Master Stir-Frying

Here's something to do when you have an odd assortment of vegetables in small amounts--not enough of any one thing to make a side dish. The Stir-Fry. If you have a small piece of meat or chicken or some shrimp, they can be part of the mix too.

Stir-Fried dishes are incredibly quick to make and there are just a few things to remember:

1. Dice all your vegetables ahead of time.

2. If you are using meat that isn't yet cooked, dice or slice it, and if the flavors you are going for are Asian, marinate the meat in a little soy sauce, some garlic, and maybe some ginger. Play around--try a little sesame oil as well. (Caution--a little goes a long way!)

3. Before you start to cook, assemble all your ingredients, including broth, corn starch, and any other liquids you are using like sherry or vinegar.

Now for the pan--does it have to be a wok? No, any pan large enough to hold the food without it being crowded will work just fine. I use a 12-inch non-stick stir-fry skillet that is rounded. If you're using a saute pan, that's fine. Sloping sides are better than a straight-sided skillet because you want the steam to go up and away rather than condense back down into your food as steam. But in a pinch, it'll work too.

So here we go: Add oil to your pan and let it get nice and hot. Now add aromatics first: onion, then ginger and/or garlic. Keep the food moving around. Each vegetable only takes a minute or two to cook. Now start adding your vegetables starting with what takes the longest to cook. For example, I might add, in order: carrots, celery, bell pepper, zucchini, and finally pea pods. If I'm cooking meat, I would probably add beef somewhere between the bell pepper and the zucchini because I think it tastes best on the rare side. Chicken would probably get added around the same time as the celery because I want to make sure it is thoroughly cooked.

Now to create the sauce: for classic Chinese food taste, add to the pan about 1/4 cup of sherry and cook for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Now add 1/2 to a cup of broth (I would use beef or chicken, according to the meat I'm using). Cook that a few minutes. Now make a slurry of about a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce and add that to the pan. Stir continuously until the sauce has thickened and become translucent. It only takes a few minutes. Check that the meat and vegetables are cooked to your liking. If it needs a few more minutes, just let it simmer. We usually serve this over rice, but it's delicious on noodles, or all by itself. You can even jazz it up with a handful of cashews scattered over the top and some chopped green onion. If you'd like some heat--add diced jalapenos when you start out with the onion and garlic.