Fancy Stir-Fry Day!

Today’s post would be completely perfect if today was in fact Friday, but a girl can’t help what her stomach is craving… and I wanted Stir-Fry on a Tuesday not a “Fryday”. Cute play on words be damned, I wanted delicious bold over the top flavors in a fun fancy Stir-Fry. So today is “Stir Fry Day” Tuesday. :)

Stir-Fry has to be one of my most favorite dishes out there. You can mix and match different veggies, different sauces, and different vehicles to serve it on (i.e. rice, noodles..). 

However, I will admit, sometimes this easy going tasty meal can get a little boring if you don’t spice it up! Which is why today’s recipe is one of my all time favorites. It is great for a cozy dinner for two, and will dazzle whoever the lucky dinner guest happens to be. This dish is one of the manfriend’s favorites, and I like to make it for special occasions....Or when I am in need of apologizing for shrinking yet another sweater, or pair of pants, or favorite T-shirt… Eep! I never said I was a wonderful laundress.  Keep me in the kitchen and the wardrobe won’t get hurt.

Now that we have learned a little more about my domestic side (or lack there of) lets get to the exciting stuff!

Fancy Stir-Fry for any Day (serves 2 hungry people)

Ingredients:

Rice:

1 Cup Brown Rice

2 Cups Water

Miso Broth:

1 Tablespoon Red Miso Paste

1 Cup Water

Stir-Fry Sauce:

2 Tablespoons Tamari

2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup

1 1/2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice (best if fresh squeezed)

1 Teaspoon Chili Pepper Flakes

2 Cloves Garlic Minced

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

Raw Veggie Noodles

1-2 Carrots

1 Zucchini

Stir-Fry Veggies:

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

3/4 Cup Chopped Onion

1 Cup Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms

7-8 Pieces of Broccolini

1/2 A Red Bell Pepper Sliced

First get your rice cooking per the instructions on the package. This will take the longest so best to get it started right away. Next pour a cup of water in a small pot and add the miso paste. Heat the water up and stir frequently until the paste has dissolved and you have a well-blended broth. Once it looks like all the paste has dissolved turn off the stovetop and let the broth sit.

To make your sauce for the Stir-Fry place all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and whisk them together, set it aside. Next clean your carrots and zucchini and peel the top layer of skin off with a peeler: you can discard these. Then continue to peel off long strands from both, and save them in a pile. They should look like thin “noodles.”

Now we are ready to get the veggies going. Place the sesame oil in your wok (or large pan if you don’t have a wok handy). Put the onions in first and let them cook for about 5 minutes. Next add your mushrooms, cook for about 2 minutes and then pour in your pre-made sauce. You won’t need to add all the sauce. Gauge how much you want to put in the Stir-Fry. After another 2 minutes of letting the onions and mushrooms soak up the sauce add your broccolini and red bell pepper. At this time you can add more sauce if it looks like there isn’t enough to cover the new veggies. (You should be stirring throughout this whole process). Let the broccolini and bell pepper soften a little and absorb the sauce as well, around 5 minutes.

Assembly:

Once the rice is finished scoop some into the bottom of your bowl. Push the rice together so it creates a firm base, and then pour the miso broth around this base.

Next, scoop out the onion and mushrooms from your wok with a slotted spoon and place on top of the rice and broth. Decorate the Stir-Fry pile with the broccolini and the red bell pepper.

And last but not least add your raw noodles around your Stir-Fry for the final fancy touch. Behold, you have made a scrumptious, gorgeous, dinner for two!

 Enjoy!