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by Chef Boy Ari
D uring my growing-up years, I learned many important
things from my mom. How to make stir-fry, however, was
not one of them. In front of the wok, mom's perfectionist
tendencies would take a momentary leave of absence as
she meandered through a fried yard sale that was equal
parts stream-of-consciousness and random improbability.
Once, when I was a teen-ager, I watched Mom add broccoli
first, and tofu last. I have never been so embarrassed.
But she's not the only one capable of chopping without
a clear plan, or adding ingredients without any logical
order. Perhaps you've tasted the junior stir-fry, swimming
in broth, with overcooked broccoli, sloppy tofu and soggy
carrots.
Stir-fry is a microcosm for the greater act of cooking.
You have many ingredients, all with different needs.
The cook's job is to bring out the best from each, drawing
together these diverse elements so as to maximize the
feng-shui of the whole package. Like a conductor synchronizing
the talents of an orchestra box full of musicians, the
stir-fry cook masterminds how it all comes together.
Now that the Farmer's Market is swelling with midsummer
produce, and your neighbors are preparing to knock down
your doors with armloads of zucchini, it's time for a
clinic on stir-fry orchestration.
The first step is to make a plan, aesthetic or otherwise,
for how you want the flavor, texture and color to add
up. A spontaneous cleaning-out-the-fridge session can
work if you're a black belt, but it can also lead to
a stir-fry that's too busy, or confusing. Consider, instead,
the elegantly simple Chinese classic: beef with broccoli.
Here, the main ingredients get to shine.
Many ingredients, including protein, mushrooms and greens,
will weep water when cooked. Some, like protein, you
want crispy, with a brown on. Others, like greens, peas
or broccoli, you want crunchy. Occasionally it helps
to pre-prepare - slicing and salting zucchini half an
hour ahead of time, for example, does wonders for its
flavor; previously frozen tofu cubes have extra body.
Whatever protein you aspire to, be it chicken, tofu,
bacon, tempe, dog 85 if you want it brown and crispy,
cut it down to size and cook it first in hot oil until
the water is gone. High-frying oils, like peanut, canola,
grapeseed or a combination thereof, are ideal for this
phase. Olive oil will break down at high heat, and butter
will burn.
When the protein is crispy, put it aside. Then, pre-cook
whatever else needs extra attention, like the delicate
and neon greens, peas and broccoli.
Finally, you must consider seasoning. Soy sauce is good,
but if you add it too early, or to a dry pan, it can
burn and stick. Wine or vinegar is important for acidity.
I also like oyster sauce, because it adds a deep, rich
fullness of flavor. But if you add soy sauce directly
to a stir-fry, it can be overpowering. I found a nice
recipe for an oyster-based stir-fry sauce on a web site
called "chefdecuisine.com." This preparation dilutes
the oyster sauce with other ingredients, so that the
oyster flavor is more subtle, yet enhanced. I call it "Special
Sauce."
Stir 2 teaspoons corn starch into 1 tablespoon sherry.
Set aside. Mince or crush 2 teaspoons garlic and 2 teaspoons
ginger and add to 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a medium-hot
pan, along with 2 chopped scallions. Stir for one minute,
then add 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy
sauce and 2/3 cup chicken stock. Stir in the cornstarch
water and cook until it starts to thicken.
Here is an easy four-serving stir-fry of carrot, kale
and tofu that I created especially for the Special Sauce.
Cut a block of tofu into half-inch cubes. Add it to
2 tablespoons canola oil on medium heat, stirring occasionally
while you prepare one large carrot, julienned (sliced
into long, thin spears); six leaves of kale, cut perpendicular
to the stem into 1-inch strips; one medium onion and
four cloves garlic, minced.
When the tofu is crispy, set aside. Next, fry the carrots - with
crushed, dried chili peppers, if you like - in hot oil
until they get start to brown, and store them with the
tofu. Then, stir-fry the kale until it gets wilty and
neon. Remove the kale before it turns soggy and set aside
with carrots and tofu.
Now, quickly, it all comes together. Fry the onion and
garlic briefly, then add the Special Sauce to the sizzling
pan. Stir it up, empty in the bowl with all the other
veggies, and mix it all together. Remove heat, and serve
immediately with rice.
And now, young grasshopper, a bonus: You have all the
tools you need to whip out that beef and broccoli stir-fry,
which goes great with Special Sauce as well, and some
of those fried julienne carrots.
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