marinade from the protein. Place your sauce, vegetables and protein near the stove.

Heat ¼ in peanut or vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the protein; slowly stir until almost opaque, 30 seconds to 1 minute (for tofu, brown on both sides—do not stir). Transfer to a plate; discard the oil and wipe out the pan.

Heat the pan over high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 2 T oil, then 2 cloves minced garlic (or 4 cloves if using spicy sauce), 1 to 2 t minced ginger, 2 minced scallions and a pinch of salt and sugar; stir-fry about 30 seconds. Add the vegetables, starting with the ones that take the longest to cook; stir-fry until crisp-tender.

Add the protein and the sauce and stir until the sauce is thick and the vegetables and protein are cooked through about 3 minutes. 

Thin with chicken broth, if needed. Garnish with sliced scallions, peanuts, sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos and/or cilantro.

So tasty, my daughter actually at bok choy tonight!