Tasty stir-fry vegetables

Press, 8 March 1982, Page 14

Tasty stir-fry vegetables

COOKING with

Celia Timms

Anyone who reads cookery items and food news will be aware of the emergence of “stir-fry” cooking of vegetables — mercifully, the mushy cooked vegetables of yesterday are gone. Steaming is the alternative in-fashion method, both methods providing attractive colourful vegetables with superior flavour and a crunchy texture. The stir-fry method of cooking can be extended to include dishes with meat, chicken and fish which with additional rice can provide a quick, light supper easily and quickly prepared by busy mums and bachelor cooks. A Wok is the in thing in which to stir-fry, but an electric fry-pan or heavybased skillet works very well. These recipes will provide Chinese-style dishes which can be prepared, cooked and served in about three quarters of an hour Lemon chicken Additional vegetables can be stir-fried to serve with this chicken dish which is made from chicken breasts boned and cut into strips about half an inch in width. The following quantities will serve four but they can be halved, or if the full quantity is cooked, the balance can be deep frozen. You need: About 6 large {nushrooms Ikg chicken breasts 4 tablespoons oil 2 teaspoons chopped green ginger 1 red or green pepper Rind of I'i lemons, grated or cut in strips 4 small onions OR about 6 spring onions */i cup dry sherry 1 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons light soy sauce 1 teaspoon cornflour 2 tablespoons lemon juice Sait and pepper Method: Slice mushrooms thinly, after washing and

drying, together with stems. Remove bone from chicken breasts and skin and slice into strips of about Win width; sprinkle with salt and pepper and one tablespoon of oil. Heat remaining oil in wok or heavy frypan over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry for two minutes or until cooked through. Remove chicken. Stir-fry ginger, pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips, and mushrooms for one minute; add lemon rind gr ated or cut into narrow, paper-thin strips with a potato peeler. Continue to stir-fry for one minute. Stir in sherry, sugar and soy sauce. When mixture boils stir in the cornflour mixed with a tablespoon of cold water. Return chicken to mixture and cook, stirring, for one minute. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately. Chinese-style curried chicken: This requires simmering for 30 minutes and can then be served with freshly boiled rice. The quantity of curry powder can be reduced or increased, according to taste. As with all curry dishes, this improves with keeping. What is left over can be deep frozen, or it will keep in a refrigerator, covered, for several days. To serve four to six you need: 1 large chicken or I'z to 2 kg chicken pieces 3 tablespoons peanut oil I'2 teaspoon salt *2 cup sliced onion 1 clove garlic 2 stalks celery 1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate ‘/2 cup green pepper, cut into pieces 3 teaspoons curry powder, or to taste 2 cups chicken broth, or chicken stock cubes (2) 2 teaspoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons cornflour Method: Skin, bone and cut

chicken into bite-size pieces. Heat the wok, heavy frypan, or skillet and swirl in oil: heat for 30 seconds then reduce heat-to medium and sprinkle with half a teaspoon of salt. Add half of the chicken and stir-fry for three or four minutes, until browned. Push to one side and repeat with remaining chicken. Add onions, sliced, crushed garlic, diced celery, monosodium glutamate, green pepper, curry powder, chicken stock (or stock cubes dissolved in 2 cups hot water) and soy sauce. Stir all ingredients together. When mixture comes to boil, reduce heat to low simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. Combine cornflour with Vj cup cold water iand mix to smooth paste. Stir into curry and continue stirring until thickened. Serve with rice.

Sweet and sour meatballs

Minced pork is used for these meatballs, and lean shoulder pork is one of the better cuts to use as it needs to be lean. Minced pork is available at some butchers but most would mince it on request. To make four servings you. need: 675 g minced lean pork 1 onion *2 cup chopped mushrooms •i teaspoon salt Dash of. pepper 1 tablespoon sherry 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons cornflour 1 teaspoon sugar

FOR SAUCE: 1 450 g can pineapple pieces 3 tablespoons oil 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons vinegar . 2 earrots 2 green peppers 1 tomato 2 tablespoons cornflour Pepper -;

Method: To make the meatballs combine ajl. ingredients — grated onion,. finely chopped mushrooms, salt and pepper, sherry and soy sauce, cornflour and sugar — with the minced pork. Shape into balls about one and a half inches in diameter. Pour oil into large frypan to about one inch in depth and heat. Fry meatballs in hot oil until browned and cooked through, about 20 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside. To make sauce, drain pineapple. reserving syrup. Heat syrup with oil in a pan; add brown sugar, salt and dash of pepper and vinegar and cook until bubbly. Toss in thinly sliced carrots, and green peppers cut into slivers; cook for one minute. Add tomato, peeled and cut in wedges, drained pineapple and meatballs and cook until bubbling. Mix Cornflour with Vz cup cold water and stir in. Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Serve immediately with hot boiled rice.