Stir crazy
I tasted my first stir-fry on Christmas Day in 1983. I thought it strange that we weren’t having the usual turkey and trimmings for lunch, but my mum was too excited about her newest acquisition – a wok. At lunchtime she packed it full of chicken, courgettes, red pepper, yellow squash and onions and then drizzled some teriyaki sauce over the whole thing. I sat, transfixed, as the UFO-shaped contraption shrunk every item to half its size. After discovering that each ingredient tasted exotically delicious, I didn’t care that I was missing the traditional Christmas stuffing. I even remained loyal to the wok long after my mother transferred her affection to a food processor a few months later.
One reason I’m such a fan is the simplicity factor. Stir-fries are today’s casseroles. Even cookery novices can create a successful meal. And really you don’t even need a wok – any heavy frying pan will do. If you leave something out of a recipe, what you do throw in will still taste fantastic. The recipes below are great guidelines, but don’t feel that you have to follow them to the letter. Go ahead and experiment.
Out of cashews? Throw in a handful of peanuts instead. Need to add a bit of crunch? Try water chestnuts. Supplement your standard soy or teriyaki with a squeeze of fresh lemon or even some clam sauce. Think of your pan as a palette and try to put in as many colours as possible so you get a variety of vegetables. And remember, although it might take a few minutes to chop up all the ingredients at the start, the speed of stir-frying will minimise the loss of vitamins and nutrients during cooking.
For more tips on making a super stir-fry, check out Wok Magic
Recipes
Oriental Turkey Stir-fry
Stir-fry Vegetables
Chicken Stir-Fry with Cashew Nuts and Mango
Spicy Beef Stir-Fry
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