Friday 31 January 2014

Our Favorite Beef Stir Fry

Beef Stir Fry
Beef Stir Fry
A beef stir fry can be a very succulent and juicy dish if it is sautéed perfectly with a very savory sauce.  This is a great solution if you want to have beef for dinner mixed with vegetables.  Because stir fries are now very popular in the globe, the internet would be the best source for wonderful recipes for home cooking.  Many housewives depend on cookery sites in the internet for their recipes and often choose beef stir fries as their favorite dishes for weeknights.  A single slice of steak can even be extended to serve two to three persons as long as you have the vegetables and stir fry sauce at hand for the cooking.   Simply cut the steak into bite sizes and with the vegetables, throw them in high flame in your wok and then sauté it with your favorite stir fry sauce, then you have dinner in your table.   We love beef as protein for our stir fries at home.  Maybe because we love the aromatic fragrance of beef when they are cooked especially if they are sautéed with the main ingredient for stir frying which is the soy sauce.  The taste makes it very familiar to what we have acquired through the years of stir frying.   We will share in this article a traditional beef stir fry that we always do at home.  This recipe has been with our family for more than three generations.  We love it so much and hope you will like it too.

TENDER JUICY BEEF STIR FRY:

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:

  • One pound of half a kilo of beef fillet
  • black pepper, please ground
  • ½ cup soy sauce or tamari
  • ¼ cup honey or Mirin
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • Canola oil or olive oil as needed
  • 1 Spanish onion, please cut them into quarters
  • 2 sprigs of spring onions, please chop them
  • 200g green beans, please them cut them into halves or snow peas if you prefer
  • 10 small button mushrooms, please cut them into quarters
  • 4 cloves of garlic, please slice thinly
  • 4 slices of fresh ginger, please dice them
HOW TO MAKE IT:


  • Start by slicing the beef fillet thinly and season well with freshly ground black pepper.  The thin slices will make the beef tender when cooked at high flame.
  • In a small mixing bowl or cup, mix together the soy sauce, honey and sugar and stir till smooth.
  • Begin frying by heating oil in a wok or large skillet over high flame in your American stove.  Add the oil and when it just starts to smoke, fry the beef slices in batches on single layer.
  • Fry for only 10 seconds on each side to brown the beef.  Please turn over the beef cuts to brown the other side.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef until everything is cooked.  Reserve.
  • Return the wok and add more oil in it.
  • Then add the onion, the spring onions and the beans. Stir fry until the onion has separated and begins to caramelize.
  • Then add the mushrooms and continue to stir for two of minutes.
  • Then add the garlic and the ginger and stir to combine.
  • Then add back the beef to the wok plus the soy sauce mixture.
  • Toss and stir carefully until the sauce thickens and coats with the meat and vegetables.
  • Serve this beef stir fry while hot with steamed rice.
You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Beef Stir Fry.

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Recipe for Stir Fry Sauce

It is very easy to gather your favorite ingredients in stir fries, perhaps your choice of meat and your favorite veggies.  But often, when in the kitchen, you wonder on how to start making your sauce for the stir fry.   Perhaps these simple recipes for stir fry sauces can help you start your frying and discover wonderful options on your choices of ingredients.   Have some fun and enjoy making them in your kitchens. 

THE EASY BASIC BROWN SAUCE:

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 2/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • 1/3 cup rice wine
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
HOW TO PREPARE IT:

Heat a wok over high heat on your American stove.  Add a tablespoon of cooking oil then the garlic and ginger stir until fragrant for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Then add all the ingredients except the cornstarch and water (mix them separately in a cup) and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat and let it simmer for one to two minutes.  Then add the cornstarch slurry to the sauce and stir until it bubbles and thickens.  Sauce is ready.

THE INCREDIBLE ALL PURPOSE STIR FRY SAUCE:

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 tablespoons water
HOW TO PREPARE IT:

On your American stove, heat a skillet on high flame and add a tablespoon of oil and stir fry the garlic and ginger for one minute to release the flavors.   Then add the soy sauce and the stock and boil it, then reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer for five minutes.  Combine the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons of water and add to the sauce and stir until thick and bubbly.  Sauce is ready.

MY FAVORITE LOBSTER SAUCE:

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 4 to 8 scallions, chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons white wine
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Please beat 4 egg whites and mix them with 1/4 cup of water
HOW TO PREPARE IT:


The Best Stir Fry Recipes by dm_51adb03bd5bcb

  • In a small mixing bowl, please combine the chicken stock with the soy sauce, the white wine, and sugar.  In a separate cup dissolve the cornstarch with the 1/4 cup of water.  Yet in another small bowl, please whisk the egg whites into 1/4 cup of water.  Set everything aside separately.
  • Then heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok on medium high flame on your American stove.  Stir fry the garlic and onions for 30 seconds till fragrant.  Then add the chicken broth mixture and bring it to a boil for a minute.  Then add the cornstarch mixture and followed by the slow pouring of the egg whites, but stir very slowly for 2 or 3 times around, but do not over stir or you will end up with broken egg clumps. We are making long threads of the egg whites.  When the sauce thickens, it's ready.
  • You can enjoy these recipes for stir fry sauces at home with your favorite choices of stir fry ingredients.
You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Stir Fry Recipe Sauce.

Thursday 23 January 2014

Our Traditional Recipe For Stir Fry

Recipe For Stir Fry
Recipe For Stir Fry
The quickest cooking method that everyone enjoys is stir frying.  Recipes for stir fry provide a very quick and easy way of preparing meal for our homes.  As far as I can remember, Mom used to cook food for us by stir frying beef, pork or chicken, mixed with some vegetables and sautéed with a deliciously flavorful sauce.  Some of her recipes have been passed on to us and we are able to duplicate it one way or the other.  After I got married, I used to ask Mom how to cook some of her favorite dishes at our house.  I used to request for her to come and teach us how to do her beef stir fries, her pork stir fries and even her chicken stir fries.  My wife got almost all of it too. She was very attentive to my Mom’s demonstrations and was able to capture the manner she cooks and how she deliciously sauté the ingredients.  When we learned her cooking, we started to invite her for dinner while we do the cooking.  At first we were not expecting admiration but advices on how to improve our recipes.  But as the years went by, she started to give us very good reviews.  Learning from her experience and tradition, we started to be creative on our own and made some modification for the improvement of the recipes and how it really suits my family’s taste.  Here is one of her recipes that you might want to try in your kitchens.  Let us begin.

CHICKEN ADOBO:

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • Four to five pounds of chicken thigh
  • One fourth cup of white vinegar
  • One half cup of regular soy sauce
  • Four cloves of garlic, please crush and remove skins
  • One tablespoon of black peppercorns, please do not crush them
  • Three bay leaves
  • Two large onions, please peel skins and chop into quarters
  • Four tablespoons of canola oil
  • Four tablespoons of crab paste, these are found in Asian stores and big supermarkets
HOW TO MAKE IT:


  • Prepare all the ingredients according to the list above.
  • Start with the chicken thighs by boiling a cup of water in a pot and throw the chicken thighs in.  Let it soften for a few minutes about fifteen minutes. 
  • Once soft, remove the chicken thighs with the remaining stock and transfer to a large wok or saucepan.  Heat the sauce pan to high heat on your American stove.  
  • Then combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, except the crab meat and the onions.
  • Pour the sauce to the chicken thighs and cover the pan to let it simmer for a few minutes, about four minutes. 
  • Then lower the flame to medium and remove the cover. 
  • When sauce is reduced and thickened and chicken is tender, pour the canola oil to the pan, and stir fry for one minute.  The chicken is soft at this point and be careful not to crush them. 
  • Add the crab meat to the pan and stir to coat for one minute more. 
  • Sprinkle the onions over the chicken using your hand, spread them over the dish. 
  • Serve immediately while hot with hot steamed rice.
  • This recipe for stir fry is an old traditional recipe in our house. We hope you will like it and have a nice meal.
You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Stir Fry Recipe.

Monday 20 January 2014

Our Family’s Pride- Stir Fried Chicken

Stir Fried Chicken
Stir Fried Chicken
In stir frying chicken, it is known as the simplest and the fastest way to prepare dinner since most of its ingredients are available all the time in your refrigerators.  Left-over vegetables can easily be prepared with chicken as its protein all the time.  It is just a matter of having the right combination of ingredients to create that stir fry sauces that enhances its flavors.  So make yourself a good stir fried chicken tonight.  This chicken stir fried recipe has been with the family’s menu ever since we were children.  Mom used to cook this on Thursday as a change from the all pork and beefy nights.  We have enjoyed this recipe for several years and hope you enjoy them too.  It is very simple to prepare and we believe you can easily duplicate its simple preparation and come out with that flavorful chicken dish on your table.  

Mom’s secret to this dish is preparing the sauce and tasting it before it is used to make sure she has the right taste we wanted through the years.  Because this was prepared repeatedly in our home, she had all the remarks she needed to perfectly combine the sauce we wanted.  Try this and perhaps it will work just fine for your family too.  Be careful on using saltiness too much, because we have several occasions when this dish was salty and had to adjust the dish before we can dine.   That was a revealing night but everyone was happy to get the right taste they wanted in the house. 

OUR ORIGINAL CHICKEN STIR FRIED DISH:  The preparation time for this dish is ten minutes and the cooking time is only twelve minutes.  The original recipe can yield as much as four servings however just double the ingredients if you are serving for more people.  

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 1 tablespoon peanut oil
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cups sliced carrots
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into thin strips
  • 2 cups sugar snap peas
  • 1 (15-ounce) can baby corn, drained
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
HOW TO MAKE IT:


  • Begin frying by heating the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high flame on your American stove.
  • Then add the garlic and ginger and cook for one minute.
  • Then add the chicken and cook for three to four minutes until they become brown but stir constantly.
  • Then add the onions, the carrots and peppers and cook for another minute.
  • Then add the snap peas, baby corn and broccoli florets and cook for two minutes more.
  • Then pour the soy sauce to the veggies and stir for two minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender.
  • Please dissolve the cornstarch in chicken broth in a small cup and add to wok.
  • Let it simmer for two minutes.
  • Transfer the stir fried chicken dish to a plate and serve over rice. 
You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Stir Fried Chicken.

Thursday 16 January 2014

A Few Easy Stir Fry Recipes Sauces For The Home

Easy Stir Fry
Easy Stir Fry
Stir fry is popularly known as the quick and easy method of stirring and frying thinly sliced vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry over high flame.  It is also an excellent solution to weeknight dinners after as long tired day at work.  This is a very nutritious way to make dinner for the entire family.  Honestly, when you get into stir frying, you won’t really need those recipes for you to make a great stir fry dish in your kitchens.  Simply choose a protein source then add some fresh vegetables and throw them in the high flame.  However, the flavors are provided by the sauce and for this we are introducing a few recipes for stir fry sauces in this article.

 In stir frying, it is common that once the ingredients are thoroughly cooked, they are at the end mixed together with a sauce.   Today, there are ready made sauces available commercially but most of them tend to have higher sodium content than home-made sauces.  Therefore, we prefer home-made sauces and they are very easy to make.   Enjoy the sauces and have fun in your kitchens.

1.    BASIC SAUCELESS STIR FRY:  Not every stir fry really use that standard stir fry sauce.  The old trick of preparing a sauce less stir fry is:
  • aromatic herbs (basil and mint leaves)
  • mince some fresh garlic, add a little
  • freshly ground ginger and sprinkle some quality
  • Sea salt and you have a delicious meal. 
  • You can also moisten the food a little by adding some flavored or toasted sesame oil over the dish before serving them.  You now have your sauce less stir fry. 

2.    THE BROWN SAUCE - The basic popular brown sauce is made by mixing:
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce with
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger,
  • ¼ teaspoon clove power, and
  • 1 tablespoon molasses. Add
  • 2/3 cup cornstarch slurry (mixture of cornstarch and water) to thicken your sauce. 
  • 1 teaspoon dry sherry,
  • 1 green onion (minced), and either
  • 4 red chilies (fresh or dry) or 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper.

3.    WHITE SAUCE - To prepare this basic white sauce, simply combine
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger,
  • 1 garlic clove (minced),
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and
  • ¾ cup stock.
  • In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of water and
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and stir until dissolved.
  • Add the cornstarch liquid to the rest of the sauce.

4.    SWEET AND SOUR - Mix
  • ¼ cup stock,
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce,
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar,
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Mix
  • 2 tablespoons of water and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch together.  Fully dissolved, the cornstarch slurry is added to thicken the sauce.
   
TIPS:  You can also just whip up your own special sauce based on the common stir fry sauce ingredients that follows.  Simply choose a combination of the following; soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, Xo sauce, sesame sauce, vinegar, peanut sauce, Sichuan pepper, white pepper, freshly grated ginger, green onions and five spice powder.  Remember that cornstarch is usually dissolved in a little water first and is flavorless intended to thicken the stir fry sauce only, however the arrowroot thickens and adds a subtle flavor to the sauce.   Have fun and make your own recipes for stir fry sauce at home.



You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Easy Stir Fry.

Friday 10 January 2014

A Popular Pork Stir Fry for Your Home

Pork Stir Fry
Pork Stir Fry
In learning how to cook Chinese dishes, stir frying was introduced to the English language.  By history, stir frying is a traditional Chinese method of pan cooking by mixing meat and vegetables, very quickly over high flame to actually preserve the nutrients and freshness of the ingredients.  Because of its speed, simplicity and versatility, it gained immediate popularity in the kitchens across the world.   Pork stir fries are most choices of home kitchens due to the availability of its ingredients.   In this article we will share a pork and tofu stir fry that is very easy, quick and simple to do in your own kitchens.  Please pay attention to the ingredients on the list and buy them according to the instructions in the ingredients’ list. 

PORK WITH TOFU STIR FRY: A popular variation of combining lean pork meat with tofu and vegetables.  This is always present is almost every Chinese Cuisines.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 1 block firm or extra firm tofu
  • ½ lb. pork sirloin
  • 1 small onion
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1-2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
  • 1-2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp. soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. cornstarch
  • ½ cup chicken stock
  • 2-3 cups vegetables of your choice
  • Rice (optional)
HOW TO MAKE IT:


  • Prepare the ingredients.  Since stir frying is a very quick method of cooking, preparation is essential to avoid overcooking the ingredients.  Please mince the garlic and dice the onions.  Then chop the tofu, the pork and assorted vegetables into bite size pieces for easy cooking.
  • Prepare your sauce by mix together the chicken stock, soy sauce sesame oil and cornstarch. Reserve for frying.
  • To begin frying, heat the wok or large skillet over medium high flame on your American stove.
  • Then add one tablespoon to two tablespoons of oil to the wok.  Stir in the onions, the garlic and then the pork and the tofu.  Sauté them for one to three minutes.
  • Then add the vegetables to the pan according to their standard cooking time.  Start with the broccoli and carrots because they take longer to cook than the mushrooms and the bean sprouts.  Give the broccoli and carrots at least takes three minutes in the hot pan before you add the bean sprouts and the mushrooms. Cook for three to five minutes.
  • Then add the sauce mixture. Stir until the sauce begins to thicken and then remove from heat.
  • Serve the pork stir fry immediately with the hot steaming over rice.
As additional information on this article, let as explore on how you can make a stir-fry even quicker by making your own instant stir fry mix and sauce.  A good seasoning always make delicious stir fry recipes.   You can easily make a basic stir fry mix and sauce with a few ingredients with little time and effort.  So let us begin and see how it works for you.  

HOW TO PREPARE A DRY STIR FRY MIX:

1.  Place all of the ingredients into a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined.
2.  Pour the ingredients into a large container and seal the container tightly.
3.  Store the container at room temperature for up to a year.

HOW TO PREPARE YOU STIR FRY SAUCE:

1.   Mix the ginger, garlic, red pepper, brown sugar and cornstarch in the large sealable container.
2.  Then add vinegar and soy sauce and seal the container before you shake it vigorously.
3.  Then open the container to add the sherry, the broth plus some water and reseal the container to shake again.
4.  Store it in the refrigerator and it can last for two weeks.

 You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Pork Stir Fry .

Tuesday 7 January 2014

A Favorite Stir Fry Recipe

Here is a very famous stir fry recipe that is very popular in the world which was introduced in Chinese Cuisines long ago.   In this article we will detail the preparation of this recipe including the secrets of how to make it a perfect stir fry.  Well without further ado, the secret to this recipe is cooking the beef in one cup of oil to seal in the juices and cooking the broccoli in water to make it crisp and tender.  If you want a more authentic touch, use Chinese broccoli which taste and appears like asparagus.

ALL TIME FAVORITE BEEF WITH BROCCOLI STIR FRY:

Preparation time is 30 minutes.  It easily can be cooked in ten minutes.  This is only a total of forty minutes.

WHAT YOU NEED TO HAVE:
  • 3/4 pound lean beef
Marinade:
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar (you can substitute rice wine according to your desire)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce:
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
Thickener:
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch, to be mixed with one tablespoon water
OTHERS:
  • 1 pound fresh broccoli
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
To Cook Broccoli:
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar, or to taste
More if desired:
  • 1 1/4 cups oil, or as needed
HOW TO MAKE IT:
  • Begin by cutting the beef across its grain into thin slices for a more tender meat.
  • In a small mixing bowl, add the marinade ingredients but add the cornstarch last. Then using your fingers, rub it on the beef slices.  Cover and marinate the beef for thirty minutes at room temperature.
  • Then prepare the sauce and vegetables. For the sauce, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and reserve for frying.  In a cup, mix the cornstarch and water and reserve.
  • For the ve4ggie, wash and drain the broccoli. Please cut the stalk diagonally into thin slices. Then cut the flowerets into three to four pieces, like bite size pieces.  Then crush the garlic.
  • Begin frying by heating your wok or large skillet on high heat in your American stove.  Then add one cup of oil.  When the oil is medium-hot add the beef and stir.
  • Just blanch the beef on the hot oil by letting it lay flat for thirty to forty seconds and then stir to separate each piece.
  • Then remove the beef when it changes color and is nearly cooked after a minute or two.  Drain on paper towels.  Please wipe the wok with paper towels.
  • Then add two tablespoons of oil to the wok.  Then add the crushed garlic and stir fry briefly till fragrant.
  • Then add the broccoli and sprinkle the salt and sugar over then stir fry briefly.  Lower down the heat if necessary to make sure it doesn't burn.
  • Then add the one half cup water and cook the broccoli cover for four to five minutes until it turns a bright green and is tender but still crisp.  Please remove from the wok and drain.
  • Then clean out the wok and add 2 more tablespoons oil.  When oil is hot, please add the broccoli and the beef.   Stir together and then add the sauce and cornstarch mixture in the middle of the wok and stir quickly to thicken.  Then mix everything together and serve hot over steamed rice.


Variations: You can add carrots and onion if desired. Just boil in the wok with the broccoli but you'll need to add more water. This stir fry recipe is excellent, the taste is truly unforgettable.  The crispy flavor of the broccoli makes the Chinese stir fry even more delicious than before.  You can also add in chile oil for a little more kick.  Happy holidays to all.

You can also visit here to learn on how to cook Stir Fry Recipe.