Monday, August 1, 2011

Pork and Peanut Stir Fry Shelley-style

I don't particularly mind eating the same thing day in and day out for breakfast, or even lunch. But dinner, that's a whole other story. Maybe it's because it's the time of day I enjoy eating most, maybe it's because I consider it the food grand finale of the day, I don't know. Fact is, I am always trying to find something tasty and creative and I admit, it is often challenging.

Adding to this challenge is having a "picky eater" as your most frequent dining partner. That my friends is the situation I find myself in. Now, me... I'm what you would call an "adventurous" eater. I've been known to chase mozzarella sticks down Jeff Hill (that's in O.U. for those of you who haven't been there) brush 'em off and devour them in seconds flat and eat a hoagie off a questionable (at best) apartment floor. However, my usual dinner guest is nowhere near this comfortable with food. He's frightened of chicken, consistently questions the number of times I've washed my hands while prepping dinner, and won't touch anything that isn't cooked to a crisp. This makes my cooking life all the more challenging.

That said, when I whipped up this stir fry last week I really stretched my picky eater's limits by introducing him to pork in non-bacon form. However, kudos go out to me, he cleaned his plate. I hope you have as much luck in your kitchen and at your dinner table with this one. 

Pork and Peanut Stir Fry Shelley-style
(adapted from myrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
  • 1/4 - 1/2 c water (use as needed when mixing sauce to cut down on thickness due to corn starch)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar 
  • 2 tsp corn starch 
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 (2 inch) piece peeled and grated, fresh ginger
  • 5 scallions chopped (whites separated from greens)
  • 2 (8 oz) boneless pork chops (chopped into bite-sized pieces) 
  • 1 c cooked, shelled edamame 
  • 1 yellow bell pepper cut in strips
  • Handful of peanuts 
  • Sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 tbsp chili-garlic sauce (optional for some heat) 
  • 4 oz rice noodles 
How-to:
  • Cook rice noodles (and edamame if not pre-cooked) according to package directions
  • In small bowl mix soy sauce, vinegar and corn starch together, set aside
  • Warm oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add ginger, white part of scallions and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, until scallions/peppers are just softened (about 1 minute)
  • Add pork and cook, tossing with tongs, until firm and no longer pink (about 5 minutes)
  • Stir in sauce and peanuts 
  • Cook, stirring constantly (the constant stirring is crucial), until sauce is thickened and pork is heated through (about 2 minutes)
  • If sauce is too thick add water 1 tbsp at a time until it reaches desired consistency (to be honest, I used quite a bit of water to get it the consistency I wanted and I did freak a bit when it turned clumpy and I thought I "ruined" the recipe - have heart, the water did the trick)
  • Top with green part of scallions, sesame seeds and chili-garlic sauce 
Other thoughts:
I doubled the sauce on this recipe since I added noodles. I'd double it and use what feels right to you. 

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