Oh shit. This was a good stir fry.
Vegetables aren't scary. Stir fry is such an easy way to get tons of nutrients while shaking your ass in the kitchen cooking it.
This stir fry starts with onions and garlic, adds whatever vegetables you want (I went with broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, hatch chiles, baby corn, scallions), and tosses it with fresh noodles and shrimp in a spicy sauce. Mouth party unlocked.
If you're scared of sauces, I am totally a fan of the bottled sauces from House of Chang. ("OMG MIA bottled sauces? Aren't they like, so unhealthy?" NO AND ALSO SOME PEOPLE JUST DON'T HAVE TIME TO HAND MAKE EVERYTHING THAT PASSES THEIR LIPS. TRY TO UNDERSTAND THIS.)
If you're not scared of sauces, I made this one from:
*1/2c soy sauce (I use low sodium but you do you)
*1/2c beef stock (Homemade stock is fantastic but a huge pain in the ass. I like Better than Bouillon beef stock better than any boxed beef stock I've ever tried. Veggie broth would also be delicious here and much easier to make homemade.)
*1 TBSP corn starch (slightly more if you like a real thick sauce)
*2 TBSP honey
*1 tsp sesame oil
*1 TBSP rice vinegar
*1 TBSP black vinegar (easily found in Asian section of groceries)
*1 TBSP Lao Gan Ma (Get ready to put your Frank's aside. You're gonna put this shit on everything. Easily found online or in Chinese grocery stores. For allergy reference, it does have peanuts in it, but for taste reference I hate peanut flavor and this has none.)
*minced garlic, for those like me who are not satisfied with the garlic actually in the stir fry
*minced ginger (same)
*freshly squeezed lime
Mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl and then taste. Feel free to change these amounts liberally. I love sour, vinegary flavors so I'm not scared to hit it with more lime and vinegar. I also love spicy, so if I can stop eating Lao Gan Ma straight out of the bottle long enough to actually add it, I'll add some hefty spoons of it. Fair warning it is a chili oil so you may not want as much sesame oil if you're loading up on chili oil. If you need to thin the sauce out, add a little more broth. If it seems bland and needs a little salt, add more soy sauce. If it's too spicy or too vinegary, add a little honey. Be patient and keep testing, it won't take you long to find the flavor combination you need.
Make your sauce first, so that you can tweak it while things are cooking. Then...
1) Heat some vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan.
2) Sauté onions, garlic, and ginger in whatever quantities you like.
3) Add the rest of your veggies, in whatever quantities you like. Stir over high heat until they are almost the kind of crispness that changes your life. Like tweets from Wendy's.
4) Add fresh shrimp (buy pre-cleaned ones to save yourself a shit ton of time)
5) Add fresh noodles (fresh noodles are a game changer. They cook in no time and taste 4000% better. Udon, glass, vermicelli, large flat, try them out to see what you like.)
6) Add your sauce in chunks (still over high heat) and stir until your sauciness is both the thickness and flavor you want.
7) Top with scallions and sesame seeds.
8) Put delicious, healthy, spicy, soul-hugging food straight to your face.
(NB some stir fry reheats better than others. Shrimp is not that stir fry. Chicken with veggies that hold their shape is more that stir fry. Beef is in between.)
Veggies are easy. I promise. Pick only the ones you like and give them a try. Don't stir fry lettuce.
