Salad Bar Stir-Fry
By America's Test KitchenPublished on October 31, 2011
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Batch 1 Vegetables: Cook under Cover
broccoli florets cauliflower floretsBatch 2 Vegetables: Stir-fry Quickly
cabbage, shreddedcarrots, shreddedcelery, slicedmushrooms, slicedonion, slicedbell peppers, slicedBatch 3 Vegetables: Add at the Last Minute
bean sprouts stemmed spinach leavesBefore You Begin
Although stir-frying is quick, the vegetable preparation can be tedious. Thanks to the local supermarket salad bar, you can cut out most of the work. Choose vegetables from each category listed below. If you like, instead of pork you can use flank steak or boneless chicken breasts cut into thin, 2-inch-long slices.
Instructions
- Combine pork and soy sauce in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk sherry, 2 tablespoons water, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and cornstarch in measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 2 teaspoons peanut oil in small bowl.
- Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Drain meat, add to skillet, and break up any clumps. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until browned around edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer meat to clean bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to skillet and heat until just smoking. Add chosen batch 1 vegetables (see list above) and cook 30 seconds. Add 1/3 cup water, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain vegetables on paper towels.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and heat until just smoking. Add chosen batch 2 vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes.
- Clear center of skillet and add garlic and ginger. Cook for few seconds, return meat and cooked vegetables to skillet along with chosen batch 3 vegetables, and toss to combine. Add sauce and toss until thick and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Batch 1 Vegetables: Cook under Cover
Batch 2 Vegetables: Stir-fry Quickly
Batch 3 Vegetables: Add at the Last Minute
Ingredients
Batch 1 Vegetables: Cook under Cover
Batch 2 Vegetables: Stir-fry Quickly
Batch 3 Vegetables: Add at the Last Minute
Ingredients
Batch 1 Vegetables: Cook under Cover
Batch 2 Vegetables: Stir-fry Quickly
Batch 3 Vegetables: Add at the Last Minute
Why This Recipe Works
For our Salad Bar Stir-fry recipe, we matched vegetables that would cook in a similar time frame. Thick, dense vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower required longer cooking than quicker-cooking items like shredded cabbage or carrots and sliced peppers or onions. We added delicate vegetables, like bean sprouts or spinach leaves, at the very last minute. We chose meats that could be sliced easily for a minimum amount of effort. Marinating the meat briefly in soy sauce intensified its flavor. We discovered that a large nonstick skillet, not a wok, was the best pan to cook the stir-fry. The wider bottom of the skillet heated hotter than the smaller bottom of a wok and cooked the food faster.
Before You Begin
Although stir-frying is quick, the vegetable preparation can be tedious. Thanks to the local supermarket salad bar, you can cut out most of the work. Choose vegetables from each category listed below. If you like, instead of pork you can use flank steak or boneless chicken breasts cut into thin, 2-inch-long slices.
Instructions
- Combine pork and soy sauce in medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk sherry, 2 tablespoons water, oyster sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, and cornstarch in measuring cup. Combine garlic, ginger, and 2 teaspoons peanut oil in small bowl.
- Heat 2 teaspoons peanut oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Drain meat, add to skillet, and break up any clumps. Cook, without stirring, for 1 minute, then stir and cook until browned around edges, about 30 seconds. Transfer meat to clean bowl.
- Add 1 tablespoon peanut oil to skillet and heat until just smoking. Add chosen batch 1 vegetables (see list above) and cook 30 seconds. Add 1/3 cup water, reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Drain vegetables on paper towels.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil to skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and heat until just smoking. Add chosen batch 2 vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until spotty brown, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes.
- Clear center of skillet and add garlic and ginger. Cook for few seconds, return meat and cooked vegetables to skillet along with chosen batch 3 vegetables, and toss to combine. Add sauce and toss until thick and evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.
Gift This Recipe
Enjoyed this dish? Let others know by sharing it as a gift recipe.
Appears In
Keep Exploring
0 Comments