Dedication: This blog entitled Fusion Stir Fry is dedicated to my daughter’s friends who have recently graduated with her from Duke University in the class of 2015, and are now living on their own. You can now prepare simple healthful meals in your own homes!
I still remember my father giving me instructions on how to stir fry when I was young. “It’s easy,” he would say, “its just this, this, and this, and you vary the vegetables. What more is there to it?” And he was right. it is easy. And it is now touted as a very healthy way of eating with a little oil, lots of vegetable, a little meat to flavor the dish, But having lived in Nepal for many years, I developed a taste for Indian spices so commonly used in Nepali cooking as well. And guess what? Turmeric, ginger, and garlic are also touted as very good for you with their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.
The basis to any dish in many ethnic cuisines is onion, garlic, and ginger. These add depths of flavor that make a dish so savory. You could get away with leaving one or two of these ingredients out. But to leave all three out would be unforgivable, and would result in a rather bland dish.
Fry the sliced onions, and minced garlic and ginger over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of oil for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. If you are using carrots or celery, you can add these at the onset of the frying. These ingredients are all considered aromatics and frying them “blooms” them and allows them to release their flavors. After the carrots and onions have softened, we now bloom the spices. This is where my love of Indian spices comes in. Add your choice of one or more of the following: turmeric, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, chili powder, and a little salt and pepper. Begin with 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon at first until you develop a taste for the spice. Remove the onions and bloomed spices from the frying pan and set aside.
Or, if you want to cook old school Chinese Cantonese style like I was taught, use only salt and pepper and some soy sauce and perhaps a teaspoon of sesame oil.
Now this is where I’ve looked in my fridge and bring out what I have. Today is mushrooms, and baby tomatoes. If the vegetable are very similar in structure, you can cook them together – such as green beans and bell peppers, or eggplant and mushrooms. Fry each vegetable with a couple of tablespoons of oil, and add salt.
Fried Tofu https://mamalamacooking.wordpress.com/2015/12/09/fried-tofu/
This is a platter where I’ve set aside my fried mushrooms, and onion and spices mixture. And yes, in this busy holiday season I also resort to my freezer as well. My apologies to the purists. Also pictured is a plate of fried tofu that I’m going to add to the dish at the end.
If you want to add meat to your dish , slice the meat in thin slices and fry in heated oil with salt added. The meat is fried a high temperature to give it a nice browning on the outside without overcooking it on the inside. If you want to spice up your meat, add some spices when it is midway cooked. This blooms the spice as well as infuses in into the meat. Garam masala is a tasty one to use.
Now we combine all the ingredients back in the pan. The combined dish can be served as is. For those of you who like a little gravy in your dish, make a slurry of 1 teaspoon of corn starch mixed with 1/3 cup cold water. Add a dash of soy sauce (again, Chinese Cantonese style cooking.) To the pan of vegetables, add about 1 cup of vegetable or chicken stock, and bring to a boil. It is very important that the stock be boiling. Push the vegetables to the side of the pan (as pictured), and add the corn starch slurry to the boiling liquid, stirring constantly, until it comes back to a boil. This ensures that the corn starch will not become lumpy. Remove from heat and mix well with the vegetables. Add in the meat or fried tofu, or serve the vegetables as is. You can season at the end with salt and pepper, or season as you are cooking
These directions are the basis of my fusion stir fry. Have fun varying the vegetables with whatever is in season. Squash, broccoli, asparagus, green beans, egg plant, and cauliflower all work well. For the vegetarian, you can add cooked black beans, edamame, or lima beans.
Experiment with the spices and have fun!
mamalamacooking 