One in particular is the pork and kimchi combination. I did my own version of it and wished for the best. I was afraid it was going to be so hot and spicy that we wouldn’t be able to eat the dish but my version turned out ok.

Pork & Kimchi Stir-Fry (Image © Dexie J Wharton)

INGREDIENTS:
a jar of kimchi (look for it in Asian stores)
pork, cut it cubes
1 small onion, chopped
1 thumb size ginger, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tomato
1/2 cup of water
salt and pepper to taste
oil

Heat up oil in a pan. Sauté garlic, ginger and onions. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the pork. Stir and cook until the pork cubes are done. About 8-10 minutes or so.

Add the kimchi, and water. Season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together, cover and let it cook for another 8 to 10 minutes or so.

Serve with rice.

Post from: Blisstree

Pork And Kimchi Stir-Fry

Chicken-Tofu With Zucchini and Yellow Squash Stir-Fry (Image © Dexie Wharton)

INGREDIENTS:
* 1 pack of firm tofu, cubed
* vegetable oil for sauteing
* 1 small onion, finely chopped
* 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in thin strips
* 1 large zucchini, small quarters
* 1 small yellow squash, small quarters
* 1/2 tbsp of salt
* 2 tbsp of honey
* sprinkle of ground black pepper
* a drop of sesame oil
* sprinkle of sesame seeds
* 1/2 cup of water stirred with 1 tbsp of cornstarch

Heat oil in wok. Fry up the tofu until firm and lightly browned. Take the cooked tofu out of the wok by transferring ‘em in a bowl then set aside.

Add the onions and garlic. cook for a minute, then add the chicken strips. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and yellow squash. Add salt, honey, black pepper, and sesame oil. Stir everything together, then cover. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes or so.

Uncover, then stir in the water and cornstarch mixture. Stir in the fried tofu, then sprinkle the sesame seeds in the end.

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken-Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Buttered-Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli (Image © Dexie Wharton

INGREDIENTS :
1 pack of shrimp, thawed and shelled
5 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
3 spoonfuls of butter
broccoli florets
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
2 tbsp of water

Melt butter in a non stick pan. Sauté the shrimp for a minute or so. Add the chopped garlic. Stir and let that cook together. Season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Add the water, and broccoli. Stir, then cook for 2-3 minutes. Try to retain the broccoli’s crunch and color.

Serve with rice or couscous.

Post from: Blisstree

Buttered-Garlic Shrimp & Broccoli

Chicken Asparagus Tofu Stir-Fry

INGREDIENTS :

* 1 pack of firm tofu (organic or otherwise), cubed
* vegetable oil for sautéing
* half of medium onion, finely chopped
* 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
* 3 boneless chicken breasts, slices in strips
* bunch of asparagus (cut off the ends, then cut in halves)
* 5-6 pieces of napa cabbage, slices in strips
* 3 tbsp of soy sauce
* 3 tbsp of hoisin sauce
* ground black pepper
* 1/2 cup of water
* another 1/2 cup of water stirred with 1 tbsp of cornstarch

Heat oil in a wok. Fry up the tofu until brown and firm. Transfer into a bowl then set aside.

Sauté garlic and onions. Then add the chicken. Stir and cook. Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and water. Stir in the asparagus.

Cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the napa cabbage, season with black ground pepper then stir everything together. Cover it and let the cabbage cook. Not too long because you want to maintain the crunchy texture of the asparagus.

Add the tofu, then stir in the cornstarch and water mixture as the last step. Once the sauce is thickened, it’s done.

Serve with white rice.

(Image © Dexie Wharton)

Post from: Blisstree

Chicken, Asparagus, & Tofu Stir-Fry

If you’ve thought about getting a wok, but aren’t sure what is out there, take a look at this quick list I’ve put together with cookware from Kohls.

Everybody Loves 7-piece Wok Set
$49.99

The perfect starter kit for the beginner. It includes pan, lid, strainer, bamboo tongs, spoon, chopstick, and turner. The wok itself measures 14 inches in diameter.

Carbon Steel Wok
$29.99

A classic 12 inch diameter carbon steel wok that is available exclusively online. Fox Run Craftsmen® Barbecue Stir-Fry Wok
$14.99

Get your grill wokin’ with this great online buy. 

Here’s a vegan Thai-inspired stir-fry recipe from Jamie Walker, “an avid ultra-marathoner, amateur chef, and all around health nut,” at I Like Granola.  Jamie has some great vegan recipes up at I Like Granola.

Thai Stir Fry

2 heads bok choy

Handful of green beans

2-3 carrots

Tofu

1 cup quinoa, cooked

Ginger root, peeled and cut into small pieces

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small red onion

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup vegetable broth

3-4 tbsps of peanut butter (I think crunchy works better here)

1 cup soy sauce

1 tbsp rice vinegar

4 tbsps sugar

In a small mixing bowl combine peanut butter, rice vinegar, sugar and soy sauce.  Set aside.  In large skillet, combine olive oil, garlic, onion and ginger root.  Let brown.  Add tofu and veggies and cook for 3-4 minutes (or until tender).  Mix in peanut sauce and vegetable broth.  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 2-3 more minutes.  Serve over quinoa.

Recipe used with permission from I Love Granola

Image credit: Kohls.com

Post from: Blisstree

Thai Stir Fry – Better With a Wok

Here’s another divine recipe I tried that I’m sure you’ll like: (especially all you vegans out there!)

Ingredients:

250g bean sprouts
10 dried mushrooms
4 green shallots
2 tbsps oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsps light soy sauce
2 tsps dry sherry
2 tsps cornflour
1/4 cup water

Procedure:

Soak mushrooms in boiling water for 20 minutes; drain. Remove and discard stems, chop caps finely. Wash and drain bean sprouts, slice shallots diagonally. Heat oil in wok, add garlic, mushrooms and shallots, stir-fry 1 minute. Add bean sprouts, toss through, add sauces, sherry and blended cornflour and water. Stir-fry until mixture boils and thickens.

Happy cooking!

Post from: Blisstree

Stir-fried bean sprouts and mushrooms recipe

This is a simple recipe from Irene Kuo’s classic The Key to Chinese Cooking. It’s a procedure I’ve adapted to many types of veggies. You can do one type of green veggie or a mix of two or more different kinds. They key;-) is to cut the veggies so they cook in only a couple of minutes. Each veggie is stir-fried independently depending on the speed of cooking, for instance, if you had green beans and carrots cut to cook at the same time, you can stir-fry them together.

To make this, you need

1 pound zucchini/courgettes, sliced crosswise into 1 1/2 to 2-inch slices, depending on length of zucchini (e.g., for a 6-inch zucchini, you can use 2-inch to 3 pieces, or 1 1/2-inch to get 4 pieces), then sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick pieces
2 large carrots, shredded or cut into matchstick-sized julienne
4 ginger coins, peeled
2 tablespoons oil for stir-frying
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in wok or large skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the carrots and about 1/4 teaspoon salt and stir-fry for 30 seconds over high heat. Remove and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the wok and wait until hot, then add the ginger coins. Stir fry 30 seconds then add the zucchini slices and add 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste. Continue to stir fry for a minute, then return the carrots to the wok. Stir-fry another minute and that’s it! You’re done. Serve hot.

Post from: Blisstree

Zucchini and Carrot Stir-Fry

Okay, I promise this will be my LAST fried rice post for a LOOOONG while. I just couldn’t resist, we had people over 2 weekends ago and to make the rice more interesting, I made this. Of course it’s really not my own invention, in the Philippines you go to parties and there’s always one version of this or another. I’ve also seen different recipes for “rainbow” fried rice in Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese cookbooks. I’m sure there are others. The point simply is to make the fried rice as colorful as you possibly can. I’d love to get some blue or indigo in there (eggplant?) though I’m not sure how well that would go over with kids. Might be worth a try!

8 oz. bacon, chopped up
1/4 cup each chopped red, green, yellow and orange bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons minced garlic
5 cups cooked rice (preferably cooked the day before and refrigerated overnight, then “pressed” into service the next day)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Fry up the bacon over medium heat in a dry wok/large skillet, until the fat renders. You want to get about 3 tablespoons of fat. Discard excess fat, or reserve it for some other use, such as frying country potatoes (yummy!). Remove bacon using a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Add peppers, onion, and garlic to wok and stir-fry 3 minutes until garlic is just golden and onion is a bit limp. Add rice and stir until well-combined, pressing on the rice chunks to separate the grains — be patient, this may take a while. You’ll have to wait for the rice to warm up a bit, then press again, until every grain is freed from its cold clingy state. Repeat as needed. When everything is nicely uniform, and the colors of the “rainbow” are dotted all over the rice, sprinkle in your soy sauce, salt, pepper and give it a good stir. Under and over you go with your spatula, so that the seasonings and soy sauce is well-distributed. Sprinkle the sesame oil over and give everything a final stir. You’re ready to party!

Other things you can use for a rainbow fried rice:

- diced-up carrots
- peas! Now what could be easier than that?
- bits of ham, and if you do, might as well throw some pineapple bits in there.
- roast pork, chopped up
- shrimp for a bit of pink
- fake crab sticks — I wouldn’t, but there’s an idea for you
- scallions/green onions
- use red onions for some pizzazz
- that eggplant I was telling you about earlier
- time for you to come up with some of your own ideas:)

Post from: Blisstree

Rainbow Fried Rice

Makes 4 servings.

Post from: Blisstree

Hakka Eggplant Stir-Fry