Tonight we had our first CSA pick-up of the year, and on top of the veggies I picked up at Bailey's on Friday (and then promptly left town for 48 hours), we're swimming in green stuff here. Tonight's pick up included: spinach, chard, pak choy, green onions, garlic scapes, and some herbs. Already hanging around in my fridge was some asparagus, along with a variety of greens. So clearly, dinner tonight needed to include some green vegetables! But, it was a bit late, so I wanted something fairly easy to throw together. The answer? Stir fry!
Of course, it didn't turn out quite as quick as I wanted, but that was a rice-related issue, and nothing to do with the stir fry recipe itself, which worked just fine. Too bad it had to sit and wait for the extra slow rice--you may notice in the picture that the veggies got just a tad overcooked.
Don't treat this as a recipe, but a basic set of directions that can be followed for pretty much any stir fry you want to make. Stir fries are such a great way to use whatever you have on hand, so substitute pretty much anything you want in here. Also, adjust the sauce/seasonings to taste. I normally add garlic with the ginger, but didn't have any tonight. And I will confess to not having measured anything, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.
2 t corn starch
2 T soy sauce (please use the good stuff, it really does taste better)
1 t sesame oil
2 large chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
1 T vegetable oil
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 t crushed red pepper
2 T soy sauce
2 t corn starch
2 T hoisin sauce
1/2 C chicken stock
1 T vegetable oil
1 head pak choy (AKA bok choy), stems separate from leaves and both cut into small pieces
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch long pieces
4 garlic scapes, ends removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4-5 green onions, finely sliced
1. Mix the 2 t corn starch, 2 T soy sauce, and 1 t sesame oil in a small bowl. Add the chicken, stir to coat, and allow it to marinate while you chop the vegetables. Meanwhile, mix the ginger with 1 T vegetable oil & crushed red pepper in a small bowl and save for later. Also, mix the sauce: soy sauce, corn starch, hoisin sauce, & chicken stock.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken to the pan in one layer. Allow to cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes, until nicely browned on one side. Then turn to cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl and reserve for the end:
3. If needed, add a bit more oil to the skillet, then add the pak choy stems (reserving the leaves for later) and the asparagus. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown.
4. Add garlic scapes, green onions, and pak choy leaves. Cook 2-3 minutes until tender:
5. Push vegetables toward the edges, leaving a space in the middle of the pan. Add the ginger mixture the center and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Then stir it into the vegetables.
6. Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Stir the sauce mixture to recombine, then pour into the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes until chicken is heated through and sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.
Enjoy! :-)
Of course, it didn't turn out quite as quick as I wanted, but that was a rice-related issue, and nothing to do with the stir fry recipe itself, which worked just fine. Too bad it had to sit and wait for the extra slow rice--you may notice in the picture that the veggies got just a tad overcooked.
Don't treat this as a recipe, but a basic set of directions that can be followed for pretty much any stir fry you want to make. Stir fries are such a great way to use whatever you have on hand, so substitute pretty much anything you want in here. Also, adjust the sauce/seasonings to taste. I normally add garlic with the ginger, but didn't have any tonight. And I will confess to not having measured anything, so take these numbers with a grain of salt.
2 t corn starch
2 T soy sauce (please use the good stuff, it really does taste better)
1 t sesame oil
2 large chicken breasts, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces
1 T vegetable oil
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1/2 t crushed red pepper
2 T soy sauce
2 t corn starch
2 T hoisin sauce
1/2 C chicken stock
1 T vegetable oil
1 head pak choy (AKA bok choy), stems separate from leaves and both cut into small pieces
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch long pieces
4 garlic scapes, ends removed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4-5 green onions, finely sliced
1. Mix the 2 t corn starch, 2 T soy sauce, and 1 t sesame oil in a small bowl. Add the chicken, stir to coat, and allow it to marinate while you chop the vegetables. Meanwhile, mix the ginger with 1 T vegetable oil & crushed red pepper in a small bowl and save for later. Also, mix the sauce: soy sauce, corn starch, hoisin sauce, & chicken stock.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the chicken to the pan in one layer. Allow to cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes, until nicely browned on one side. Then turn to cook the other side for another 2-3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl and reserve for the end:
3. If needed, add a bit more oil to the skillet, then add the pak choy stems (reserving the leaves for later) and the asparagus. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown.
4. Add garlic scapes, green onions, and pak choy leaves. Cook 2-3 minutes until tender:
5. Push vegetables toward the edges, leaving a space in the middle of the pan. Add the ginger mixture the center and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute or until fragrant. Then stir it into the vegetables.
6. Return the cooked chicken to the pan. Stir the sauce mixture to recombine, then pour into the pan. Cook 1-2 minutes until chicken is heated through and sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.
Enjoy! :-)
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