Stir Fry Made Easy - Cooking With What You Have On HandWelcome to my web page where we will be cooking chinese food from this particular chinese food recipe. Other chinese food recipes will be added. Check out my home page for party food, Christmas foods, other food ideas and ultimately, learn how you can have food delivered to your door. Now for the stir fry recipe:
By becoming a little creative, you can probably go into your kitchen right now and find enough items to make a stir fry. Below are suggestions, but these lists are not all inclusive. Bring your own ideas to the table! You can make a simple stir fry, such as pepper steak which consists of only steak, peppers, onions, black pepper, beef broth and soy sauce or go to town using tons of ingredients. So basically what you need are 2 cups of meat or seafood, 2 to 5 cups of veggies or fruit, 2 cups of juice, 2 T. of fat, and whatever seasonings you prefer. Now choose from the following lists. First of all, what kind of meat or seafood do you have? (Choose 2 Cups of one or any combination.)
Meat or Seafood
Cubed Chicken,
Chicken Strips,
Leftover Chicken,
Chicken Tenders,
Cubed Pork,
Shredded Pork,
Cubed Beef,
Beef Strips,
Hamburger,
Fish,
Shrimp,
Scallops,
Crab
Secondly, select your veggies. Choose fresh or frozen. I wouldn’t use canned unless I decide on corn, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. (Use 2 – 5 cups of one or any combination)
Fruit & VeggiesBroccoli, Carrots (fresh or frozen), Any variety of mushrooms, fresh or dry, Corn, Mini Corn Cobs, Peas, Snow Peas, Pea Pods, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Zucchini, Water Chestnuts, Bamboo Shoots, Celery, Onions, Scallions, Pearl Onions, Cauliflower, Frozen Chinese Vegetables, Green Beans, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts, Cabbage, Bok Choy, Chinese Cabbage, Spinach, Endive, Pineapple, Mandarin Oranges
Third Step - Choose your starch. (Use approximately 4 – 6 oz. per serving)
Rice or NoodlesRice, Fried Rice, Noodles, Chinese Noodles, Glass Noodles, Vermicelli
You can get very creative with spices and herbs. Myself, I simply like Garlic, Salt & Pepper, but learn to experiment with various ones. Different spices pair well with certain meats, etc. These spices should be used to taste. For example, if you just want a hint of garlic flavor, use one clove. For garlic lovers like me, use three or four cloves. 
SpicesGarlic, Ginger, Salt and Pepper, Chinese 5-Spice Powder, Sesame Seeds, Fennel, Hot Pepper Seeds, Star Anise
You need a type of fat (2 Tablespoons)
Lard, Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil, Sesame Oil
You need a thickener
Flour or Cornstarch. Preferably cornstarch because it adds no flavor. (2 Tablespoons)
Now it’s time for your flavoring: You need about 2 cups of liquid altogether. Again mix or match! Notice I put about 2 T. beside some of the condiments because you probably wouldn’t want to use 2 cups of pure soy sauce.
Soy Sauce (about 2 T.), Teriyaki Sauce (about 2 T.), Oyster Sauce (about 2 T), Wine, Chicken, Vegetable, or Beef Broth, Various Vinegars, Fruit Juice
Now You need a nice heavy frying pan or wok and you are ready to cook!
Step 1
Cut everything up in bite size pieces. It’s nice to keep everything around the same size. You want to do this within reason. When everything is the same size, the cooking time is about the same.
Step 2
Learn the different cooking times of meats and vegetables. You'll need to stagger additions to the stir-fry according to how long they take to cook. (For example, you'd add onions first, and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, then add broccoli florets and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, then add red bell pepper and stir-fry for 2 more minutes.)
Step 3
Heat the pan first, then add oil. When the oil is hot, add aromatics, such as ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for a few seconds, or until you smell them.
Step 4
Start adding your other ingredients, according to their approximate cooking times. When the food is about two-thirds done, add your sauce. (Whatever you decided on whisked up with 2 T. of thickener) If the food will take more than a few minutes more to cook, cover and steam until done. Home Contact me 
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