Impromptu Oriental Stir-Fry

Got some odds and ends veggies you don't know what to do with?  Maybe some left over meat, noodles or rice?  It's Oriental night!  Why do take-out if you probably have everything you need already?  You can make the dish as simple or as complicated as you like, depending on what you have available and your taste.

Even if you don't have the left over noodles or rice, in the time it takes to cook up a batch, you can have them ready by the time you get your veggies all chopped up and ready to throw in the wok.  If you don't have left over meat that you could dice up, it would be nice if you had a little plan earlier in the day to marinate some raw meat in soy sauce or something similar, but it is not a must.  Any kind will do, chicken, shrimp, pork, beef, even diced canned spam.  Yes, I said the "S" word.  American's typically turn up their noses, and it probably isn't the healthiest thing I will ever suggest, but it is packed with flavor and very reasonably priced.  Did you know spam is one of the most popular meat products world wide?  It is especially popular in Oriental dishes.  Once in a blue moon won't kill you.  Just don't make it a regular staple in your diet and you will likely be just fine. Even if you don't have meat, you can just do vegetarian or scramble up a few eggs, pour them into a fry pan, without stirring, let them cook up into a flat sheet, then dice up and set to the side until you are ready to add later.  You could also do some form of tofu.  Personally, I don't like that stuff, so I couldn't tell you what to do with it. :o)

As far as a recipe, you have my permission to a JUST WING IT!  If you like the veggie, you will likely like it in your dish.  The tricks to getting it to taste right are:

• Cut the pieces small enough to cook quickly and evenly.  Cutting thin and on a diagonal works well.
• Use an oil that can tolerate higher heat such as peanut oil or coconut oil
• Cook with high to medium-high heat and keep things moving
• Add the ingredients in the order from "takes longer to cook" to "takes just a minute to cook"
• Don't overcook and make your veggies mushy, a little crunch in some of the them is always more interesting in the overall texture of the dish
• Except for the meat, don't season until its just about ready to serve to avoid burning

Start with heating up your wok or large skillet. You could probably even get away with a large stock pot, but it would not be ideal.  Add a tablespoon or two of oil.  When it starts to run around the pan easily, you are ready to go.  A good basic start is some carrots, celery, broccoli or other veggies that take a little longer to cook - cook a minute or two, stirring frequently.  Then add ingredients that take a less time to cook, such as cabbage, meat, mushrooms, pea pods, peppers, onions, scallions, fresh ginger, minced garlic - cook a few minutes longer, don't forget to keep stirring.  Then add the last ingredients that cook quickly or just need to be heated such as shrimp, zucchini, yellow squash, bean sprouts, diced fried scrambled egg, etc.  Stir around another couple minutes till cooked through, but veggies still have a little crunch to them.  Turn down heat to keep warm, but not burn or over cook.

Now you are ready to add your cooked noodles, or rice, and seasonings.  Any kind of noodles will do, from the everyday spaghetti, or linguini noodles, to something a little more exotic, like rice noodles, soba noodles, etc.  You could even use the noodles in the little cheap ramen packs.  If you choose rice instead of noodles, a less sticky rice is better, but any variety will do.  Just cook your choice, per the package directions, before adding to your veggie/meat mixture.

The seasonings are all a matter of what you like, also.  If you didn't have fresh ginger or garlic earlier, you could add some powdered ginger or garlic, or any combination of the following: soy sauce or tamari, or sesame seeds.  For a more authentic flavor, try some seasonings that may not be as familiar such as: sesame seed oil (just a tad since the flavor is quite strong), mirin (sweet cooking seasoning), rice vinegar, or ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce).  If you like your dish to have a little kick, try adding some crushed red pepper, Chinese mustard, sriracha hot chili sauce, or a chili paste such as sambal oelek.  The latter of the two have quite a potent kick, so use very sparingly until you get a feel for the heat they have.  You can always add more, but its not so easy to take out.  Once you think you have a good bit of flavor in it, taste it and adjust as needed.  If you want to thicken the sauce a bit, dissolve a teaspoon or so of corn starch in a tablespoon of cool water in a separate container.  With the seasoned veggie mixture over medium heat, slowly add the corn starch water mixture to the sauce in the bottom of the pan, while stirring constantly.  As sauce heats up it will thicken.  Don't add all the corn starch mixture at one time.  Put in a little bit, wait till it starts to thicken, then add a little more if it needs it to get it just right.


Once you try this a time or two, you will get a feel for what you like.  You might even feel a little adventurous and try some veggies next time that you have maybe seen before, but didn't know what to do with, like napa cabbage, bok choy, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, baby corn, and so many other oriental veggies you might find in a specialty store.   Your dish will be ready before you could have picked up the phone and waited for the delivery man.  You used up odd and ends instead of maybe throwing them out in a few days, and no tipping required.  Remember, to follow the basic rules, have fun, and add a pinch of love and it always turns out tasty!  Just like take-out, it makes great leftovers, too.