Asia with a twist

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Stir-fry for two.

You get home from work, you’re tired as a dog, and yet you want something to fill your stomach that won’t make you feel like you’re living on fast food. This is a really easy one that’ll see you through a meal with mostly left over veg that you find in your fridge (hopefully anyway). If you don’t have one or two of these ingredients, leave it out, or see if you can substitute it with something of a similar substance. I.e. you don’t have carrot, try some parsnip, or cauliflower, pumpkin, sweet potato…or if you’re very adventurous, red beet. (Careful with Broccoli, it has a very dominant taste. Same goes for Brussels sprouts.)

Opted for dried herbs again. It’s winter and my herb garden is more than struggling…It’s dead. *sigh* Need to get some new ones. Remember that if you use fresh ones, double, or triple the amount indicated below. All these veggie ingredients are fresh, if you don’t have them, aim for frozen and only in extreme emergencies resort to canned.

Sweet & Salty potato-veg stir fry

Potatoes: 6-8 small ones. Cubed to half an inch. Unpeeled

Onion: 1 small. Chopped

Leek: 3-4 inches. Chopped

Carrot: 1 small. Quartered and sliced

Bell Pepper: ¼. Chopped

Green beans: 4-6. Chopped

Zucchini: 3 inches. Chopped

White Cabbage: Thin strips. Handful

Olive oil: 3-4 tablesp.

Milk: ¼ mug

Peach jam: 1 Tablesp.

Sweet chili sauce: 1 teasp.

Oregano: ½ teasp.

Basil: ½ teasp.

Parsley: ½ teasp.

Italian mix: 1 pinch

Salt: ½ teasp. (to taste)

Cayenne pepper: 1-2 pinch (1-2 knife points)

Use a big skillet or wok. Heat the olive oil for about thirty seconds and throw in your chopped potatoes. The beauty of this recipe is that if you get the sequence right, you can basically cut your veggies above the pan, saving loads of time. Stir frequently and turn the fire to medium when you notice that your potatoes begin to crust a bit. Add onion and leek. Keep stirring. Add your herbs, salt and cayenne. When onions begin to become transparent a bit, add carrot slices. Make sure they’re thin. About three minutes on medium fire needs to pass before you add the sweet chili, milk, and the jam, keeping a steady stir going. If you don’t think the mix is baking properly turn the fire higher again. If you look at your veggie list, that is basically the sequence in which you should gradually stir the remainder of the veg through your potatoes, leaving the cabbage strips to last. Once your cabbage begins to turn soft, glassy almost, you’re done.

This recipe can be served as a full meal, or a side dish to noodles or rice. If you need to stretch it for more people, you can add half a kilo (2-3 mugs) of boiled lentils to the mix. Or serve just the stir fry with French bread, pita, naan or a meat of choice…cubed chicken filet will go well with this. Make sure to bake the chicken crispy in olive oil with pepper and salt and a pinch of rosemary. If anyone dares to make it with fish (baked in olive oil with some sage), I’d love to hear how that worked out.

Zucchini on the side

Zucchini

Another easy one for the lazy cook who wants to make a stab at healthy regardless. I tried it just the other day and it worked like a charm. I served it with pasta, which was very good, but I think it would go well with baked potatoes (normal or sweet) as well. As usual, cheese of choice, but I used the salty Edam. The flour can be white, whole wheat, or Maizena. Normally I would prefer fresh green garden herbs, but in this case I used a basic dried Italian mix with extra Basil.

Creamy Zucchini

Zucchini: 3-4 mid-size. Cubed or sliced

Onion: 1 mid size/big. Chopped

Red Bell Pepper: (optional) ½. Chopped

Cream/Milk: 100 ml (1/4 mug)

Cheese: 100 gr (1/2 mug). Grated

Olive oil: 2-3 tablesp.

Peach jam: 2 tablesp.

Flour: 1 big tablesp.

Sweet chili sauce: 2-3 tablesp.

Salt: 1 teasp. Or to taste. (Or herbal salt)

Pepper: 1 knife point

Paprika: 1 knife point

Italian herb mix: (dried) 2 teasp.

Thyme: (dried) 1 knife point

Basil: (dried) 1 teasp.

Take a nice big skillet or wok, and heat the olive oil for about thirty seconds on medium fire. Throw in your onion and zucchini. Add the herbs, salt and pepper, stirring well. By the time liquid begins to gather in your pan, add the jam and cream (or milk). Keep stirring, keep the medium fire the same if possible. Your zucchini pieces should be turning glassy and soft when you add the bell pepper pieces and all the remaining ingredients except for your flour. Wait a few minutes then push the solids in your pan to the side, allowing some space for the excess liquid to gather. Carefully mix your flour through the liquid with a fork or small whisk and then stir it through the pan. After a few minutes you should have a soft creamy substance between your veggies, which is when it is ready serve.

Enjoy.