Stir Fry!

Recipes: Chicken with broccoli, Perfect white rice, Dry-fried green beans

When I told my friend Yvette, who was raised in Beijing, that I was experimenting with stir fry dishes, she rolled her eyes. "What?!" I said. "That's like saying I'm experimenting with saute," she said. "There are no such thing as stir fry dishes in Chinese. It's just the way we cook."

OK, I guess it's how we, as Westerners, talk about something that seems special because it's not the way we commonly cook. And it tastes good and is undoubtedly healthy. I wanted to learn more, so I wouldn't always have to find a recipe and follow it. I wanted to understand the spicing and the sauces and the sequence of cooking well enough to be able to create dishes on my own. I'm still experimenting and here's what I've found so far. I have to admit there have been some successes and a few failures!

Chicken with Broccoli

One of the first things I read, and realized to be true, is that our Western stoves are not made for woks. Chinese stoves have a large recess to accommodate the rounded bottom of the wok, with gas jets underneath. Our burners are flat, whether they're gas or electric, so they don't heat the wok the way Chinese stoves do even when you use the common rounded base to set the wok in. We have better success with a heavy flat-bottom skillet, like a cast iron one. As a result, even though I own two woks, I have used a skillet for each of these dishes with good success.

Chinese cooking is all about preparation. Prepare and measure out all the ingredients in advance, and the cooking will be easy!

Here's what you need:

• 2 small or 1 large half chicken breast, cut in medium sized cubes
• 3 scallions, whites only, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (peel with a vegetable peeler or by scraping with a teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon, plus 1 separate teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/4 teasoons sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
• 4 or 5 cups raw broccoli, or a combo of broccoli and cauliflower, stalks trimmed and sliced and flowerettes cut into medium small pieces (keep stalks and flowerettes separate)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (peanut oil or Wesson oil)
• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

Put scallions, half the garlic and ginger, the soy sauce, sugar, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of the salt, the sherry, and the sesame oil in a medium bowl.  Add the cubed chicken and mix well with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate at room temp for at least 15 minutes.

Mix the remaining tablespoon cornstarch with the 1/3 cup water and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the broccoli stems and fry, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the flowerettes and the remaining garlic, ginger, 2 tablespoons of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and freshly ground pepper to taste. Stir fry until the broccoli (and cauliflower, if using) is tender but still crisp, about 2 minutes. Test with the tip of a paring knife. Transfer vegetables to a plate.

Get the skillet hot again and then heat 2 more tablespoons oil. Add the chicken and chili flakes. Stir fry until the chicken loses it raw color and gets a little brown, about 3 minutes. Do not overcook chicken. Add the hoisin sauce, and a little more is better than a little less. Return the vegetables to the pan and toss well to combine and re-heat. Stir in the reserved cornstarch mixture and bring it to a boil to thicken.

Serve over rice. Can be garnished with toasted sesame seeds if you wish.

Perfect White Rice

I often use basmati rice, but jasmine is also delicious and works the same way.

In a medium to small pot, combine 1 cup raw white rice (not converted or pre-cooked) and  1-1/2 cups water. Turn the heat to high.

When the water is boiling and you see small holes forming in the surface of the rice, cover the pot and turn the heat down as low as you can. Cook for 12 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered. Let it sit, covered, at least 10 minutes.

Dry-fried Green Beans

This photo shows a meal I made around dry-fried green beans: The beans, plus grilled sausages over sauerkraut, and salted potatoes (saltzkartoffeln). It was a multi-cultural meal and a delicious combination!

Here's what you'll need for the beans:

• 1/2 lb. green beans (or Chinese long beans)
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 scallion, white part only, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red chili paste
• 1/2 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• sprinkle of sea salt, to taste
• grind of black pepper, to taste
• 1-1/2 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil

Wash the green beans, drain and trip tops and bottoms. Cut on the diagonal into 2-inch slices.

Chop the garlic, ginger, and scallions.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the green beans and stir fry until they start to shrivel and turn brown (6-7 minutes). Remove the beans from the skillet and drain in a colander.

Heat 1/2 tablespoon oil in the skillet on high heat. Add garlic, ginger, and scallions. Stir fry for a few seconds, then add the chili paste and stir fry for a few more seconds until aromatic.

Add the green beans and the soy sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together.  Serve hot.

Not sure what the Chinese expression for buon appetito is, but I hope these goodies whet your appetite and encourage you to experiment too!