Quick & Easy Stir-Fry Suppers

American and European stovetops are designed for flat bottom pots and pans, not the curved bottoms of Chinese woks. So in order to achieve a perfect stir-fry, ditch the wok and grab your largest skillet.

By following the master recipe below you can customize a stir-fry to your particular tastes.  Select items from the categories below, which have been grouped together based on their cooking times. 

As for the sauce, you can certainly use your favorite store-bought variety or try one of the 5 base sauces at the bottom.  If you’re feeling creative, include some of the optional items listed or try adding whatever you have on hand. 

Master Skillet Sauté Recipe (aka Stir-Fry)

Serves 4

1 pound MEAT, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Mirin or dry sherry
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3/4 pound FIRM VEGETABLES, thinly sliced or chopped
3/4 pound SOFT VEGETABLES, thinly sliced or chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
SAUCE from list below (or 1/2 cup of your favorite sauce)
1/2 cup optional STIR-INS

Toss MEAT, soy sauce and Mirin together and let sit at room temperature 15 minutes. 

Heat large skillet, preferably non-stick, over high heat.  Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat a few seconds before adding drained MEAT.  Stirring constantly, cook MEAT until almost fully cooked.  (Meat will finish cooking at the end so don’t worry about undercooked chicken.) Remove MEAT to bowl and set aside. 

Reheat skillet and add 1 teaspoon oil.  Add FIRM VEGETABLES  and cook, stirring constantly, until almost done.  The amount of time will vary depending on the vegetable so just keep trying them to see how far along they are. Push vegetables to outside edge of pan; add 1 teaspoon oil and SOFT VEGETABLES.  Cook, stirring constantly in center of pan until almost cooked. Mix in vegetables from outside edge to combine and cook until vegetables are cooked.  

Push all vegetables to outside edge, add 1 teaspoon oil and add garlic and ginger and cook, 15 seconds before mixing in all vegetables.  Add desired SAUCE, STIR-INS and MEAT, along with any juices in bowl.  Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce is bubbly and MEAT is fully cooked.  Serve immediately. 

MEAT   
Chicken                   
Beef                           
Pork                       
Shrimp 
             
FIRM VEGETABLES
Broccoli                                Carrots
Bell Peppers                        Green Beans

SOFT VEGETABLES  
Onions                                  Shiitake Mushrooms            Snow Peas
Asparagus                            Summer squash/zucchini

STIR-INS
Pineapple chunks                Bamboo shoots                    Tofu
Mandarin range slices         Water chestnuts                    Baby corn
Chopped green onions       

BASE SAUCES
Before starting your stir-fry, pick a sauce and stir together the ingredients in a small bowl so it’s ready to go when you need it. 

Sweet-n-Sour Sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons rice wine or cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup

Hot-n-Sour Sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chopped chili pepper (jalapeño, habanero, etc)
1 teaspoon hot bean paste (optional)

Ginger Garlic Sauce
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons Mirin, dry sherry or dry white wine
1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

Szechwan Sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Mirin, dry sherry or dry white wine
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili garlic sauce
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes

Tangy Lime Sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon lime zest

A Few of my Favorite Combinations:
Pork + Red Bell Peppers + Snow Peas+ Bamboo Shoots + Szechwan Sauce
Chicken + Broccoli + Onions + Bamboo Shoots + Ginger Garlic Sauce
Beef + Bell pepper + Onions + Ginger Garlic Sauce + Baby Corn
Shrimp + Onions + Zucchini + Tangy Lime Sauce + Water Chestnuts