Stirring up something tasty

Confession: My favorite food in the world is good bread with butter.

But these days, the thing I love to eat is stir fry. I’m cooking it about once a week, and could eat it twice as often. I suspect that those of you who are groaning at the thought are thinking of overcooked broccoli and woody stems. To that I say, Nonsense!

When I think of stir fry, I think of a warm heap of salted rice, tender veggies and delicious chunks of meat.

Think of the pros:

• It’s hard to find a cheaper food than rice.
• It’s hard to find a more nutritious food than all those green vegetables!
• The proportions of meat-to-produce are healthy—a bit of protein alongside lots of vitamins and fiber.
• It’s simple enough to cook any weeknight, but special enough to serve to guests.
• The adaptations are endless. You can use what’s in season, what’s in your refrigerator, and any kind of meat.
• It takes only about 20 minutes to make.
• My kids LOVE it.

Here are some ideas to mix and match:

I saute the veggies in butter and canola oil till they’re tender, shake some soy sauce over top, and cook the rice like this:

• 2 ½ cups water
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1 T. butter
• 1 t. salt

Mix all together in a pot. Bring to a rolling boil. Stir, then cover and reduce heat so the rice mixture simmers for 20 minutes. Let set for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve, topped with veggies.

And now for the secret that transformed Ryan’s opinion of stir-fry: homemade sweet-and-sour sauce. Mix equal parts of ketchup, sugar, and vinegar. Microwave till hot and a little bubbly. Pass with stir fry. YUM! The leftover sauce keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, so you don’t have to make it fresh each time.

Tonight I made this dish to share with a friend who’s vegan, so I made it meatless, with plenty of mushrooms. Ryan says it was still good.