Elizabeth's Stir Fry
Written by Elizabeth Montemorano
Edited by Hope E. Davis
What Does Mise en Place Mean?
A French culinary term meaning all things prepared ahead of time before you start cooking. I find with stir-fry this is particularly important as the wok is so hot and things are are not only going very quickly, but they can also go sideways equally quickly.
How Long Does it Take to Make Stir-fry?
If you include all the cutting of the ingredients, it can take upwards of 45 minutes to make a stir-fry. But when you follow my mise en place plan, you'll find that stir-fry is a quick an easy dinner you can have on the table in minutes
Stir Fry Ingredients:
Here are the ingredients for my Mise en Place stir-fry:
Salt
Baking Soda
1 Pound Frozen Peeled Shrimp
Asparagus
Belll peppers
Mushrooms
Garlic
Fresh ginger
Sugar snap peas
Rice (we suggest ancient grains)
Stir-fry Sauce
How to Make Stir Fry
Step 1: Brine the Shrimp
I start with my pound of frozen, peeled shrimp (31-40 shown here) which is two portions of lean protein on our program. I place them in a bowl submerged in water, to which I have added:
1 ⅓ tablespoon of Diamond Crystal Salt (or 2 ½ tsp table salt)
2 tsp baking soda
I drain them once they are thawed, 15-30 minutes. I find that the brined shrimp maintains a much more consistently pleasant texture than without, and they thaw faster. This gives me time to get going on the rest of my ingredient list.
Step 2: Prepare the Rest of the Ingredients
I trim and slice my asparagus (by peeling the lower tough portion will allow you to use all of the stalk without having to discard it).
I slice my peppers into matchsticks as their time in the wok will be minimal, and they need to cook quickly.
I slice my mushrooms, smash and chop my garlic and grate my ginger. (if you scrape your ginger with a spoon instead of a vegetable peeler and you will lose less).
I store my garlic and ginger in a glass bowl with a lid to spare my interior environment until I’m ready to use it. I keep all ingredients that enter the wok separate in their own bowls as I plan to cook them.
Step 3: Vegetable Blanching (Optional)
Meanwhile, I bring a pot filled with water to a boil and salt it generously after it does. I separately blanch each of the vegetables that I plan to use. I know this may be different from what you may have seen but I like my vegetables cooked properly and I find that the short time they spend in the wok can not only be insufficient to bring them to the degree of tenderness I look for they tend to get charred in the effort.
I’m not trying to cook them all the way here in the water as they will do time in the wok and I want them to stay very green. I pull them out with a spider and deliver them directly to a sheet pan on my counter to cool quickly. No need to shock them further. When they are cool I deliver them into a bowl as the sheet pan maneuver is awkward while balancing over the heat of a smoking wok.
Step 4: Start Stir-Frying the Shrimp
I love stir-fry for several reasons. The first, of course, is that it can be a very healthy, lean, and green meal. My second reason is because of the Mise en Place.
While it may seem to be more work it really isn’t and I can do this ahead of time and have this meal ready to fire in just minutes. (I will typically prepare twice the vegetables that I plan to use so I have them later on for another meal.)
I will lay out the ingredients on my board in the order that they will hit the wok including my stir-fry sauce. (I make my own) and your cornstarch slurry.
I start with my protein, in this case, my shrimp. I have a 13-inch wok so I do ½ a pound at a time, then they'll have plenty of space to sear and not steam.
You may need to wipe out your wok in between and this depends on how quickly you can keep things moving in your pan.
It takes practice learning to “flip” your pan but it’s worth learning, believe me. Be ready with vessels to receive your ingredients as they leave your pan. The shrimp should be mostly starting to turn from translucent to solid color but not entirely. Remember they are all going back into the pan!
Step 5: Stir-Fry the Veggies
Next go in the vegetables that are not yet cooked, here the peppers then mushrooms. Wipe the wok now if it needs to be cleaned of char, add more vegetable oil, then the garlic, and then ginger. When they are aromatic, everything goes back into the wok.
Toss everything to combine and heat through, add your sauce, let it get hot, and add your slurry ( I use about a tablespoon in 2 tablespoons of water because I don’t add it to my stir-fry sauce). Your stir-fry won’t tighten up until everything is about 200 degrees so don’t go adding more slurry, let it get hot!
Step 6: Add a Starch (Optional)
If you are looking for a “lean and green” meal then you are finished, Bon Appetit! If you are working on maintaining or feeding a family that isn’t on the program, you may want to serve a starch.
Typically this would be sticky white rice, but I think we can do better. I’ve prepared a batch of “ancient grains” here that I found in our local grocery store in the bulk section. I placed it 1:1 with homemade chicken bone stock in my Instant Pot and hit “rice”. I cool it like the vegetables on a sheet pan so that when my stir-fry is ready, I can reheat it in the microwave or pop it into my hot wok and give it a few tosses. (If you have salted the stock, don’t add soy sauce to the rice/grains, just toss to heat it)
I welcome your input! Let me know if you give it a try!
Stir Fry Expert Tips and Variations
Feel free to use a different protein. I like shrimp because they are lean, but chicken and beef also make a great stir fry.
Chop your veggies on Sunday, then use them to make different stir-frys all week long for an easy meal prep idea.
You can also switch out the veggies if you would like. Green beans, carrots, zucchini, onions, and mini-corn cobs can all be a part of a stir-fry.
How to Serve Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is best served over a starch light white rice or the ancient grains we suggest. But you can also serve it on a bed of greens (commonly called a Thai salad) or just eat it plain!
How to Store Stir-Fry
Stir-fry is best eaten fresh, right out of the pan. While you can save it in the fridge overnight, just don't be surprised when your veggies aren't as crisp the second time around. We don't recommend freezing stir-fry.
Stir-Fry FAQ
What Should I Put in Stir Fry?
The great thing about stir-fry is that it is highly customizable. You should include some form of veggies in your stir-fry, like bell peppers, asparagus, and snap peas, as well as a protein like shrimp or chicken. Then, you just need a stir-fry sauce.
What Are Three Important Steps to Good Stir-Fry?
Your Wok Must be VERY Hot
Cook the Meat
Cooke the Veggies (Remove the Meat)
What Can I Add to Stir-Fry for Flavor?
You can add herbs, like basil, or a spice, like cumin to add flavor to your stir-fry. You can also add more ginger or some lemongrass to make it more flavorful.
Brought to you by RxHealthyHabits
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