Stir Fry

Stir fry has been a meal the hubby and I have avoided for various reasons, though the top reason is that many homemade versions encountered during our single years have been drenched in soy sauce or teriyaki sauce or a combination of the two. Thus, it has just been salty sauce with some vague chicken/veggie texture. But, being the adventurous little cookers we are, I decided to finally put aside my fears and go for it.



I started by marinating thawed chicken breasts with a bit of everything I could get my hands on in my pantry/refrigerator, including: soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, honey, ground ginger, a few dashes of Tabasco, and sesame oil. I literally threw all of the ingredients together, tasting along the way, so you will just have to trust your instincts and personal taste to figure out what proportions work best for you. After seasoning the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, I let the meat and marinade "enjoy" each other for about 6 hours in the fridge.

If you want to prepare the accompanying veggies ahead of time, just julienne some carrots, toss in some fresh broccoli florets, chopped bok choy, and sliced mushrooms, and any other vegetables you choose.

After appropriate marinade time, I sliced the chicken into thin strips to allow for quicker saute time. Heating a tablespoon or so of sesame oil in a wok, I added the chicken along with two minced cloves of garlic and sauteed on medium- to medium-high heat until no longer pink on the outside or inside. If you knock the heat up a bit during cooking time, the marinade ensures for a lovely golden crisp texture around the chicken. Be sure to monitor the heat to ensure that you do not burn the garlic, because as I can attest from a past experience, burned garlic will absolutely ruin your meal.

As the chicken cooks, bring two cups of jasmine rice (my favorite rice to use, but feel free to use whatever grain you wish) in one quart of water to a boil, then cover and drop the heat to low and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Meanwhile, drop the cooked chicken onto a plate and set aside. Heat another tablespoon or so of sesame oil in the same wok and add all of the veggies. Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of teriyaki sauce and add some rice vinegar and ground ginger (again, I just taste-tested along the way, so the amount used is up to you). Saute on medium-high heat for approximately 20 minutes. I prefer my veggies with a bite to them (al dente, if you will), but cook longer if you like a softer texture.

Return the chicken to the wok with the vegetables and cook until the chicken is sufficiently reheated. At this point, your rice should be fluffy and perfectly cooked. Just dish out the rice and top with the stir fry and serve.



I admit that I tried to whip up a shrimp sauce for our meal, that orangish/pinkish sauce served in most Japanese steakhouses. For years I have tried and tried recipes pulled from online, hoping that the one I found tonight receiving rave reviews could be "the one." Granted, it was the closest I've come yet to that inimitable taste, but it was still a far cry from restaurant quality. This particular recipe consisted of mayonnaise, paprika, melted butter, rice vinegar, garlic powder, and white sugar. But if any of you have found "the" shrimp sauce, please let me know, because it is a recipe search I would like to conclude!