One recipe that has taken me longer to perfect than I initially anticipated was a stir fry. When I was younger, I remember making stir fries often with whatever was around the house. I found though in attempting to recreate one I like I struggled. The first ones I made were too soggy and wet, some of them burnt, and overall I felt lacked flavor. I found finally one recipe I could stand behind. This is what I want in a stir fry, flavor and vegetables that are cooked, but not soggy. I start by making the sauce. I take 1/4 cup of reduced sodium soy sauce, mirin and honey and boil on high. Once boiling I reduce the heat to medium and reduce it until thick, which took me about 8 minutes. Then I gather my ingredients and prep them all. When it comes to a stir fry prep is essential. You are cooking at high heat, so if you have not prepped everything will overcook or burn. For this particular stir fry I diced 1/4 c of onion, chopped a small head of broccoli, and chopped 4 ounces of green beans. I sliced two carrots into half moon shapes, cutting them into rounds and then cutting the rounds in half. I also minced three cloves of garlic. Make sure you cut your vegetables into small pieces, when they are larger they do not stir fry as nicely. From there I heated two tablespoons of toasted sesame oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until it was warm. If you struggle knowing when this is you can do this one of two ways, you can hold your hand above the pan to see if it feels warm or you can add a few drops of water to the pan and wait for them to sizzle. Next I added in the garlic until sizzling and cooked for about a minute, garlic can burn quickly so watch it closely if your stovetop is hotter you may need less than a minute. Once you see the garlic starting to turn a golden color at the edges you should move on even if it is a shorter amount of time. Next turn the heat up to high and add your vegetables and 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Make sure not to overcrowd your pan or your vegetables will get soggy. Also while the vegetables cook you should be stirring pretty constantly to ensure nothing burns at that high of a heat. Once cooked until soft, remove from the heat garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy. You will have extra sauce that stores nicely in the fridge. Stir Fry
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As a child, one of the vegetables we frequently order when we got Chinese food was broccoli with garlic sauce. I found it to be one of the only vegetables I remember that stood alone, not in fried rice or lo mein. I am excited to share I have managed to recreate that experience at home which makes a simple side that takes barely any time at all. Broccoli with Asian Inspired Garlic SauceWhat are your favorite vegetable sides? Any recipes you want me to recreate?
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About MeI'm Sarah; a wife, traveler, foodie, and adventurer. Archives
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