Long ingredients lists, lengthy preparation, and a foreign cooking process often make stir-fries seem impossible for weeknight cooking. For that very reason, I set out several years back to demystify stir-fry.
Working with that formula over the years, I’ve modified the recipe to make it even more supper-friendly, the ingredient list is still virtually the same: 1 pound each protein and vegetables, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon each garlic and ginger, 1 recipe flavoring sauce, a little cornstarch diluted in water for thickener, and oil for stir-frying.
— Pam Anderson
Here’s the formula, including options for proteins, both firm and tender vegetables, and Flavoring Sauces (additional Flavoring Sauces can be found in the book):
PROTEIN: 1 pound
The following seafood, poultry, tofu, and cuts of meat require minimal preparation and cook quickly. Don’t skip the marinating step—it makes a big difference in the balance of flavors. It doesn’t need to marinate long—just make it the first thing you do in the process. Since domestic stoves just don’t have the BTUs to sear large quantities at a time, you need to cook the meat in batches.
• Peeled medium shrimp: Pat dry.
• Dry sea scallops, Pat dry and halve horizontally.
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs: Cut into bite-size chunks or strips.
• Pork tenderloin: Thinly slice crosswise (if part of the tenderloin is very thick, halve it lengthwise before slicing).
• Steak (sirloin, New York strip, rib eye, tenderloin): Thinly slice across the grain.
• Flank or skirt steak: Slice across the grain with the knife at a slight angle to the cutting board.
• Extra-firm tofu: Pat dry. (If there’s time, weight on paper towels between 2 plates topped with a couple of cans.) Cut into bite-size chunks.
• Tempeh: Cut into bite-size pieces.
VEGETABLES : 1 Pound (Choose Two, 1/2 Pound Each)
For the same reason the protein must be cooked in batches, the vegetables must be added to the skillet incrementally. When choosing vegetables, pick one from the Firm Vegetables category and one from the Tender Vegetables category. This way you can lightly steam the firm vegetable before stir-frying, giving it a head start in the cooking process.
FIRM VEGETABLES: ½ pound
• Asparagus: Snap off ends and cut into 1-inch lengths. Halve thicker asparagus lengthwise.
• Broccoli or cauliflower: Trim and cut into bite-size florets (peel and slice broccoli stems).
• Brussels sprouts: Trim and halve lengthwise.
• Carrots: Peel and cut into bite-size slices. Halve thicker carrots lengthwise first.
• Green beans: Trim and cut into bite-size lengths. (Thin green beans or haricots verts are the best.)
• Snow peas or sugar snap peas: If not done already, remove strings.
• Sweet potatoes: Halve (or quarter if large) and cut into bite-size slices.
• Winter squash, such as butternut: Peel, seed, and cut into bite-size slices
TENDER VEGETABLES: ½ pound
• Bean sprouts: Simply open the plastic bag and dump.
• Bell peppers (yellow, red, and green): Stem, seed, and slice into bite-size strips.
• Cabbage: Quarter, core, and shred thick.
• Celery: Cut into bite-size slices.
• Corn, baby canned: Drain and rinse (one 14-ounce can = 8 ounces, drained).
• Eggplant: Trim and cut into bite-size chunks.
• Fennel: Trim, halve, core, and shred thick.
• Mushrooms, domestic white or baby bella: Slice
• Pineapple: Peel, quarter, core, and cut into bite-size chunks.
• Water chestnuts, sliced canned: Drain and rinse (one 8-ounce can = 5 ounces drained).
• Zucchini or yellow squash: Trim and cut into bite-size slices. Halve or quarter large
FLAVORING SAUCES: Choose 1
Flavoring Sauce ingredients are simple pantry items. The sauces are mostly interchangeable and can be used with any of the stir-fry proteins and vegetables with the exception of Lemon-Coconut Stir-Fry Sauce, which is best paired with poultry, seafood, tofu, and tempeh. With all of the Flavoring Sauces, just stir together. For a little extra kick, increase the pepper flakes from ¼ to ½ teaspoon.
General Tso’s Stir-Fry Sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce (or 2 tablespoons each molasses and soy sauce)
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sweet sherry
A generous 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water
Spicy Orange Sauce
6 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce (or 1 tablespoon each soy sauce and molasses)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
A generous 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup water
Coconut Curry Sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk (light or regular)
2 tablespoons sweet sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
Basil (or Cilantro) Stir-Fry Sauce
1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or cilantro
Lemon-Coconut Stir-Fry Sauce
1/2 cup coconut milk (light or regular)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sweet sherry
4 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
Sweet and Sour Stir-Fry Sauce
6 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
A generous 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Sichuan-Chili Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoons sweet sherry
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce or Sriracha sauce
1/2 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, crushed
1/4 cup water
Reprinted from How to Cook Without a Book. Copyright © 2018 by Pam Anderson. Photographs copyright © 2018 by Lauren Volo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House, LLC.
| Servings |
| 4 people |
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Once you've followed this stir-fry technique a couple of times, you will internalize it. After that, you'll only need to refer to the Flavoring Sauces. Serve with cooked white rice or cooked brown rice.
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- 1 pound Protein (see options in headnote)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sweet sherry
- 1/2 pound Firm Vegetables (see options in headnote)
- salt
- 3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
- 1 medium-large onion peeled and halved from pole to pole, each half cut into 8 wedges
- 1/2 pound Tender Vegetables (see options in headnote)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 Recipe Flavoring Sauce (see options in headnote)
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- Toss the Protein with the soy sauce and sherry in a medium bowl and set aside. Let the meat marinate while you prep all the vegetables and make the Flavoring Sauce.
- When ready to cook, set a heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over low heat.
- Place the Firm Vegetables in the skillet with a light sprinkling of salt and 1/4 cup water. Cover the pan and increase the heat to high. When the water starts to steam, set the timer and cook until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes: Figure 1 minute for delicate vegetables like asparagus and snow peas, 2 minutes for hardy vegetables like sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Turn the vegetables into a large bowl.
- Return the skillet to high heat and turn on the exhaust fan. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat until wisps of smoke start to rise from the pan. Leaving any unabsorbed marinade in the bowl, and working in two batches, cook the Protein, turning once, until browned and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per batch. Transfer the Protein to the bowl with Firm Vegetables.
- Drizzle another 1 tablespoon oil into the hot skillet. Add the onion and stir-fry until spotty brown, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Add the Tender Vegetables and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes longer. Make a well in the middle of the skillet and add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and ginger and cook until fragrant, a few seconds, then stir-fry into the vegetables. Return the steamed Firm Vegetables and the Protein to the skillet and stir-fry to heat through. Add the Flavoring Sauce and cook to coat all the ingredients. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the skillet. Cook until the juices become saucy and glossy. Serve immediately.
