Simple Spicy Stir Fry

If you look at my menus each week, you will notice a lot of repeats.  Although I generally don’t like to eat the same things (leftovers) night after night, I don’t mind featuring a favorite dish each week or several times a month.  Hubby on the other hand is more a creature of food habits and could probably eat the same thing repeatedly for days on end.  One dinner that I fix pretty regularly is stir fry. Chock full of healthy vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and snow peas; stir frys are quick to prepare and absorb leftovers well.  When I first learned to cook, I saw very elaborate recipes for stir frys that had dozens of ingredients including exotic mushrooms, and 7-8 ingredient sauces.  I might try an interesting sounding recipe once a year; but for the regular quick meal rotation, I have simplified the recipe to come together really quickly.  To really speed things up, I make a large pot of rice enough for 3 meals and will make this to serve with re-heated brown rice.  I also use a stirfry mix from Trader Joes which is a mix of napa cabbage, bok choy, and other vegetables all chopped ready to use.  A frozen mix would work well too. Any leftover meat or seafood works, or cubed baked pressed tofu to make this vegetarian.

Simple Spicy Stir Fry

8-10 cups of chopped vegetables (or pre-prepared mix)
1 T olive or canola oil
1 t sesame oil
1 cup leftover chicken, cut into small pieces
2 T Soy sauce
1 T chili garlic sauce (like Sriracha)
1 T apple cider vinegar (more if you like tangy flavors)
1 inch cube ginger, minced, optional if you have time
2 cloves garlic, minced, optional if you have time

Heat oils in a non-stick pan or wok with the heat on high.  Add ginger and garlic if using and stir for about 30 seconds.  Add Vegetables and stir in the pan for about 2 minutes.  Add soy sauce, sriracha, and vinegar and leftover chicken. Stir to distribute sauce well, about another 2 minutes.  Place a lid on the pan, and turn off the heat and let sit for about 3 minutes.  The heat from the pan will continue to cook the vegetables, and you want them not to be mushy.  After sitting for 3 minutes, remove lid and stir well.  Serve with hot cooked rice.

see also my recipe for Indonesian Spicy Rice or more at Kitchen Tip Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday