Made my First Stir Fry Last Night & it Was Gorgeous!

[mawnansmiff]

Since I bought my first rice cooker a couple of months ago I've been eating rice with all sorts of things and having no regrets for my purchase.

I got to thinking how I used to enjoy egg fried rice from takeaways many moons ago so thought I'd have a go at that myself.....or rather a variant of egg fried rice.

My ingredients were a little basic/limited but the end result.....for a first time effort, I thought was exceptional.

Basically it included....

2 eggs beaten
1 cup frozen (but thawed) peas & sweetcorn
1 handful of fresh beansprouts
4 small hotdogs sliced small
1 bunch spring onions
garlic powder
1 good portion of jasmine rice (cooked the previous day in bouillon)
groundnut oil
sesame oil
dark soy sauce

It only occurred to me as I was adding the ingredients that I was making a meal that would feed 2 people (or me three times as I don't eat much) but hey ho, I'd already started so had to carry on.

I doled up about 2 thirds of it into a dish just in time to watch the 6 o'clock news......and it took me a whole 40 minutes to eat it....but wow was it nice!

I used a thick bottomed stainless steel skillet about 12" across but have already ordered a 13" carbon steel wok (with no coating) for my next effort. Apparently it will need seasoning which sound to be a rigmarole but I was determined not to have a Teflon coated wok.

Not sure if I made egg fried rice or a stir fry but I shall experiment with different ingredients in the future, and more importantly, gauge them for a 1 person meal.

Any good wok tips on the Forum?

Jay.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

No cabbage? Every stir fry recipe I've made started with cabbage. I thought it was an essential stir fry thing. Like potatoes are for Germans.

 

[TheIronMonkey]

Wok tips:

Definitely season it; this is essential for things not sticking to the carbon steel.

Prep and cut everything into bite sized pieces. This takes longer than the cooking. If you ever cook for a large group (however unlikely), it’s better to brown the meat in smaller batches rather than trying to move it all around in one shot. Ideally, allow your meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

Use a high flame; being able to quickly sear/brown the meat is a key thing to lock in the juices.

Peanut oil is great as long as you’re not allergic. I highly recommend its use if possible. Avoid using oils like olive oil that smoke easily.

Veggies are generally ready when they turn colour, but you might need a few minutes under the lid to steam. You may need to add a little water, unless a lot has cooked out and is pooling.

When it comes to meat, brown it quickly, take it out and set aside; use the juices left behind to stir fry the veggies, add sauces; then recombine browned meat briefly to get sauce coated and finish cooking the meat; put in serving dish right away. The recombination period is very short (this would be when you add tomatoes if the recipe calls for them).

A little corn starch mixed with water can be added at the end if your sauce is too soupy—ideally, you won’t have to do this, but sometimes might.

Never use soap on the wok. Heat and scrape with the “chon” or use a chain mail scrubber or bamboo brush to get rid of detritus.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

Do yourself a favor and buy some MSG.
Chefs Kiss, in granulated form.

 

[Gandalf The Grey]

Hotdogs?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Hotdogs?

See, I was thinking it was a different kind of dog.

 

[Flatfish]

Wash the rice several times. The stuff that comes off does not help your stir fry.

I made one last night as well. (and the night before that)
Rice, thinly sliced carrot, onions, frozen peas, some chopped pepper, beaten egg.
For flavour enhancement I used chilli powder, garam masala, Chinese 5 spice powder, garlic salt, ginger and rich soy sauce.

Last nights was ok, but the rice had gone a bit sticky. The one I made the night before that was excellent.
I use a saucepan to boil the rice.

 

[Flatfish]

Do yourself a favor and buy some MSG.
Chefs Kiss, in granulated form.

What does MSG look like? Do they sell it in Tesco, Morrisons or Aldi in the UK?

 

[orlandofurioso]

Hello Jay,

Good job ! You might consider kimchi fried rice with an egg sunny side up, or over easy.
Takes 10 miniutes, tastes like heaven

 

[orlandofurioso]

Wok tips:

Definitely season it; this is essential for things not sticking to the carbon steel.

Prep and cut everything into bite sized pieces. This takes longer than the cooking. If you ever cook for a large group (however unlikely), it’s better to brown the meat in smaller batches rather than trying to move it all around in one shot. Ideally, allow your meat to come to room temperature before cooking.

Use a high flame; being able to quickly sear/brown the meat is a key thing to lock in the juices.

Peanut oil is great as long as you’re not allergic. I highly recommend its use if possible. Avoid using oils like olive oil that smoke easily.

Veggies are generally ready when they turn colour, but you might need a few minutes under the lid to steam. You may need to add a little water, unless a lot has cooked out and is pooling.

When it comes to meat, brown it quickly, take it out and set aside; use the juices left behind to stir fry the veggies, add sauces; then recombine browned meat briefly to get sauce coated and finish cooking the meat; put in serving dish right away. The recombination period is very short (this would be when you add tomatoes if the recipe calls for them).

A little corn starch mixed with water can be added at the end if your sauce is too soupy—ideally, you won’t have to do this, but sometimes might.

Never use soap on the wok. Heat and scrape with the “chon” or use a chain mail scrubber or bamboo brush to get rid of detritus.

No soap and dry your wok on the stove/furnace, never with a kitchen towel.

 

[mawnansmiff]

Peanut oil is great as long as you’re not allergic.

I thought groundnut oil & peanut oil were one and the same?

As for using hotdogs, they were an afterthought as I struggle to imagine me eating something with no meat in it.....no matter how little is in hotdogs

"Do yourself a favor and buy some MSG".

Would that be monosodium glutamate?

I've already ordered some oyster sauce, fish sauce, kimichi sauce & light soy sauce. The first 3 I've never tried but thought I'd give them a go. I also have some salmon steaks in the freezer I might try next time.

Hay.

 

[bluegrassbrian]

What does MSG look like? Do they sell it in Tesco, Morrisons or Aldi in the UK?

Looks like salt. Tesco probably has it..

 

[JOHN72]

That sounds delicious. Listen to iron monkey. Damn jumping sausages.

 

[karam]

Would that be monosodium glutamate?

I've already ordered some oyster sauce, fish sauce, kimichi sauce & light soy sauce.

Yeah, it's a cheeky flavour enhancer, commonly overdone in fast food and if urban legend is true Asian restaurants. It boosts the umami/savoury flavour and is naturally produced in many fermented foods - including oyster/fish/soy sauce, kimchi.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

I thought groundnut oil & peanut oil were one and the same?

As for using hotdogs, they were an afterthought as I struggle to imagine me eating something with no meat in it.....no matter how little is in hotdogs

"Do yourself a favor and buy some MSG".

Would that be monosodium glutamate?

I've already ordered some oyster sauce, fish sauce, kimichi sauce & light soy sauce. The first 3 I've never tried but thought I'd give them a go. I also have some salmon steaks in the freezer I might try next time.

Hay.

Yes

 

[TheIronMonkey]

I don’t like using MSG—it tends to dry my mouth out and give me a headache. The nice thing about cooking at home is avoiding its use. A lot of Chinese restaurants will still use it even if you request “no MSG”—it’s usually set up in a row with salt and other things by the wok and the cook just routinely loads up by rote when seasoning/cooking; I watched this many times at my brother’s restaurant in New Jersey years ago.

 

[kcghost]

The hot dogs sound a little strange in the dish but if you liked it's alright by me.

 

[OzPiper]

Get some Chinese sausage, if you have access to an Asian food store.
They look like thin salami sticks and are full of flavour

Use rice that has been cooked and left overnight in fridge.
Less likely to get “sludgy”

A teaspoon of sesame oil added at the end really lifts the flavour.

 

[orlandofurioso]

I don’t like using MSG—it tends to dry my mouth out and give me a headache. The nice thing about cooking at home is avoiding its use. A lot of Chinese restaurants will still use it even if you request “no MSG”—it’s usually set up in a row with salt and other things by the wok and the cook just routinely loads up by rote when seasoning/cooking; I watched this many times at my brother’s restaurant in New Jersey years ago.

This end of the world we named it ve-tsin.
I like the taste of it, but it gives me heart palpilations.

 

[orlandofurioso]

The l

Yeah, it's a cheeky flavour enhancer, commonly overdone in fast food and if urban legend is true Asian restaurants. It boosts the umami/savoury flavour and is naturally produced in many fermented foods - including oyster/fish/soy sauce, kimchi.

The legend is true, it is almost unavoidable when you order food in a Chinese take away.