Go-To Stir-Fry

My first post was a little bit of a challenge. I'm writing from my parents' place in Grapevine, Texas, where cooking the way I like to can be difficult for me. I like to cook with local, seasonal ingredients, and otherwise vegan. Right now, though, I'm in the land of Texas-sized grocery stores and Texas-sized steaks. Plus, my family's tastes are pretty different than mine, so what to make that everyone would enjoy?

My mom loves American-style Chinese food, but it's something she'd rarely try to make for herself, so I decided on the perennial vegetarian go-to: a simple stir-fry. It's simple, it's a crowd pleaser, it's pretty healthy, and it's very flexible: I did up some veggies and tossed mine with fried tofu, while Mom added some chicken for herself and my brothers.


I went to the "farmers' market" in town--actually just a small grocery store that keeps a few baskets of local produce around--and picked up whatever looked good. You can, of course, use any veggies you like in a dish like this (I'm definitely not going for authentic Chinese with this one), but peppers are always particularly great because they add a little color and crunch.
I found this special little guy at the left.

The sauce is the key to a good stir-fry, and I keep a stash of ingredients at my parents' place because they keep well and always seem to come in handy.

INGREDIENTS
For the sauce:
3 T hoisin sauce
1 T sesame oil
2 T soy sauce
1 T rice vinegar
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ginger, grated
1 T cornstarch

For the stir-fry:
1 block firm tofu, pressed and cubed
3-4 scallions, chopped
1 large or 2 small bell peppers, chopped
2 cups broccoli
2 cups snow peas
2 cups mushrooms*

1 1/2 cups brown rice

Chopping vegetables and grating ginger and such are usually the bulk of the cooking experience, and I find them very enjoyable and relaxing, especially when accompanied by some good music and a little apertif. Tonight's selection was Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series and Shiner Bock (a solid and simple beer brewed in Shiner, Texas (it's pronounced "shah-ner" if you're from around these parts) that I've seen appearing in other parts of the country lately).

PREPARATION
Prepare the sauce:
In a small saucepan, combine all the sauce ingredients--but you can hold off on the cornstarch, which is just a thickening agent--and cook over medium heat for a few minutes until you start to see some bubbles. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer as long as possible to let those flavors come out. At some point, while you're cooking the vegetables, stir in the cornstarch.

Start the rice:
In a medium/large pot, boil 3 cups water and add a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to medium to keep it boiling, add the rice, stir, and cover. You'll know when it's done; keep an eye on it and give it a stir every once in a while so it doesn't stick to the pot. I'll expound more on rice at some point.

Stir-fry:
In a wok or large skillet, stir-fry the tofu over medium-high heat in 2 T sesame oil and 2 T soy sauce until lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium, add the crispier veggies and the scallions, and stir-fry until the veggies are bright and crisp-tender. Add the mushrooms and any softer veggies you might have, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes. Finally, add the sauce and combine well, and cook for about 5 more minutes.

I did my tofu separately, but either way works fine. I also threw some toasted sesame seeds over this--just heat a handful of seeds in a dry skillet, tossing constantly until they're fragrant and most are browned. This would also be good tossed with a few handfuls of peanuts.

Serve the stir-fry over rice, with a little extra sauce spooned over it if you like.

This was a total hit with my family. My veggie-phobic brother even said, of the peas and peppers, that "It's nice to have a little crunch in my dinner," and had an extra helping or two. Success!

Enjoy,
KB