Main Ingredients:

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Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

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Credit the Chinese with perfecting the technique called "stir-frying."
Their quick | and easy cooking method pairs lean meats and flavorful
vegetables. Use one pan and just a scant amount of fat. And don't
expect all stir-fry recipes to call for Oriental foods or seasonings.
An Italian stir-fry recipe may call for tomatoes and basil served
with pasta; a Mexican recipe might include bell peppers, jalaper-lo
peppers, garlic or onion. Serve this combination over shredded
lettuce or crisp tortillas. Because stir-frying is a quick-cooking
process, be sure to have all ingredients ready before you start.
Select tender meats for stir-fry recipes. Slice meats across the
grain when possible. This technique involves cutting through or
against rather

than in the same direction as the meat fibers - doing so makes the
meat more tender and easier to chew. Both meats and vegetables should
be cut uniformly so they will cook uniformly.

To be a successful stir-fry cook, remember to:

% Be sure the skillet or wok is large enough to hold food without
overcrowding; otherwise the food will steam. Most ingredients need to
be cooked in batches to prevent overcrowding. For example, one pound
of meat should always be stir-fried in two batches.

% Stir-fry over medium to medium high heat in a traditional wok, or
other utensil such as a large, heavy skillet.

% During stir-frying, food should be turned continuously. Use a
scooping motion to ensure even cooking.

% Do not cover the pan while stir-frying or the food will steam.

% Meat should be stir-fried just until cooked through - it usually
takes only a minute or two. Cooked, ready-to-serve deli-style meats
should only be heated.

% Cook vegetables until crisp-tender and still brightly colored. Group
vegetables according to the time it takes them to cook. Begin with
those requiring the longest time, then add remaining vegetables.
Select vegetables such as asparagus, baby corn, bell peppers,
broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, garlic,
green beans, green onions, jalapeno peppers, leeks, mushrooms,
onions, pea pods, spinach, tomatoes, yellow squash or zucchini.

% Meat and vegetables should be cooked separately, then combined at
the end of cooking.

% To add flavor (if desired), marinate meat 15-20 minutes while
preparing other ingredients.

Drain well before cooking.

From the files of Al Rice, North Pole Alaska. Feb 1994

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