Driving down I-84 on the way home from Salt Lake City last weekend, we hit the fast food corridor from Burley to Twin Falls to Jerome. I succumbed to the A&W Restaurant to save time– my first and last visit to this fine chain. With no salads or vegetarian selections on the menu, I resorted to the worst burger of my life. The food even made Luke feel sick.
So the next night, we were ready for a healthy veggie stir-fry. As I mentioned in this post on feeding a family fast, stir-fries are one of the easiest, quickest and healthiest options for dinner. Though I have grown tired of the bland soy sauce-chicken broth-garlic stir-fry, there are so many zippier options! You can vary the taste by changing the base – from broth to black bean sauce to hoisin sauce to oyster sauce. You can use a red or green curry with coconut milk for a different flavor altogether.
Another great thing about stir fries is that you can use whatever veggies you have on hand, and add chicken, beef, fish, shrimp or tofu (or none of the above). That’s versatility at its finest.
Today I’ll share my oyster sauce version that tastes delicious!
Ingredients
For the rice:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
- Salt to season
For the base:
- Any combination of veggies (e.g., broccoli, red pepper, squash, cabbage, carrots, onions) – enough to feed four, about 5-6 cups
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 TBSP fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 package tofu (omit or substitute chicken)
For the sauce:
- 4 TBSP oyster sauce
- 2 TBSP soy sauce
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¾ TBSP brown sugar
- 1 TBSP sesame oil
- Red pepper to taste
Cook rice. You can do this in advance as it will take 30-40 minutes.
Chop veggies, ginger, garlic and tofu. Combine ingredients for sauce and mix thoroughly.
Sauté tofu in about 1 TBSP of oil (combination of sesame and canola), until slightly brown, turning. Add veggies, garlic and ginger and sauté for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add sauce, mix thoroughly and continue cooking until tender, but still crisp.
Serve veggies over brown rice.
