OK, so I don’t really have a wok. But the Cook’s Illustrated people say woks aren’t suited to American stoves anyway. I do, however, have a large skillet and a yearning for a good stir-fry. I’ve tried to make stir-fries before, and they’ve come out either flavorless or undercooked or overcooked or a combination of all three. Then I found the Cook’s Illustrated “formula” for stir-frying. And now my stir-fry problems are solved.
We had Sweet and Sour Tofu and Veggies last night for dinner. The result was tasty, although I could have cut the tofu into smaller pieces. I used broccoli, onions, a red bell pepper and carrots for the veggies, and I added some pineapple chunks at the end. I should’ve added the pineapple earlier so it could cook a bit.
This following “formula” looks pretty involved, but most of the work is in the preparation. Make sure you have everything ready and within reach before you put the pan on the heat.
Basic Stir-Fry
from Cook’s Illustrated
3/4 pound protein (such as flank steak; port tenderloin; boneless, skinless chicken breasts; peeled and deveined shrimp; or extra-firm tofu), cut into small, even pieces 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons dry sherry 3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 3 scallions, white parts only, minced 5 teaspoons peanut or vegetable oil 1 1/2 pounds prepared vegetables, cut into small pieces and divided into batches based on cooking times (see below) 1 recipe stir-fry sauce (a few options follow) Toss the protein with the soy sauce and sherry in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, scallions and 2 teaspoons of oil.
Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat just until smoking. Add the protein and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up clumps until lightly browned, 1 to 4 minutes. Transfer protein to a clean bowl.
Add another teaspoon of oil to the skillet and return to high heat until shimmering. Add the first batch of vegetables (whatever needs to cook the longest) and cook 1 to 5 minutes.
Add the remaining teaspoon of oil and the faster-cooking vegetables, and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Clear the center of the pan and add the garlic mixture. Cook, mashing the garlic mixture with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Stir the garlic mixture into the vegetables. Return the protein to the pan and toss to combine.
Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add it to the pan and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, toss until the protein and vegetables are well-coated with the sauce. Serve immediately.
And here’s their handy-dandy cook-times chart:
Long-Cooking Vegetables (1 to 5 minutes): carrots, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, bok choy, eggplant.
Short-Cooking Vegetables (30 seconds to 1 minute): cabbage, celery, chard, fennel, tender greens, scallions, tomatoes, snow peas.
Very Tough Vegetables (3 to 6 minutes; require water during cooking): broccoli, green beans, cauliflower. For these veggies, you’ll need to add half a cup of water to the pan when you add the veggies and cover them to steam. Leave them covered for about 2 minutes, then take off the lid and let the water dissipate before moving on to the “long-cooking vegetables.”
And finally, here’s the sauce recipe I used last night. It can be made up to two days in advance.
Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar 6 tablespoons orange juice (I used pineapple in last night’s recipe) 6 tablespoons sugar 3 tablespoons ketchup 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
There are seven more sauces in “The Best Light Recipe” cookbook: Hot-and-Sour Sauce, Garlic Sauce, Oyster Sauce, Coconut-Curry Sauce, Lemon Sauce, Spicy Orange Sauce and Ginger Sauce. I’ll share more if we try and enjoy them.