It’s difficult to know what makes stir fries so great – is it the fact that they are so packed with flavor it’s like fireworks prancing over your tongue? Is it the fact that they are super healthy?
Maybe it’s that they’re cheap to make or perhaps, it’s because they’re so easy to prepare. Whatever the reason (because all of these are true), what is clear is that stir-fries are here to stay and there is a lot to work with.
The Stir Fry Formula
The first step to creating the ultimate stir-fry is making your sauce – you don’t have to do anything too complicated if time doesn’t allow, you can choose low-sodium soy or teriyaki sauce to get started. You can get it ready before you start prep on your vegetables and protein. Just have it on hand so you can grab it when it’s time to use it.
Now it’s time to prepare your ingredients. Remember, it doesn’t take long to cook up a stir fry so you need all of your ingredients prepared and ready to go before you even turn the stove on!
For protein, you can choose pork, chicken, turkey, shrimp, strip steak, tofu, or even scallops. Whatever type of protein you prefer (in fact, you can choose egg if you like). The pieces of protein should be around one or two inches in size.
When it comes to vegetables, they will fall into two categories – long-cook and quick-cook.
Vegetables that fall into the first category include turnips, asparagus, peppers, broccoli, eggplant, carrots, parsnips, and cauliflower. You can cut these around an inch in size, too, and you should aim to choose at least one of these types of vegetables.
The latter category includes corn, tomatoes, Bok choi, green beans, kale, red cabbage, mushrooms, green cabbage, green beans, snap peas, snow peas, chard, and spinach. They will cook within just a few minutes because they are more tender.
Choose at least one vegetable from this category and you can make them as big as two inches if you wish. You should prepare around the same amount of these vegetables as the long-cooking ones.
Now it’s time to get cooking. You only need a tablespoon of oil and you should coat the entire pan with it. Don’t worry, you can tell if your large pan is hot enough by dropping a bit of water in (it will vaporize as it hits the pan – once you’re there you can add the oil). Now, cook your protein until it is just cooked and transfer it to a large bowl.
Next, you can cook your first lot of vegetables for two minutes (you will need more oil). Transfer them to their own bowl before cooking the second batch of vegetables for around four minutes or less. Remove them and put the protein back in the pan with your sauce to coat your protein and get it up to heat.
You can add the longer-cooking vegetables to the mix and just before you’re ready to serve throw in the quicker-cooking vegetables.
You can use any suitable, lean protein and any combination of vegetables that you like. The health benefits are clear – you are enjoying more vegetables than you normally would along with a healthy protein, cooked using a healthy method.
Don’t be tempted to serve white rice with your stir-fry, though, if you must serve an accompaniment, choose a whole grain like quinoa, and keep your portions under control.
If you’re still not sure where to start, don’t worry because WebMD has a few different recipes laid out for you to try, and so does the Mayo Clinic.
