Stir Fry | Saveur

Bhindi Masala (Okra Stir-Fry)

Fatima Khawaja — Tue, 05 Jul 2022 20:35:31 +0000

Photo: Linda Xiao • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Summer Moore. Photo: Linda Xiao • Food Styling: Jason Schreiber • Prop Styling: Summer Moore

When people think of okra, they often think of slime and goo, but I’m here to tell you that, with the right technique, the tender green pod might become your new favorite vegetable.

Growing up in Pakistan, okra was always golden and crisp but also tender, robed in a saucy masala of juicy tomatoes and velvety onions. I still make it this way in my New York kitchen whenever I return from the farmers market with a bag of okra. Following my mom’s recipe, I start with a base of garlic, ginger, chile powder, and turmeric. Then I add the onions and fried okra and simmer everything to meld the flavors.

Sadly, I can’t always find okra at my local farmers market, but a bag of the frozen stuff from the Indian supermarket works great in a pinch. It comes stemmed and sliced, which saves me time in the kitchen; I just cook it a little longer and don’t deep-fry it (the extra water makes it splatter).

When buying fresh okra, look for medium pods that are bright green, dry, unblemished, and no longer than your index finger: The bigger, the tougher is the rule I go by. Okra is surprisingly inexpensive and will keep for about four days, refrigerated in a paper towel-lined produce bag. You can use any extra okra in this Caribbean-Style Sautéed Okra recipe, which is a personal favorite.

To clean okra, give the pods a rinse, then spread them on a kitchen towel. (They soak up water, so it’s important that they be as dry as possible to ensure proper crisping.) With some quick prep, this stir-fry comes together in no time. I encourage you to sop it up with roti (flatbread), like chapatis or parathas, or to ladle it over basmati rice.

Yield: 4

Time: 40 minutes

¾ cup vegetable oil
1 lb. okra, stemmed and cut into 1-in. lengths (5 cups)
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 large white onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. Indian red chile powder, or cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic paste
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
2 medium plum tomatoes, cut into wedges
Steamed basmati rice or roti, for serving

Instructions

To a large, wide pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When it’s shimmering and begins to smoke, add the okra and fry, stirring continuously, until softened and browned, 10–15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. To the empty pot, add the garlic and onions and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent, 4–6 minutes. Add the ginger paste, chile powder, garlic paste, turmeric, and salt and cook until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have softened, 4–6 minutes. Stir in the reserved okra and continue cooking until the tomatoes have broken down, 2–3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and serve hot with rice or roti.

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Stir-Fried Pork with Leeks

Pan Suefen — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:21:27 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones

This recipe for cong bao rou si, or stir-fried pork with leeks, is adapted from Taiwanese home cook, stir-fry expert, and former restaurant owner Pan Suefen. It calls for a “reverse” stir-fry technique, in which the vegetables are cooked before the meat. It tends to be forgiving for a novice stir-fryer, since vegetables release water as they cook and won’t stick the way that meat will if the wok isn’t quite hot enough.

This pork and leek stir-fry also illustrates the importance of the knife in stir-fry cooking. Leeks are sliced on the diagonal to increase the surface area exposed to the wok; that way, they wilt and release their fragrance faster. The pork is sliced thinly so that it will brown quickly before it loses its moisture. The trick to precisely uniform pieces is chilling the meat in the freezer for 20 minutes—just long enough to firm it up—which makes consistent slicing a breeze. Spoon the finished stir-fry over steamed rice, and dinner is served.

Featured in “A Stir-Fry Education” by Lillian Chou.

Order the SAVEUR Selects Nitri-Black Carbon Steel Wok here.

Yield: 2–4

Time: 25 minutes

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. Chinese dark soy sauce
½ tsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. sugar
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
10 oz. boneless pork butt, frozen for 20 minutes and cut into 2-in.-by-⅛-in. strips
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 leek, white and pale green parts only, cut on the bias into ¼-in.pieces

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, and half the garlic. Add the pork, toss well, and set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
Place a large wok or stainless-steel skillet over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add 1 tablespoon of the oil around the edge of the wok and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. Add the leek and cook, stirring and tossing continuously, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the leek to a plate and set aside.
Return the wok to high heat and add the vegetable oil around the edge of the wok, swirling to coat the bottom and sides. Add the marinated pork and remaining garlic, and cook, stirring and tossing continuously, until the pork is browned, about 2 minutes.
Return the leek to the wok and stir-fry until just tender, about 1 minute. Serve immediately.

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Kung Pao Chicken

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:40:37 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Pearl Jones

The Sichuan dish gong bao ji ding—often better known by its Americanized name kung pao chicken—is a dainty assemblage of small, plump chicken morsels, peanuts, and scallions, with just enough chiles to give it a kick. This recipe is adapted from China Club, a private club in Beijing that serves a thrilling menu of classic Chinese dishes: spicy Sichuan, delicate Cantonese, and rich Shanghainese, with refined versions of Beijing specialties as well.

Featured in “The Revolution is a Dinner Party” by David Sheff.

Order the SAVEUR Selects Nitri-Black Carbon Steel 14-Inch Wok here.

Yield: 4

Time: 40 minutes

4 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
2 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. chicken stock
4 tsp. Chinkiang (black) vinegar (or substitute balsamic vinegar)
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. Chinese dark soy sauce
3 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
12 small dried red chiles, stemmed, halved crosswise, and seeded
5 scallions, white part only, thickly sliced crosswise
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
One ½-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup shelled, skinless raw peanuts

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce and the cornstarch. Add the chicken, toss well, and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a separate medium bowl, stir together the Shaoxing wine, stock, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, dark soy sauce, and the remaining soy sauce.
To a large wok or nonstick skillet over high heat, add the vegetable oil. When it’s just beginning to smoke, add the chiles, half the scallions, the garlic, ginger, and the marinated chicken, and stir-fry until the chicken is golden, 3–5 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture and continue stir-frying until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes more.
Stir in the peanuts, garnish with the remaining scallions, and serve immediately.

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Two Pea Stir-Fry with Greens

Kat Craddock — Thu, 23 May 2019 01:32:00 +0000

KAT CRADDOCK

Snow peas, sugar snap peas, and pea shoots are quick-cooked with a Thai-inspired oyster-fish-soy sauce dressing, along with plenty of garlic and chiles, in this bold and punchy side dish from SAVEUR editor-in-chief Kat Craddock, which she adapted from a Pok Pok recipe by Andy Ricker. Shoots harvested later in the season are tougher in texture—adjust the cook time accordingly.

Yield: 4

Time: 10 minutes

1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1½ cups snow peas (4 oz.), tips and strings removed
1½ cups snap peas (4 oz.), tips and strings removed
2 bird’s-eye chiles, thinly sliced
3 oz. pea shoots (tendrils, shoots, and leaves), cut into 2-in. lengths (2 cups, loosely packed)
2 tsp. oyster sauce
1½ tsp. fish sauce
1½ tsp. soy sauce
½ tsp. sugar

Instructions

To a wok set over high heat, add the oil and swirl to coat. When smoking, add the garlic and fry until fragrant, about 10 seconds, followed by the snow peas, snap peas, and chiles. Cook, stirring continuously, until the pods are bright green and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the pea shoots and 1 tablespoon of water and cook until wilted, 30–45 seconds. Add the oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and 2 tablespoons water and cook, stirring continuously, until the peas and greens are tender and evenly coated with sauce, 1–2 minutes more.

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Stir-Fried Swiss Chard with Crispy Rice

Fatima Khawaja — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 02:25:37 +0000

Photography by Paola + Murray; Food Styling by Jason Schreiber; Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart

Welcome to SAVEUR’s weekly column on how to cook local produce according to our test kitchen manager, Fatima Khawaja. This is where you’ll find creative, unfussy meal ideas plus plenty of cooking advice—like what to do with that bumper crop of zucchini or how to store delicate heirloom tomatoes. Each week, Fatima hits the farmers market and chooses a peak-season ingredient to explore in depth. Follow along, and you’ll learn how to turn the season’s bounty into easy plant-based meals that’ll be on the table in under an hour.

This time of year at the farmers market we are spoiled by the many types of greens to choose from, but I can never resist Swiss chard with its rainbow of colorful stems. Unlike hardier greens like kale and collards, chard loves quick cooking, making it perfect in last-minute stir fries.

Chard, which is closely related to beet greens, isn’t just one plant. There’s rhubarb chard (not to be confused with actual rhubarb greens, which are toxic!), with its forest-green leaves and fuschia stalks. There’s ruby chard, which you can recognize from its pink-veined greens. These heirloom varieties are slightly more bitter than the mild and more widely available green or rainbow cultivars, the latter of which comes in an array of cheerful colors.

No matter what type you find at the market, though, the quick and easy dinner options are endless. I love to add the greens to vegetarian tacos with chipotle and mushrooms, or serve them cold in this riff on Japanese-style seaweed salad. But this season, I can’t get enough of this simple stir fry.

When shopping for chard, budget one bunch (10–12 ounces) per four-person crowd, and seek out specimens with crisp, uniformly green leaves and turgid stalks. (If the greens get a little wilty in the refrigerator, fear not—just soak them in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes and they’ll crisp back up.)

Any type of chard will do in this quick dish that uses both the tender leaves and the stems. It comes together in a flash using pantry items like sesame oil and rice wine vinegar, which perfume the greens quickly as they brown. I like to use this technique from J. Kenji López-Alt’s excellent new cookbook The Wok: Recipes and Techniques, which calls for a quick blanche before the greens hit the pan. This not only preserves their green color; it also allows you to move quickly in the wok, and focus on the charred spots.
A big, hot wok is ideal for this dish, but a wide, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet will do the trick too. Just be sure to crank the heat, so you brown the greens as opposed to steaming them. The recipe has a forgiving formula: Don’t have jasmine rice? Use basmati. Don’t have sesame oil? Simply up the amount of vegetable oil. The same goes for the rice wine vinegar, which you can swap out for another mild vinegar or even citrus juice.

Yield: serves 4

Time: 20 minutes

1 large bunch rainbow chard (10 oz.), cleaned
¼ cups sesame oil, divided
3 tsp. vegetable oil or other neutral oil, divided
3 cups cooked jasmine rice
3 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
One 1-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped (2 Tbsp.)
1 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar, plus more to taste
Kosher salt
1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

Using your hands or a knife, strip the leaves from the stalks, then cut the leaves into 1-inch pieces and the stalks into ¼-inch pieces.
Bring a wok filled two-thirds full with water to a boil. Add the stems and boil for 30 seconds, then add the leaves and cook until bright green, about 30 seconds more. Drain, then transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and refrigerate to cool slightly, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, return the wok to the stove and turn the heat to high. When the pan begins to smoke, add 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of the vegetable oil. Add the rice and, using the back of a spoon, press it up the sides of the wok to make a pancake roughly ½ inch thick. Fry, without stirring, until crisp and golden, about 4 minutes, then transfer a platter and tent with foil.
To the empty wok, add the remaining sesame oil and vegetable oil. When it begins to smoke, add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring continuously, until light brown and fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the chile flakes, cook for 5 seconds more, then add the reserved chard and stir-fry, until the greens are lightly charred but still bright and crisp, 1–2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the rice wine vinegar, and season with salt to taste.
Scrape the chard onto the rice cake, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve hot.

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Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 Recipes

SAVEUR Editors — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 02:40:00 +0000

Photography: Linda Pugliese; Food Stylist: Mariana Velasquez; Prop Stylist: Elvis Maynard

Sure, ordering in for Chinese takeout is easy—you call into your favorite restaurant, pick out your go-to starters, stir-fries, and noodles, and then camp out in front of the TV with those little foldable cartons. But did you know that some of those Chinese takeout classics can be even quicker to make at home?

Lightning-fast stir fries like lo mein and fried rice are just a few minutes and wrist flick away. Twice-fried saucy staples like General Tso’s and Kung Pao chicken sometimes suffer from the rigors of delivery; making them in your own kitchen ensures that dinner hits the table hot out of the wok. Even dumplings, which may seem labor intensive, are more manageable than you might think; with our guide, the whole family can get in on the fun of folding and crimping their way to a delicious (and kid-friendly) meal.

So if you’re game for cooking tonight, but still have a taste for great Chinese food, break out the wok and have a go at recreating some of our favorites at home.

Congee

Photography by Paola + Murray; Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich; Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio

Typically eaten for breakfast in China and other parts of Asia, this comforting recipe is often mixed with meat, poultry, or seafood and gets a jolt of flavor from its garnish of scallions, chiles, and shallots. Get the recipe >

Sweet and Sour Pork

Photography by Linda Pugliese; Food Styling by Christine Albano; Prop Styling by Carla Gonzalez-Hart

This Chinese American version of the Cantonese dish is based on a recipe from The Chinese Cookbook, the groundbreaking 1972 volume by Craig Claiborne and Virginia Lee. Our version offers a sweet-and-sour sauce that is most typically used on fish, but is just as delicious on twice-fried pork. Get the recipe >

Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Photography by Paola + Murray

The heat and aromatic spice of black pepper gets center stage in this simple Cantonese classic. Get the recipe >

Peking-Style Lamb Chops

Paola + Murray

At Peking Duck House on Mott Street in New York City’s Chinatown, these sizzling lamb chops are served atop a bed of lightly steamed broccoli. Pair them with plenty of steamed white rice for sopping up their salty-sweet and aromatic sauce. Get the recipe >

Honey Pork Spare Ribs

Paola + Murray

A long marinade and a quick fry are the keys to this sweet and tangy starter. Get the recipe >

Beef Lo Mein

Paola + Murray

Mozel Watson (owner of Wines by Mozel), is a die-hard fan of the lo mein at Peking Duck House in New York City’s Chinatown. He likes to pair the dish with Ruinart champagne. The wine’s fine bubbles “act like tiny knives, cutting right through the noodles,” and each of the ingredients complement the wine’s round, creamy bright apple notes. Get the recipe >

Shanghai Red-Braised Pork with Eggs

Yuki Sugiura

Two types of soy sauce and a touch of sugar give this dish—beloved throughout China—its signature glossiness and a deep red-brown tint. Serve the tender pork belly morsels and boiled eggs with a light vegetable, like bok choy. Get the recipe >

Sichuan Twice-Cooked Pork Belly

Photography: Linda Pugliese; Food Stylist: Mariana Velasquez; Prop Stylist: Elvis Maynard

A classic Chinese dish made with boiled-then-stir-fried pork and plenty of leeks and fermented black soy beans. Boiling the pork (the first “cooked”) renders some of the fat and makes it easier to slice and crisp up later in a blazing-hot wok. Get the recipe >

Cold Sesame Noodles

Photography by Maxime Iattoni

Peanut butter, sesame paste, and chile-garlic paste combine to make a silky, savory sauce for these noodles—a Chinese-American restaurant staple. Chopped peanuts and a flurry of slivered cucumber and carrot add crunch. Get the recipe >

Boiled Pork and Chive Dumplings

Heami Lee

The go-to Chinese filling: juicy pork mixed with the fresh onion flavor of garlic chives. Try to find a fatty blend of ground pork; it will improve the filling’s flavor and juiciness. Chopped garlic chives, which have a peppery raw-garlic flavor, and fresh ginger cut through the rich meat. Make sure the dumplings are completely sealed and devoid of air bubbles to prevent any leaks during boiling. This recipe is adapted from The Dumpling Galaxy Cookbook. Get the recipe >

Pan-Fried Spicy Beef Dumplings

Heami Lee

In these delightfully rich dumplings, homemade or store-bought chile oil is balanced by freshness from scallions and ginger and sweetness from oyster sauce. To maximize the crispy surface area, stretch and arc the shape of the raw dumpling slightly. Get the recipe >

Kung Pao Chicken

Chiles, scallions, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce flavor tender chicken and peanuts in this moderately spicy dish. Get the recipe >

Steamed Mixed Shellfish Dumplings

Photography by Heami Lee

In China, this combination of shrimp, scallops, and crab is a special-occasion dumpling filling. The clean flavor and slippery texture of the shellfish are unobscured by any filler. Serve steamed dumplings directly from the bamboo steamers, since their delicate wrappers can break in transfer. Get the recipe >

Pork and Cabbage Potstickers

Farideh Sadeghin

Chinese New Year has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep celebrating with these easy-to-make potstickers. Get the recipe >

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli

Belle Morizio

This simple stir-fry is flavored with soy sauce, ginger, and rice wine. Get the recipe >

Crab Rangoon

Matt Taylor-Gross

An adaptation of the fried wonton, crab rangoon is one of the most enduringly popular appetizers at the posh Polynesian restaurant chain Trader Vic’s. Get the recipe >

General Tso’s Chicken

Jenny Huang

Apricot jam lends a touch of sweetness, acidity, and sheen in this riff on a classic General Tso’s chicken, a dish with Hunanese and Taiwanese roots which has become a Chinese American takeout favorite. Get the recipe >

Spinach and Edamame Egg Drop Soup

Farideh Sadeghin

A handful of soybeans and fresh spinach lightens up this Chinese restaurant favorite. Get the recipe >

Mapo Tofu

In this Sichuan classic, tofu and ground pork or beef are braised in a fiery red chile sauce. Get the recipe >

Shanghai Stir-Fried Rice Cakes (Chao Nian Gao)

Chewy rice cakes bring delightful texture to this spicy vegetarian stir-fry. Get the recipe >

Asian Greens with Garlic Sauce

If you can’t find choy sum, whole baby bok choy makes a fine substitute in this recipes. Get the recipe >

Scallion Pancakes (Cong You Bing)

Christopher Testani

Crisp, savory and easy to make, scallion pancakes are great for crowd-pleasing appetizers or snacks. Get the recipe >

Chao Shou (Sichuan Pork Wontons)

Tossing these tasty pork wontons (a mix of ground pork, rice wine, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce) in red chile oil adds the signature Sichuan heat. Get the recipe >

Dan Dan Mian (Sichuan Noodles with Spicy Pork Sauce)

Belle Morizio

For this beloved dish of China’s Sichuan province, a tangle of wheat noodles is topped with a spicy, pungent pork sauce. Get the recipe >

Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi)

Steaming eggplant, as opposed to deep-frying it, lightens this fragrant stir-fry adapted from a recipe in Grace Young and Alan Richardson’s The Breath of a Wok (Simon & Schuster, 2004). Get the recipe >

Hot and Sour Soup (Suan La Tang)

Mild ingredients—mushrooms, tofu—are nestled in a fiery, vinegar-laced broth. Get the recipe >

Tian Tian Chao Mian(Everyday Fried Noodles)

Photo: Belle Morizio • Food Styling: Victoria Granof • Prop Styling: Dayna Seman

Food writer Lillian Chou shared this carefully layered salty-sweet stir-fry from her friend Sun Guoying, who introduces dry and wet ingredients to the wok in a strictly prescribed order. Get the recipe >

Shanghai Soup Dumplings (Xiao Long Bao)

Photography by Kat Craddock

These are made using a collagen-rich pork stock that gels as it cools; the jelly can then be sliced and mixed with ground pork and aromatics and used as filling. Get the recipe >

Watch: How to Make Spicy Beef Dumplings

The post Recreate Your Favorite Chinese Takeout Classics With These 29 Recipes appeared first on Saveur.

Our Favorite Stir-Fry Vegetable Recipes

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:38:10 +0000

Farideh Sadeghin. Farideh Sadeghin

Meat is often the star of a stir fry (beef and broccoli, anyone?), but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of stir fry recipes where vegetables take center stage. Mushrooms seem to be especially good for stir-frying, from spicy maitakes to wild mushrooms stir-fried with celtuce tops. You can branch out to okra, papaya, or even garlicky greens. Or you can go with the classic (and always delicious) spicy eggplant. No matter what you throw in the wok, you’re bound to find a good vegetable-only stir fry with these recipes.

Fragrant with star anise, chiles de árbol, and cilantro, these mushrooms brown to a crisp on the outside while remaining tender inside. Get the recipe for Maitake Mushrooms with Red Chiles and Cilantro »

Papaya Thoran (Keralan-Style Fried Green Papaya)

When writer VK Sreelesh visits his in-laws’ house in the south Indian state of Kerala, papaya thoran is almost always on the table. Thoran is usually a dried dish that is mixed and eaten with rice; its ingredients can range from cabbage to beans to carrots to beets. For this papaya version, minced green papaya is first steamed and then mixed with robust coconut and chile paste, and spiced with cumin seeds, garlic, and turmeric. Get the recipe for Papaya Thoran (Keralan-Style Fried Green Papaya) »

Shanghai Stir-Fried Rice Cakes (Chao Nian Gao)

Chewy rice cakes bring delightful texture to this spicy vegetarian stir-fry. Get the recipe for Shanghai Stir-Fried Rice Cakes (Chao Nian Gao) »

Stir-Fried Celtuce Tops with Wild Mushrooms

Bacon and shiitake mushrooms are cooked with hearty stem-lettuce leaves in this simple stir-fry from Lillian Chou. Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Celtuce Tops with Wild Mushrooms »

Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi)

Bhindi Masala (North Indian Okra Stir-Fry)

Okra is cooked until crisp for this dish flavored with garam masala. Get the recipe for Bhindi Masala (North Indian Okra Stir-Fry) »

Asian Greens with Garlic Sauce

Farideh Sadeghin

If you can’t find choy sum, whole baby bok choy makes a fine substitute in this recipes. Get the recipe for Asian Greens with Garlic Sauce »

The post Our Favorite Stir-Fry Vegetable Recipes appeared first on Saveur.

Our 27 Best Stir-Fry Recipes to Break Your Beef and Broccoli Routine

SAVEUR Editors — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:23:53 +0000

jeyuk bokkeum stir fried pork. Jason Lang

Fire up the woks. We’re here to make stir-frying exciting again. After all, when you need to make a quick, flavorful meal, whether that’s for weeknight dinner or cooking family-style for a crowd, you can always fall back on stir-frying as a go-to technique. Sure, you can’t go wrong with classics like beef and broccoli (we’ve got a fantastic recipe for it that uses a dark, intense sauce made with soy sauce, ginger, and rice wine), but if you want to switch things up, we’ve got you covered.

Traditional Chinese cuisine often feature a variety of vegetable stir-fries. Eggplant is particularly delicious, as are Asian greens like bok choy and Chinese broccoli. For something less common in the U.S., track down loofah, a slender, green gourd with tender flesh. Try it cooked with a little garlic or edamame and chicken stock. Stir-frying isn’t just a Chinese technique, however: it’s used throughout Indian cuisine as well, offering quick and easy vegetarian options. Bhindi masala is a north Indian okra stir-fry flavored with tomato, onion, chiles, and tons of garlic. In the southern state of Kerala you’ll find a stir-fry made of papaya and coconut and spiced with cumin, turmeric, and black mustard seeds.

From Chinese classics to Filipino noodles and Korean pork belly, here are our best stir-fry recipes to try today.

Stir-Fried Beef with Broccoli

This simple stir-fry is flavored with soy sauce, ginger, and rice wine.

jeyuk bokkeum stir fried pork

Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles

Any Chinese noodle—rice, wheat, flat, thin, or broad—can be used in this simple stir-fry from author Francis Lam; it’s one of his favorite breakfast dishes. Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles »

Bitter Melon and Tofu Stir-Fry with Pork Belly and Eggs (Goya Champuru)

Get the recipe for Bitter Melon and Tofu Stir-Fry with Pork Belly and Eggs (Goya Champuru) »

Philippine Noodle Stir-Fry (Pancit Bihon)

“Eating this dish makes me feel like I’m at home. It’s my mom’s specialty, and I remember helping her prep this as a child. It is served at every party [my family throws] and is eaten on its own for merianda, the Filipino equivalent of British Tea.” – Leah Cohen of Pig & Khao Get the recipe for Philippine Noodle Stir-Fry (Pancit Bihon) »

Wok-Fried Brussels Sprouts and Bacon with Crispy Chestnuts

This spin on a popular Sichuan stir-fry—with bacon, ginger, and garlic; garnished with sliced chestnuts—swaps traditional cauliflower for Brussels sprouts. Get the recipe for Wok-Fried Brussels Sprouts and Bacon with Crispy Chestnuts »

Bacon and Shrimp Fried Rice

Bacon adds smoky dimension to this stir-fry, a quick late-night snack from chef Tadashi Ono. It’s easily adapted to whatever leftovers you have in your fridge—roasted pork or chicken, egg, seafood, or just about any kind of vegetables. Get the recipe for Bacon and Shrimp Fried Rice

Wok-Fried Shrimp with Garlic

Head-on shrimp, quickly stir-fried with garlic, are sweet, spicy and succulent. Serve over rice for an easy weeknight dinner. Get the recipe for Wok-Fried Shrimp with Garlic »

Keralan-Style Stir-Fried Green Papaya (Papaya Thoran)

When writer VK Sreelesh visits his in-laws’ house in the south Indian state of Kerala, papaya thoran is almost always on the table. Thoran is usually a dried dish that is mixed and eaten with rice; its ingredients can range from cabbage to beans to carrots to beets. For this papaya version, minced green papaya is first steamed and then mixed with robust coconut and chile paste, and spiced with cumin seeds, garlic, and turmeric. Get the recipe for Keralan-Style Stir-Fried Green Papaya (Papaya Thoran) »

Spicy Yuba Stir-Fry with Edamame

Everyday Fried Noodles (Tian Tian Chao Mian)

The silken noodles in this northern Chinese stir-fry are a perfect foil for crunchy fresh vegetables; a little ground pork gives the dish a savory depth.

Jirou Chao Qincai (Stir-Fried Chicken with Celery)

In this dish, a mix of egg white and cornstarch coats the chicken and, after a quick blanching in a little oil in the wok, preserves its succulence—a technique called velveting. Get the recipe for Jirou Chao Qincai (Stir-Fried Chicken with Celery) »

Shanghai Stir-Fried Rice Cakes (Chao Nian Gao)

Cong Bao Rou Si (Stir-Fried Pork with Leeks)

This recipe employs a “reverse” stir-fry technique, in which the vegetables are cooked before the meat. It tends to be forgiving for a novice stir-fryer, since vegetables release water as they cook and won’t stick the way that meat will if the wok isn’t quite hot enough. Get the recipe for Cong Bao Rou Si (Stir-Fried Pork with Leeks) »

Xiachao Niugan Jun

Duan Jan Pin, a cook in northwest Yunnan, makes this stir-fry with song rong mushrooms, but firm cremini are a fine substitute. Back to Season of Plenty: Yunnan’s Foraged Mushrooms »

Ma Yi Shang Shu (“Ants Climbing a Tree”)

The name for this Sichuanese dish means “ants climbing a tree” because of the way the ground pork clings to the strands of glass noodles.

Stir-Fried Celtuce Tops with Wild Mushrooms

Chinese Spicy Garlic Eggplant (Yu Xiang Qie Zi)

North Indian Okra Stir-Fry (Bhindi Masala)

Kung Pao Chicken

Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles

Any Chinese noodle—rice, wheat, flat, thin, or broad—can be used in this simple breakfast stir-fry from author Francis Lam.

Asian Greens with Garlic Sauce

Farideh Sadeghin

Stir-Fried Mushrooms and Bok Choy (Donggu Pei Shucai)

Bok choy undergoes a pleasing transformation when stir-fried: the crunchy white stem develops a caramelized flavor, and the leaves wilt slightly, acquiring a mild sweetness.

Sichuan Tea-Smoked Duck

Traditionally prepared with a whole duck, this updated stir-fry lends duck breasts a gentle, caramelized smokiness.

Red-Cooked Eggplant (Hongshao Qiezi)

With ingredients like dill, chiles de árbol, and anchovies, this dish is far from authentic Shanghainese, but it’s totally delicious. Get the recipe for Red-Cooked Eggplant (Hongshao Qiezi) »

Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts

This easy stir-fry can be catered to your taste, or whatever is in your pantry and fridge.

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Up Your Mushroom Game With This Shanghai Stir-Fry

Daryn Wright — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:41:44 +0000

Photography by Matt Taylor-Gross

If you’re looking to change up your stir-fry game, this Shanghai-style mushroom dish delivers an intense punch of flavor. The mushrooms, kept in large pieces, get crispy on the outside and remain tender on the inside, and become fragrant with star anise, chiles de árbol, and cilantro.

Chef Cara Stadler of Maine restaurant Tao Yuan made these, a tweaked version of her mother’s recipe, alongside a smoked and spiced turkey for a fusion Thanksgiving dinner, combining some of her Chinese favorites and traditional American dishes. In her version, maitake mushrooms, which are abundant in Maine in the fall, are spiced with ginger, soy, and star anise.

If you can’t find maitake mushrooms, oyster, hen of the woods, or whole chanterelles work well as a substitute. Pair the stir-fry with these Roasted Squash and Pork Dumplings and an Apple and Kale Salad with Black-Sesame-Maple Cashews and you’ve got a menu where full, intense flavors play front and center.

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Two Easy Noodle Stir Fries to Make Any Time of Day

Katherine Whittaker — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:36:52 +0000

Any Chinese noodle—rice, wheat, flat, thin, or broad—can be used in this simple stir-fry from author Francis Lam; it's one of his favorite breakfast dishes. Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles ». Matt Taylor-Gross

If you’re looking for something easy and filling to make for dinner—or for that matter, breakfast—we’ve got what you need. These two Chinese noodle dishes are simple to assemble and a great way to make the most of a little bit of meat and pantry staples you already have lying around your pantry.

How to Make Dan Dan Mian

These spicy, well-seasoned noodles come from China’s Sichuan province, an area well-known for its interplay of red chiles and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Make a simple sauce of stir-fried pork with peanuts, vinegar, and other seasonings, then add it to some cooked wheat noodles for a meal that takes less than 30 minutes.

Get the recipe for Dan Dan Mian »

Make Noodles for Breakfast

One of the great things about this super-simple stir-fry is that you can use any type of Chinese noodle to make it: wheat or rice, flat or round, thin or broad. The other great thing: They’re designed to be eaten for breakfast, and once you get your meat and seasonings set up, they only take a few minutes to make. Cook your noodles, throw them in a wok on top of your pork and sauce, stir fry, and you’re ready to eat.

Get the recipe for Stir-Fried Breakfast Noodles »

The post Two Easy Noodle Stir Fries to Make Any Time of Day appeared first on Saveur.

Make This Cashew Chicken Stir Fry Your Leftovers Hero

Farideh Sadeghin — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:25:16 +0000

This easy stir-fry can be catered to your taste, or whatever is in your pantry and fridge. Farideh Sadeghin

I visited Thailand about 10 years ago, when I knew I liked to cook but was still an amateur in the kitchen. Signing up for a cooking class seemed like a fun way to learn about Thai cuisine, not only by not only eating it, but also by making it. And if you’re traveling solo through Chiang Mai, it’s a good way to meet people. (It turns out a couple on their honeymoon also thought taking a Thai cooking class was a novel idea. How romantic for all of us.)

My newly acquired third-wheel status established, the three of us and our instructor headed out to the market to buy ingredients to cook. Good Thai food is all about the produce, and the fresh curry pastes, mango sticky rice, and spring rolls we made were fantastic, but my favorite dish happened to be the simplest: chicken stir-fried with mushrooms, spring onions, oyster sauce, and cashews. It reminded me a little of Chinese takeout cashew chicken, but with fresher and deeper flavors. A touch of sugar balanced the salty trio of oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce, and whole dried chiles added a pleasant but mild heat.

First you toast the cashews and chiles in the wok, both to flavor the oil and enhance their nutty and spicy attributes. Then you remove them, brown your chicken, quickly stir fry some mushrooms and baby corn, and bring it all together with a sweet and salty brown sauce you’ll want to use again and again. It’s such an easy dish that it wasn’t long before I had it memorized, and it’s one I still cook for family and friends.

If you don’t have baby corn or the right kinds of mushrooms on hand, don’t worry about it. Cashews, chicken, brown sauce—get those parts down, then use whichever vegetables are in your fridge. This is one souvenir to make your own.

Get the recipe for Stir-fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts »

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