Learning to Cook
There’s a phrase among doctors that goes, “See one, do one, teach one.” It means that some things can be learned simply by observation, and that having done one you’re qualified to teach the procedure. Doctors sometimes laugh when they hear this, likely because they’ve learned by sad experience that everything not’s that simple. Like cooking.
Because I’m fascinated by the Asian use of meat—as a condiment rather than the main course—I wanted to include a stir-fry recipe in our evolving cookbook. Stir-fry can also use less edible portions of plants, like the stalk. Stir-fry is also a good way to use the produce loitering in your fridge.
Did I mention I’ve never cooked stir-fry? I didn’t even like it. But any recipe that is plant based, sparing of meat, quick to cook, and affordable, deserves a second look. I started by Googling the term, “secrets of stir-fry.” After that I compared stir-fry recipes. Bottom line: Stir-fry is bite-sized pieces of vegetables with a little meat, cooked quickly in a hot pan. Period. Oh, and eat it while it’s hot, before it gets soggy.
Secrets of Stir-fry
After a day of research and a half-day of cooking, here’s what I learned:
- There are four steps: a) prepare ingredients, b) cook meat and remove, c) cook vegetables, and d) add sauce and meat to vegetables and finish cooking. Actually, if you like stir-fry over whole grain rice, you better start the rice first.
- Need a wok? No. A frying pan is actually easier to keep at the hot stir-fry temperatures. The main advantage I see in the wok is the high sides keep your stovetop cleaner when the splattering starts.
- Which meat? Chicken is most used with stir-fry, but you can use anything for protein, including peanuts and cashews. Actually, the nuts save the meat-cooking step. The chicken is often marinated while the vegetables are being prepared; they say it keeps the meat from getting tough during frying.
- Best oil? Among the healthy oils (like peanut oil, coconut oil, olive oil, or organic canola oil) they all work. I stir-fried four batches of chicken using the oils above and asked the beautiful (and discriminating) wife which she preferred. They tasted all the same. Don’t use butter—the pan’s too hot.
- Which vegetables? Whatever. About everything works, including the aromatics (celery, carrot, onion) the cruciferous family (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or cabbage), asparagus, bell peppers (any color), bok choy, or snap beans. There’s a stir-fry secret here: cheap, less-desired plant stalks are made edible. You can also add bean sprouts, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. One recipe even uses watermelon rind. Limit yourself to four or so; cut vegetables into bite-size pieces but slice carrots thinly as they take longer to cook. Put onions and hard veggies in to cook first, and add leafy vegetables like bok choy last.
- How to season? Most recipes start with a little soy sauce (though any Asian sauce will work) and may include ginger and/or garlic, plus something hot (red peppers, chile powder, or cayenne). Green onions are also used. You can make great stir-fry with these plus salt and black pepper. Some recipes include cumin, coriander, and curry or just turmeric.
Skip’s Chicken Pineapple Stir-fry
It takes a lot of nerve to put your name on a recipe that billions of people have cooked in thousands of ways—but I did. Makes me smile. This recipe is for four people:
Ingredients:
½ C chicken stock
2 T soy sauce
1 T red wine vinegar (or whatever you have)
1 T agave nectar (or some form of sugar)
1 T cornstarch (to thicken)
2 Boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb.)
Peanut oil (or any healthy oil)
1 C white onion
1 C celery
½ C carrots, sliced thin
½ C bell pepper
½ C green onions
1-2 C pineapple (optional)
1 tsp garlic, grated
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
½ tsp red pepper flakes (or any hot spice)
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Prepare the sauce by combining chicken stock, soy sauce, vinegar, agave nectar, and cornstarch. Set aside.
- Cut chicken breast into equal size cubes or strips, and marinate if desired. A marinate can be made using soy sauce, vinegar, agave nectar and cornstarch in the quantities above, plus ¼ cup cooking oil. Note: If chicken is not to be marinated, prepare the vegetables first.
- Prepare the vegetables and pineapple by chopping into ½” to ¾” pieces, and slicing carrots. Other vegetables can be substituted as needed. When washing vegetables, dry them before cutting to reduce spattering when cooking.
- Heat a pan until a drop of water sizzles, then add 2 T cooking oil. Caution: Be sure water is gone before adding oil as it will cause spattering of hot oil. Continue heating until cooking oil shimmers. Add meat and cook until browned on each side. Remove meat but leave liquid in pan.
- Add more cooking oil and heat until shimmering. Add vegetables in sequence, beginning with onions and other hard vegetables and finishing with softer vegetables (which need less cooking). Do not add pineapple.
- While vegetables are cooking, add minced ginger and garlic, and red pepper flakes. If these are used in powdered form, simply add to the sauce in step #1, but use a little less.
- Add in order: the sauce from step #1, pineapple, and meat. Stir to coat. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook until done al dente, you don’t want it mushy. Remove and serve over rice, say the dinner prayer, and enjoy.
Please comment: Share your best stir-fry recipe or tip. Stir-fry is another good way to add vegetables to your diet.