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MICROWAVE STIR-FRY I was using first a frying pan and then a wok to make stir-fry. After we got the microwave, I decided that surely it could be used to do the same thing and it would do it easier and faster. So, I started experimenting and have developed a method which has proven quite satisfactory. I have testimonies from 15 grandchildren. If you have a microwave, you know that the time of cooking changes rapidly with the amount of food to be cooked. So, you will have to judge that according to the amount you are making. When I am getting ready, I collect around me all the small scraps of vegetables from the refrigerator and garden and plot the cooking pattern, beginning with those which demand the longest time. I have used many kinds of meats: bacon, ham, chicken, etc. Most commonly, I start with a quarter pound of ground beef; cook it just enough to be able to pour off excess fat. Then comes the longest cooking vegetables which are usually carrots, then potatoes, onions and a clove of garlic, all cut up into your acceptable size. My acceptable size is normally larger than Polly's. Each time I add a vegetable, I stir everything together so the flavor gets swapped around. You never completely cook any vegetable or the meat, when it is first added because you continue to cook everything during the whole process. I add vegetables and finally get down to the last things, like celery, Swiss chard, spinach and mushrooms. It is best, as you get a feel for cooking time, to have the vegetables slightly crisp as the Japanese do. One nice variation I have done is to get a head of cabbage which will fit in the center of the cooking dish with room around it for the other vegetables. After the meat is slightly cooked, I put the cabbage, whole, in the center and add and stir everything as indicated. The cabbage in the center absorbs flavors from everything and when all is done, the cabbage can be cut into slices with each serving and it is delicious. As you near the end of the cooking cycle, you add the spices which you like salt, pepper, etc. I always add at least a touch of salsa! May you have many, varying delicious stir-frys! This is a recipe from our database at Cookbooks On/Line! 1,000,000+ free recipes and free software at: http://www.cookbooks.com Accuracy is believed to be good, but is not guaranteed. This recipe posting is intended for personal use only. You can print a copy for yourself and/or your friends, but you cannot publish it or post it to any Internet or other public site without our permission. |