Tag: stir-fry

Cauliflower, almonds, broad beans stir fry

This is a very easy stir fry recipe, with a lovely crunch from the almonds and cauliflower, and the gentle taste of sesame oil and ginger. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 small cauliflower
  • 200g broad beans
  • 1 1/2 tsp cornflour
  • 1 tbs dry sherry
  • 1 tbs sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 60g flaked almonds or blanched almonds
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2 slices of fresh ginger
  • 1 tsp salt

METHOD:

  • Prepare the cauliflower; chop the florets so they are around 5cm long and 2cm wide. Put the florets in a bowl of very cold water to freshen up. 
  • Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the broad beans for around 5 minutes. Drain when cooked. 
  • In a small bowl, combine the cornflour, sherry, sesame oil, and 2 tbs water to make a smooth paste. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok. When it is hot, fry the almonds. Keep a close eye on them, and as soon as they look as if they are about to turn golden brown, fish them out and set aside. 
  • Next, lightly bash up the garlic and ginger, and add to the hot oil for 10 seconds. 
  • Add the drained cauliflower, broad beans, and salt. Fry for 2 minutes
  • Add 2 tbsp water, cover, and cook for another two minutes
  • Remove the cover, lower the heat, and add the cornflour mixture from the cup. Stir in for 30 seconds. Add the almonds and stir once. 
  • You’ll need to fish out the ginger and garlic before serving. 

This works as a delicious dish along with a range of other dishes, to share. It makes around 4 small portions. 

Broccoli and mushroom stir-fry with black bean sauce

This is a good basic stir-fry recipe, and you can use just about any vegetables. Finely sliced courgette, mange-tout peas, slivers of red and green pepper, all work well. At the moment the co-op in Creagorry seems to have lots of fresh egg noodles in the reduced section for vegetables, so we used those. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 450g egg noodles
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 250g broccoli
  • 250g mushrooms
  • 1-2 carrots
  • 2 tsp cornflour
  • 200ml vegetable stock (I used marigold stock)
  • 2 tbsp black bean sauce 
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 2cm cube of fresh ginger (approx)
  • 1 tbsp dry sherry such as Tio pepe, or Shaohsing wine. 

METHOD:

Prepare the ingredients:

  • Cook the noodles in boiling water according to the instructions (some noodles are sold ready-cooked) – rinse in cold water.
  • Chop the carrots into thin slices, cut on a slant. Cut the broccoli into small florets, and the stems into strips 5cm long. Wipe the mushrooms clean, and slice with the stems still on. 
  • Finely chop the ginger and garlic
  • In a small bowl, put in the cornflour, then slowly add the stock, and mix to a paste. Add the black bean sauce, sesame oil, and sugar. If it has gone lumpy, you can remedy this with a soup blender. 

Start the cooking

  • Heat the vegetable oil in a large wok over a medium flame. When it is hot add the garlic and ginger, and stir a couple of times. 
  • Add the mushrooms, broccoli and carrots, and 3/4 tsp salt, and stir and fry until the vegetables are all hot, it doesn’t take long. 
  • Pour in the sherry, cover and turn the heat to low. Cook for a minute, so the vegetables are very lightly steamed in hot sherry. 
  • Uncover, and add the cornflour/black bean mixture. Turn the heat up a little and add the noodles. Keep stirring and mixing so that the noodles are hot and the sauce is thickened. 

An alternative is to fry the noodles separately, treating them like a large pancake in the bottom of a frying pan. Fry without stirring for 3-4 minutes, and then when the noodles are crispy on the bottom, flip over and fry the other side. When serving, put the noodle pancake on a plate and pour the vegetables and sauce over the top.