I am a big fan of cooking in the wok (large and deep pan) because the stir fry dishes (mixed and fried quickly) are very tasty. The meat cut into strips or cubes is quickly browned and the vegetables cooked quickly keep their beautiful color and pleasant texture, being slightly crispy. In order to succeed in this Chinese dish, you must necessarily have a strong wok and a clear order in which the ingredients are added. The order is given by their cooking time: those who cook harder will be put first and we will conclude with those who have short cooking times. It’s the logical thing to do.
China is a huge country and each region has its own local cuisine. Beyond this meat and vegetable “pans” one can discover thousands of delicious Chinese dishes: spicy soups, noodles, coleslaw, dumplings stuffed with meat or vegetables, fried meats (the famous Peking Duck) or a great variety of delicious desserts.
We used the ingredients we found in the supermarket: soy sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, bamboo or soybean shoots, dried mushrooms “wooden ears”, rice, etc. Sometimes we use “Asian type” frozen vegetable mixes.
This time I made a mixture of pork meat with mushrooms, bell peppers, green onions, carrots, green beans and peanuts (peanuts). The flavors were given by garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar. Poultry meat (chicken, turkey) can be used as well but I would not recommend the breast because it is weak and dry. I would use boneless chicken legs instead.
Ingredients for Chinese Food:
Marinated meat:
500 g pork meat or boneless chicken legs
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon starch
Vegetables:
250 g fresh mushrooms
1 carrot
1 red pepper
2-3 strands of green onion
200 g frozen green bean pods
3 cm of ginger root
3 cloves of garlic
a handful of peanuts (peanuts)
salt
In addition:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 teaspoon sesame oil (for flavor)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Preparation of Chinese food:
I had a large piece of pork meat from which I cut a few slices (500 g) and then I cut them into thin and long strips.
I moved them to a saucepan and sprinkled them with soy sauce and rice vinegar.
I mixed them well with my hands and left them for 30 minutes on the work table.
I sliced the mushrooms and ginger root, minced the garlic. You can chop the ginger and chop it but I leave it so I can remove it from the plate. It is not my favorite aroma.
I cut the carrot into long and thin sticks (about 5 cm long), the bell pepper in rhombuses. I separated the green onion from the tails and cut it into oblique slices. The queues will be added last.
I sprinkled a teaspoonful of starch and mixed everything well with my hands over the marinated meat in the box. The starch will help to form a crust during the frying time and it helps to tie the sauce in the pan.
I put in the sunflower oil and sesame oil and I heated them well. Sesame oil should be carefully dosed because it has a very strong aroma. I put the meat to fry in the wok. The meat should not be crowded but with spaces between the strips. I turned them over with the spatula to fry on all sides (3 minutes). I have a traditional blackboard wok but there are some modern ones with the non-stick surface (Teflon).
I added the ginger and garlic and sautéed the meat for another 1 minute.
I added the carrot sticks followed by a tablespoon of soy sauce. It helps me clear the caramelized fragments from the wok.
After another 2 minutes, I put the mushrooms, onion stems (without the green side) and the bell pepper.
Stir the ingredients with the wok spatula. This is how Chinese fry stir-fry work.
After another 3 minutes, I put the green bean pods (frozen). They take off steam.
After another 3 minutes, I put the peanuts and mixed everything. They will remain crispy but well dressed in the sauce.
I put out the fire under the wok and added the green onion tails. These do not need to fry but warm up a little from the rest of the ingredients.
Enjoy the great taste of this Chinese food!