SMOKY STIR-FRIED GREENS
Wok hei, or the "breath of a wok," is the elusive smokiness found in restaurant-style dishes that rely on high-powered burners and a skilled hand to achieve it. To create a similar flavor at home, I rely on a hand-held blowtorch, which I use here for simple stir-fried greens. I recommend using either a butane canister with a high-output torch head or a propane canister with a trigger-start head. If you do not have a wok, a heavy cast-iron or stainless-steel skillet can be used instead.
Provided by J. Kenji López-Alt
Categories quick, vegetables, side dish
Time 15m
Yield 2 to 3 servings
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Combine about 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt in a saucepan or wok and bring to a boil over high heat. Add vegetables and cook, stirring, until bright green and crisp-tender, about 20 seconds. Immediately drain vegetables and transfer them to an ice bath, or run under cool water until chilled. Spin vegetables dry in a salad spinner, or pat dry on a paper towel-lined sheet tray.
- Combine sugar, cornstarch, white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Stir with a spoon until homogenous, then set aside, leaving the spoon in the bowl.
- Using a paper towel, rub a very thin film of oil into a wok or large skillet, then set over high heat until lightly smoking. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat. Add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant but not browned, about 10 seconds.
- Immediately add vegetables and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Working quickly, ignite your blowtorch and, holding the flame 2 to 3 inches above the vegetables, sweep across the surface while shaking the pan, until a smoky aroma reaches your nose, about 15 seconds. (You should hear a distinct crackle and see small bursts of orange flame as the oil on the vegetables jumps and combusts.)
- Still working quickly, stir-fry for another 30 seconds, and torch for another 15 seconds. Stir the sauce to loosen and to distribute the cornstarch that has settled at the bottom of the bowl, then pour it into the wok and stir-fry until the vegetables are coated in a glossy glaze, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.
BROWN RICE STIR-FRY WITH FLAVORED TOFU AND VEGETABLES
I found this in Martha Stewart's "Body + Soul" magazine. I was looking for something else, when I saw this - she highlights 5 meals that are healthy and good for you - this was Friday's meal. Haven't tried this as yet but the combination of ingredients sounded so good that I posted it here for safekeeping and also as a request.
Provided by Manami
Categories Soy/Tofu
Time 35m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add garlic, ginger, & red pepper flakes (if using); stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add tofu; stir-fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
- Add red and yellow peppers; cook, stirring, until peppers are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.
- Add rice and soy sauce; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is heated through, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in sesame oil & sesame seeds, if using.
- Season with salt and pepper; garnish with scallions.
- Serve hot.
SPICY STIR-FRIED TOFU WITH KALE AND RED PEPPER
Kale is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables (genus Brassica), so named because their flowers have four petals in the shape of a cross. A nutritional powerhouse that tastes wonderful when properly cooked, kale is one of nature's best sources of vitamins A, C and K and a very good source of copper, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus. These greens are hearty, and they maintain about 50 percent of their volume when you cook them, unlike spinach, which cooks down to a fraction of its volume. The various types of kale also maintain a lot of texture, which makes them perfect for stir-fries.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, weekday, main course
Time 20m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil, add the kale and blanch 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and place in a bowl near your wok.
- Cut the tofu into dominos and place them on paper towels. Place another paper towel on top and prepare the remaining ingredients.
- In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the soy sauce, rice wine or sherry, stock and cornstarch. Combine the salt, pepper and sugar in another small bowl. Have all the ingredients within arm's length of your wok.
- Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch steel skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in the canola or peanut oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu. Stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes, until it begins to color. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds.
- Add the red pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the kale, salt, pepper and sugar and toss together. Add the soy sauce mixture and the sesame oil. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds to a minute. Remove from the heat and serve with grains or noodles.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 259, UnsaturatedFat 12 grams, Carbohydrate 15 grams, Fat 15 grams, Fiber 6 grams, Protein 20 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 429 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams
STIR-FRIED BEET GREENS, TOFU AND BEETS
I had lots of beet greens on hand during the week that I was testing all of these beet recipes, so I decided to combine them with julienned beets in a stir-fry. The greens should be crisp-tender.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, easy, lunch, quick, main course
Time 15m
Yield Serves 4
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Combine the sugar and salt in 1 small container, the soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil in another, and place within arm's reach of your wok. Have the other ingredients in separate containers within arm's reach of your wok.
- Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then add the tofu and spread out in a single layer. Don't stir for 1 minute, then stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until it begins to color. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds. Add the beets and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the leek and stir-fry for 30 seconds to a minute, until it softens, then add the beet greens and salt and sugar. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until the greens have wilted. Add the sesame seeds, soy sauce, sherry and sesame oil, and cilantro and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and stir-fry until the liquid in the wok glazes the vegetables and tofu, less than a minute. Remove from the heat and serve with rice, noodles or other grains.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 223, UnsaturatedFat 10 grams, Carbohydrate 18 grams, Fat 12 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 14 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 641 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams
STIR-FRIED RICE AND BLACK QUINOA WITH CABBAGE, RED PEPPER AND GREENS
The texture, flavor and look of black quinoa make for an interesting dish. This is the kind of dish you can make on a whim if you make it a habit to freeze leftover grains. I used a combination of red chard and beet greens for this, but regular chard and kale would also work. I love the texture, flavor and look of the quinoa.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, main course
Time 15m
Yield Serves 4 to 6
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- If using chard and the stems are wide, dice the thick part of the stems (discard the stringier, tapering part of the stems); you should have 1 to 1 1/2 cups diced stems. Stack greens and cut in slivers, or coarsely chop. You should have 7 or 8 cups chopped greens (they will lose volume when they wilt in the stir-fry).
- Combine chopped garlic and ginger in a small bowl or ramekin. Beat eggs in a bowl and season with a pinch of salt. Prepare the other ingredients and place in separate bowls within arm's reach of your burner.
- Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or a 12-inch skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan. Make sure that the bottom of the wok or pan is coated with oil and add eggs, swirling the wok or pan so that the eggs form a thin pancake. Cook 30 - 60 seconds, until set. Using a spatula, turn pancake over and cook for 5 to 10 more seconds, until thoroughly set, then transfer to a plate or cutting board and quickly cut into strips, using the edge of your spatula or a knife.
- Swirl another tablespoon of oil into wok or pan and add tofu. Stir-fry for a minute or two, until it begins to color, and remove to a plate. Swirl in remaining oil and add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry no more than 10 seconds and add chard stems and red pepper. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, until crisp-tender, and add cabbage and light part of the scallions. Stir-fry for 1 minute and add greens. Stir-fry until leaves wilt, 1 to 2 minutes, and add rice and quinoa. Stir-fry, scooping up the grains with your spatula then pressing them into the hot wok or pan and scooping them up again, for about 2 minutes. Add soy sauce, the dark green part of the scallions, tofu, eggs and cilantro, stir for about 30 seconds, remove from heat and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 255, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 38 grams, Fat 7 grams, Fiber 8 grams, Protein 13 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 394 milligrams, Sugar 5 grams, TransFat 0 grams
STIR-FRIED BROWN RICE WITH KALE OR FRIZZY MUSTARD GREENS AND TOFU
I used a beautiful green I'd never seen before called frizzy mustard greens for this quick and easy stir-fry. They look like a cross between frisée and curly kale and have a sharp, mustardy kick. Curly kale makes a fine substitute. Also, you can substitute white rice for the brown.
Provided by Martha Rose Shulman
Categories dinner, weekday, main course
Time 15m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- If using kale, stem, wash and coarsely chop. If using frizzy mustard greens, cut away about 1 inch of the stem ends, wash and coarsely chop. Set aside near your wok.
- Beat the eggs in a bowl and season to taste with salt. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a drop of water evaporates within a second or two when added to the pan. Swirl in 2 teaspoons of the oil by adding it to the sides of the pan and swirling the pan, then, making sure that the bottom of the wok is covered with oil, carefully pour in the eggs. Cook 30 seconds to a minute, tilting the pan so that the eggs spread out into a thin pancake. Once the pancake is set and beginning to color, flip it over with a metal spatula and allow to cook for 5 seconds. Remove to a cutting board and roll up the pancake. Cut into thin strips and set aside.
- Swirl in 1 tablespoon of the oil and add the tofu. Let sit in the pan for about 30 seconds, until it begins to sear, then stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until it is lightly colored. Push to the sides of the wok and add the remaining oil and the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for no more than 10 seconds and add the greens and salt to taste. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the greens have wilted. Stir the tofu down from the sides of the wok and add the soy sauce. Stir-fry for a couple of seconds and add the rice. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, scooping up and breaking up the rice, then pressing it into the pan and scooping it up again. Add the egg strips, cilantro and more soy sauce if desired, and stir-fry another 30 seconds to combine. Remove from the heat and serve.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 341, UnsaturatedFat 5 grams, Carbohydrate 53 grams, Fat 8 grams, Fiber 7 grams, Protein 17 grams, SaturatedFat 2 grams, Sodium 930 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams, TransFat 0 grams
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