Asian Stir-fry

When Steve and I lived in DC we would get take out from a really good Chinese place about once a month.  When I was living in Albuquerque I didn't have Chinese at all. I'm sure there were some good Chinese restaurants but I didn't have any inclination to find them.  Since it had been a while since we had Chinese food we decided to make an Asian stir-fry.  After we settled on this dish the next choice to be made was what would we put in it.  I didn't want meat but Steve did.  I figured I would make us the same meal with different sources of protein.  I didn't want to make two separate dishes so I made the veggies with sauce all together.  I cooked the chicken Steve wanted in another sauce pan and then added some of the veggie mixture and added some tofu to the first pan.  It turned out to be a great meal and not any harder than if it had been only one dish.  It's so nice finding dishes that make both of us happy!


Asian Stir-fry                                                                    Servings: 4
1/2 head of broccoli, chopped                                            Time: 30-40 minutes
1 red pepper, chopped
1 medium carrot, slivered (I like to use a vegetable peeler)
1 handful snow peas
4 mushrooms, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
3 or 4 chicken thighs
1 block (about a cup) of firm tofu, chopped
1 cup white rice
1 to 1 1/2 cups Hoisin sauce
2 to 3 tablespoons sesame oil

**Note: This recipe make equal Vegetarian and non-vegetarian portions. To change one way or the other change the amounts of the chicken and tofu.

Prepare the white rice according to the directions.  Fill the bottom of a pot with water and add the chopped broccoli and cover.  Steam the broccoli for about 4 minutes or until you can easily slide a fork into the stem.  Drain the broccoli.  Put the sesame oil into the same pan and heat over medium heat.  Add the broccoli, red pepper, carrots, snow peas, and mushrooms.  Stir periodically and cover the rest of the time for about 10 minutes. During this put cook the chicken in a second pan with a little oil, salt and pepper. When the veggies have softened add in the water chestnuts and half of the Hoisin sauce and cook for another few minutes.

At this point the chicken should be done and you can transfer half of the veggie mix into the chicken pan.  Add the tofu to the veggie pan and stir together.  While the combos are melding together add half of the remaining Hoisin sauce to each pan. Now everything is ready to serve.  Place a few spoonfuls of rice on each plate and top with your choice of stir-fry! I hope you all enjoy this great way to make everyone happy in one meal!