Simple stir fry

Wok cooking is a fabulous way to eat more vegetables in one sitting.

By , In Praise of Leftovers

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    A quick stir fry of cabbage, kale, jalapeno peppers, Brussels sprouts, and a handful of brown rice.
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My wok will be 2 years old in April. I am pathetically keeping track, since 2 years is supposed to be the time when an often-used wok is finally seasoned perfectly. Sometimes I get it out, set it on the cook top, and just look at it. It's getting so wonderfully burnished and banged up. And, more importantly, absolutely nothing is sticking to its surface. 

I talked here about wok love and about Grace Young's book, "The Breath of a Wok." What I'd add this time around is the following:

  • If I'm making an Asian stir fry, I use vegetable or peanut oil. More and more, though, I'm using olive oil and getting very far away from traditional Asian combinations. The "recipe" here is an example.
  • I've gotten discouraged a couple times when, just when my wok seemed to be developing the longed-for patina, it all disappeared because of enthusiastic vinegar use, wok cooking naiveté, or other mysterious reasons. My admonishment is: Keep Going! The only way to really wreck a wok (say that 5 times fast) is to let it get rusty with standing water or to not use it. Continued use, even if it takes you 5 years, will pay off.
  • It's really hard to experience what I'm talking about here if you have an electric cook top. Woks need raging heat. 

And, wok cooking is a fabulous way to eat more vegetables in one sitting than you ever thought possible. The stir fry here is 80 percent cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts, with just a handful of cold brown rice thrown in at the end. That description sounds depressing, but it was delicious. And made my fiber and Vitamin A off-the-charts that day.

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I'm starting out the new year realizing I've spend most my energy the past six months caring for others, and not enough caring for myself. Sound familiar, anyone? When I do that, carbs (empty ones, of course) somehow taste so good, show up everywhere, and supplant the vegetables my body really wants. I'm trying to change that, and trying again to move as much as possible, even if it's not the 60 minute workout I want. Wokking and Walking. You'll hear more about it in April, I'm sure, when I throw a little birthday party for the blasted thing.

New Year's Stir Fry
Serves 2. (If you want to serve 4 as a meal, you'll have to do this twice, since an over-filled wok just steams everything.)

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
3 cups of washed kale, stems removed, sliced
1 cup of Brussels sprouts
2 Fresno peppers (red jalapenos), thinly sliced
1 cup cold, cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
Feta cheese, to garnish

Heat your wok over high heat for about 15 seconds, then pour olive oil in. Add garlic, stir, then add veggies. See if there are any stray bits of meat in your fridge. You can use ham, cooked or uncooked chopped bacon, proscuitto, etc. This is optional, but yummy.

Fry over high heat for about 4 minutes, moving everything around quite a bit, and add kosher salt to taste. When everything's getting crispy/tender, add cooked brown rice (or white rice or bulgur or quinoa or barley), fry for another minute, then add white wine vinegar and fry for another minute.

Divide into 2 bowls and top with some crumbled feta, if you like. Or a fried egg.

Related post: Asian Stir Fry 


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