How to Cook a Perfect Stir Fry {Recipe Repeat}

Hello, dear reader! This recipe is an oldie-but-goodie from the THIH archives. There’s nothing like a quick and healthy stir fry to make getting dinner on the table a snap!

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I love stir fries. They’re quick and easy, you can add tons of veggies, and they taste great over brown rice seasoned with turmeric and cardamom. You can go from ingredients to finished dish in fifteen minutes. They’re perfect for using up extra leftovers. What’s not to love?

Still, this tasty dish often isn’t the first meal that comes to mind when deciding what to make for dinner. That changes now! To learn how to cook the perfect stir fry, follow the super easy steps in the recipe below. Customize the recipe with your favorite ingredients (or whatever’s in your fridge); for example, try lean ground beef or tofu in place of the pork, or sliced water chestnuts and carrots instead of the onions and peppers.

You can use any large skillet to cook a stir fry, but it’s worth investing in a wok. Their round bottoms and high sides make fulfilling the “stir” part of “stir fry” much easier, and you can pick up one for about $15 to $20 at an Asian grocery.

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A few stir fry tips:

*Make sure the wok is hot. The ingredients cook faster and the flavor is better.
*Thinly slice the protein and veggies so they cook quickly.
*Stir constantly while cooking. The cooking time is no more than 5 to 6 minutes, so you won’t be at the stove too long.

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From 2015 Jessie: Since writing this 2013 post, Peter has acquired an outdoor wok burner that he hooked up to a massive propane tank. Now whenever he cooks a stir fry, it sounds like a jet engine is taking a low dive over our house.

On the plus side, the stir fries are out of this world.

[bctt tweet=”How to cook a perfect stir fry #healthyrecipes”]

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Spicy Hoisin Stir Fry with Sauteed Peppers

  Prep Time: 10 minutes

  Cook Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork or beef or cubed tofu
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3/4 cup broth, beef or chicken or veggie
  • 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onions

Instructions

In a large skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl. Brown pork until crumbly and cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pork to paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.

Combine broth, hoisin sauce, cornstarch and soy sauce. Whisk until smooth and set aside.

Pour off any liquid in skillet and discard. Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet over high heat and saute onion, garlic, red bell pepper, ginger and pepper flakes for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until vegetables have softened.

Stir broth mixture into stir-fry and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add pork and combine. Serve over udon noodles or brown rice. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve.

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P.S. Check out more stir fry recipes here!

P.P.S. When I searched for the term “stir” in my media archives, this THIH pic from early 2010 popped up:

stir

P.P.P.S. It looks like I’m making fried rice in our tiny apartment kitchen, four homes ago.

P.P.P.P.S. Does anyone else feel really old?

2 Comments

  1. Stir fry is a favorite in our house, too!

    Peter’s outdoor wok sounds cool! 🙂

    I don’t only feel (sometimes!) old, I am old! 😉

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