stayfedfam

Weekly Stir Fry

Nelson Huynh -

As a kid, one of the constants in my life was my mom making some variation of stir fry at home for dinner. It was a dish she would come back to every single week, and when I moved away home, I finally started to understand why.

Chinese stir fry might be the quickest, most versatile, on the fly meal you can cook. Put this stir fry recipe (or technique) in your repertoire as something you use as your ultimate beginning of the week meal prep or end of the week fridge clean up (stop food waste fam!).

I encourage all of you to use this as a template and explore what you like to stir fry. Mix and match your ingredients. You probably know what veggies/proteins you like to eat, so adjust the stir fry to your preferences. And if you don't know what you like, this will really help you figure out what your flavor preferences are. Stir fry it all!

Side note: You will read a lot about wok hei when it comes to stir fry. At home, it will be very hard to get the wok hei flavor you get from a restaurant stir fry because your home burner cannot even come close to the intense heat needed. Don't knock yourself too hard as you can still make a damn good stir fry at home.

Ingredients

  • Garlic
  • Ginger
  • Basically whatever you like! Below are just some suggestions of what I like to throw in my weekly stir fry.
  • Veggies: Bok Choy, Cabbage, Carrots, Bell Peppers, Eggplant, Zucchini, Broccoli, Celery, Snow Peas, Green Beans, Mushrooms, Onions
  • Proteins: Pork, Beef, Chicken Thighs, Shrimp, Tofu

Stir Fry Sauce

  • Soy Sauce
  • Dark Soy Sauce (great dark color and deep flavor, if too hard to find, don't worry as you can leave this out)
  • Oyster Sauce (if you are vegetarian, there are vegetarian alternatives like this!)
  • Sesame Oil
  • Pepper (white pepper if you have)
  • Chicken Stock/Veggie Stock/Water
  • Corn Starch

Tools

  • Wok (If you don't have a wok, you can use a cast iron or a big pan. Just try not to overcrowd when cooking)
  • Spatula

Steps

  • If you are using a meat, cut into bit size pieces and marinate with 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon veggie oil, 1 teaspoon corn starch. Let this sit on the side for 10-20 min while prepping everything else.
  • Prep the aromatics. Mince 3-5 cloves of garlic and mince a 1" knob of ginger. Set to the side.
  • Prep the veggies. I like to cut the vegetables into small/thin enough pieces so they will cook in about couple of minutes.
  • Prep the sauce in a small bowl. For enough stir fry for 5-6 servings, use the following amounts and mix it all together a small bowl: 6 tablespoons (1/3 cup) stock/water, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, big pinch of pepper
  • Prep the thickening slurry. Mix together 2 tablespoons corn starch with 2 tablespoons water and set to the side.
  • Heat up your wok so it is ripping hot! We are going fast from here, so be ready!
  • Add in cooking oil to coat the wok and sear your protein if you are using it. ~2 minutes and then take it out on the side.
  • Add in cooking oil again. Toss in your aromatics. After ~1 minute, you should begin to see it turning golden brown.
  • Throw in all your veggies and toss them around for about ~2 minutes. Your veggies should just be slightly softened.
  • Pour in your sauce around the sides of the veggies. Depending on how saucy you like your stir fry, add all or save some of it.
  • Once the sauce begins to boil, add back in your protein, pour in your starch slurry, and mix.
  • Once thickened, shut off the heat and serve over some rice.  
  • Add in some chili if you want! I have been really into Zindrew chili oil. It is locally made here in LA, and it is FIRE.

Let me know what you stir fry fam!