Stir Fry Healthy Recipes | different taste in the stir fry…

By: Dr. Kaviraj Khialan- Celebrity Master Chef.

The concept of stir fry cooking is quite an old and well known one by now since many years and it is applied in various types of cooking from Chinese, thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and even Indian cooking to an extent. The idea of stir frying is to cook healthy and keep the crunch in the food and not to overcook and lose all the nutrients from the ingredients.

Though not many of us use this method of cooking in our day to day cooking at all times, we must try to at least few times a week with some of our favourite recipes and give a much needed bread and change to our palate and plates.

While some people are of the opinion that stir fry leaves the food half done and doesn’t help in digestion etc, my take on this would be to understand the chemistry between the ingredient and the method of cooking before coming to conclusions, for instance if we need to work with broccoli or french beans etc there is no need to completely cook it until it gets mashed up, a little crunch in it is always pleasant.

Also to some cooking in steam, long cooking hours, cooking in pressure cookers etc appeals a lot, there is nothing wrong in that as well, but I would recommend to try this option as well a couple of times in our eating patterns. Stir fry cooking involves use of fresh crispy ingredients which can bear the heat and take in flavours and adapt themselves to the balance of cook with crunch.

Understanding of proper cooking equipment’s, low quantity of fats and oils, cooking without covering totally as such and prepare close to consuming time are some of the factors which help in making good stir fry recipes.

Here are a few of my all-time favorite Stir Fry Healthy Recipes:

Recipe-1] STIR FRY DILKHUSH SUBZI

Ingredients:

• Oil-2 tsp
• Butter-1/2 tsp
• Garlic-1 tsp chopped
• Ginger-1 tsp sliced
• Green chilies-2 no slit
• Red chili-1-2 slit
• Lemon grass-3-4 pieces
• Fresh basil leaves-4-5 no
• Paneer- 1 cup cut into cubes
• Capsicums- red/green/yellow-1/2 cup cubes
• French beans-1/4 cup cut
• Spring onions-2-3 sliced
• Zucchini- ½ green sliced
• Broccoli-1/2 cup florets
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Mixed herbs & chili flakes to taste
• Soya sauce-2 tsp
• Red chili sauce-2 tsp
• Tomato ketchup-2 tsp
• White vinegar-1 tsp
• Spring onion greens-2 tbsp. chopped

Method:

1. Prepare all the ingredients for the stir fry veggie recipe.
2. Heat oil and butter in a pan, add in the chilies, ginger, garlic, spring onions and saute for 1 min.
3. Add in the assorted vegetables of your choice and add ¼ cup water just to allow them to cook well, we can also use blanched or boiled vegetables to save on time for the stir fry recipe.
4. Add in the salt, pepper, herbs, chili flakes, lemon grass, basil leaves and sauces as per taste and mix well, cook on a medium flame for 3-4 mins.
5. Now add in the paneer cubes and mix them well and add little water if desired for a little saucy texture or gravy. Adjust with corn starch solution if too thin.
6. Serve hot garnished with spring onion greens and enjoy this recipe as a nice mini meal with some brown bread or toasted garlic bread.
   For non-veg variations: I prefer to use shredded boneless chicken in this recipe with mushrooms as a combination with some colorful capsicums. The other option to try is with some sliced chicken sausages with capsicums or with beans sprouts.

Recipe-2] STIR FRIED PEPPER GARLIC PRAWNS

Ingredients:

• Prawns medium size- 12-14 pieces
• Oil-2 tsp
• Butter-1/2 tsp
• Sliced garlic cloves-2 tsp
• Crushed red chilies/ chili flakes-1 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Ginger -1 tsp cut into strips
• Green chilies-2 slit
• Spring onions- 2-3 sliced
• Honey-1 tsp
• White wine-2 tbsp. optional
• White vinegar-1 tsp
• Soya sauce-1 tsp
• Schezuan chutney- 1 tsp
• Red chili sauce-1 tsp
• Water/stock-1/2 cup
• Corn starch solution-2-3 tsp to thicken
• Spring onion greens-2 tbsp. chopped
• Roasted crushed peanuts-2 tsp
• White sesame seeds-1 tsp
• To serve on a bed of steamed rice
• To serve with a tossed salad with cucumber & mint.

Method:

1. Prepare the prawns, clean, wash them well and marinate with a little vinegar, salt and pepper and keep aside for 12-15 mins.
2. To stir fry the prawns, heat oil and butter in a pan add in the sliced spring onions, garlic, chilies and, ginger and toss for 1 minute.
3. Add in the prawns and add little white wine if being used and saute for 10 seconds, add little water or stock and cook the prawns on a medium flame for 5-6 mins.
4. Add in the sauces as desired to taste and mix well, add some strips or cubes of colorful capsicums if desired for a crunch, cook for 2-3 mins, add in the corn starch solution and thicken a little and adjust to taste, add in the peanuts and spring onion greens and a little honey or a pinch of sugar, sesame seeds and mix it well, serve hot on a bed of steamed white rice and some tossed salad to go along.

For veg variations: try the same recipe with cubes of paneer or even tofu to make it vegan, use assorted exotic veggies of your choice from bamboo shoots, to zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, canned water chestnuts also add a nice crunch in these recipes. Try using a Manchurian sauce as well for a change in the color of the recipe.

Recipe-3] INDO- MEXI STIR FRIED CHICKEN

Ingredients

• Chicken breasts- 1-2 no, cut into small pieces, cubes or strips,

For the marination of the chicken:

• Oil-2 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red chili powder-1/4 tsp
• Lime juice-2 tsp
• Mustard paste-1 tsp
• Mix and keep aside for 10-12 mins

For the stir fry:

• Oil-1 tsp
• Butter-1 tsp
• Garlic- 1 tsp chopped
• Onion- 1 med size, sliced
• Red/green/yellow capsicum-1/2 cup cut into strips
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water/chicken stock-1 cup
• Mixed herbs-1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder-1/2 tsp
• Chili flakes-1/2 tsp
• Tomato ketchup-2-3 tsp
• Lime juice-2 tsp add and serve
• Corn starch solution-2-3 tsp to thicken
• Parsley/coriander leaves-2 tsp for garnish

Method:

1. Clean, wash and cut the chicken pieces, apply the marination and keep aside for 12-15 mins.
2. To stir fry the recipe further, heat oil and butter in a pan, add in the garlic, onions and saute, add jalapeno peppers as well for more
   taste.
3. Add in the marinated chicken pieces and saute on a high flame for 1-2 minutes, add little water or stock and allow chicken to cook for 5- 6 mins, also add in the colorful capsicums.
4. Add in the sauces, seasonings, spices to taste and mix well, continue cooking for another 4-5 mins, add in the corn starch
   solution and thicken a little.
5. Garnish with assorted fresh herbs, parsley, coriander etc and serve hot with indian breads/ this can also be used as a filling for a wrap or roll with some spread like chili mayonnaise or garlic-cucumber yogurt dip on the side.

For vegetarian variations: I like to use a combination of veggies in this recipe like sliced marinated grilled eggplant with peppers, grilled paneer or tofu slices or cubes, add some saute Babycorn and grilled mushrooms into it for a nice flavour. Also try adding a little peanut butter in combination with chili sauce for a different taste in the stir fry.