Stir Fry!

Mum's tasty beef Stir Fry - Works with chicken and pork and fish like prawns too.

How did we get this far with the family recipe archive without mentioning our home stir fry? It is so easy and quick it's almost ready before you have started! So the key is definitely to get everything ready before you turn on the cooker.

This will work really well with just about anything that is fresh and tasty. But first you have to decide whether to do it with noodles as per mum's super-tasty version tonight or with plain rice. Noodles cook in three minutes and have all the carbs you need but rice is extra comforting and in student-land it can make food go further because you gets loads of rice per bit of stir-fry. It's up to you - noodles or rice?

Main ingredients have to include some kind of protein which can be:

Beef - Can be lovely but is normally too expensive to get beef that is good enough for the quick cooking. Cheaper normally means tougher.

Pork - Stir-fry pork is cheap and really successful. Or cut pork loin or steaks into thin pieces.

Chicken - Probably my main favourite here. It cooks quickly and is cheap especially if you buy thighs.

Fish - Frozen tiger prawns are tasty and so are ordinary frozen prawns. Both cook quickly but for this you should defrost them for half an hour first. Fresh Tuna marinated in Soy for an hour is awesome. Tinned mackerel stir fry was a revelation when I was at college and I still remember how delicious it was!

Vegetarian - Versions have tofu and frozen soya beans but it is hard to make veg stir fry properly tasty enough.

Bag veg is ok. Fridge veg is better.

And speaking of Veg - It is so easy to just buy a bag of ready shredded stir fry mix that it's hardly worth talking about anything else. On the other hand you have to use ready made bag veg on the day you buy it or soon after, especially if bean sprouts are involved, so as convenience foods go it's not that convenient. And once it's gone a bit slimy looking in the bag it's too late.


Better is to use Veg from your fridge. It can be chopped up and will surpass any mixed veg bag. Green or white cabbage, green and red peppers, bean sprouts (ok they do have to be fresh but they're my favourite), onions and of course carrots, artfully carved into flying swan shapes. Actually the carved carrots thing is to make the pieces cook more quickly, not just for artistic merit (although you do have to admit my flying swan shapes are amazing).

Sauce and spices. Do not buy ready made stir fry sauces. They are always horrible. All you really need is Chinese five spice and a bit of soy sauce. But if you add too much five spice it isn't nice. Soy sauce is probably essential or Teryaki sauce. A little stock from cube or blob and you've done it.

1 x lot of beef or pork or chicken thighs cubed quite small or fish or prawns.
1 x Onion sliced or chopped roughly
2-3 Spring onions chopped including the green part
1 x Big lot of veg cut into similar sized pieces for even cooking
1 x Small bag fresh bean sprouts
1/2 x Tsp chinese five spice
Soy or Teryaki sauce or both
Optional peanuts, cashew nuts, sesame seeds
Oil

Cut everything up and have it ready in dishes or on plates near your Wok.

Cook your rice and while it is resting do the rest. Yes really. Once prepared, the whole stir fry will take less time than it takes to rest your rice.

Noodles boiled for three mins and then turned in a bit of oil so not to glop

If you are doing noodles then get white or wholemeal 'Noodle Nests' or fresh noodles. Instant Ramen and  'Doll' types don't work here. they will mush on the second cooking. Boil nests as per the instructions, normally three minutes, drain and turn in a bit of oil (sesame oil is great, olive oil is fine) and leave off the heat covered while you do the rest. Noodles go in to the stir fry at the last minute just to briefly reheat and join the flavour party.

Heat a tablespoon of oil over a medium heat and cook the onions.

First part is to cook meat and onions (and chillies here)

When the onions are barely cooked and still have a bit of crunch, tip them out onto a plate and stir fry your meat, tofu or fish (You only need to cook fish at this stage if it's raw. If it's cooked or tinned it can go in at the end to avoid over-cooking it). Add the five-spice to cook with the meat. When cooked, tip the meat out onto the plate with the onions.

Now wipe out the wok with a bit of kitchen towel, Add some more oil and turn up the heat. Stir fry the veg in order of how long they will take to cook so carrots first for a couple of minutes then the peppers and then your cabbage. Keep everything turning by sort of flipping with that artful movement woks are famous for. A spatula or two also helps!

Veg cooking before meat goes back in

When the veg is almost hot through then add the meat and onions back in, add about a centimetre out of  the Kikkoman soy bottle and half a cup of stock. Stir to coat and heat it all through and serve with your rice separate or noodles mixed in.








It happens very suddenly at the end so BE READY!