ROUSES_JulyAug2019_Magazine

by David W. Brown Take aWok on the Wild Side Unless you grew up eating it, there’s little chance you have much experience preparing Asian cuisine. Thankfully, there is one dish that is accessible and delicious, and makes a perfect romantic dinner for two (provided you spring for a bottle of wine). That dish is the classic vegetable stir-fry. “Cooking stir-fry at home is about cooking something very small very quickly,” says Marc Ardoin, the corporate chef of Rouses Markets. “Once you start cooking, you don’t stop until the dish is finished.” People often think “hibachi grills” when they think of stir-fry, and a long counter with seating for a dozen. You see yourself flipping around your metal utensils and flicking a cooked carrot across the table and into someone’s mouth. No offense, but that ain’t you. If you’re reading an article in a free grocery store magazine to learn how to make a stir-fry, do not spin your knives like a bored samurai, and do not flick at your dinner guest a veggie that was freshly seared in hot oil. That’s how a date night turns into a ride in an ambulance. Because this dish is all about speed, preparation is everything. When it comes to the vegetables you use, it’s OK to be creative. Peppers, onions, carrots and shallots are obvious choices, but you can also go with things like cabbage and eggplant. No matter what you choose, however, Ardoin recommends chopping everything small and of a uniform size. “You don’t want anything big that takes a long time to cook,” he says. “It’s prepped, right there, and ready to go.” A stir-fry is forgiving when it comes to starches as well. If you’re using noodles, you can go with rice noodles, egg noodles or even leftover pasta from that dish you made after reading the Rouses Italian issue. Whatever you prefer! Cook and cool your pasta before you begin. If you want to use rice instead, go with a regular long grain rice — again, cooked and cooled. When preparing rice for a stir-fry, rather than using two cups of water for every one cup of rice as you might normally do, try using one-and-three-quarters cups of water per cup of rice. That makes the rice a little firmer and helps it stand up to the frying process. You don’t want it to be too mushy. The only hardware you really need when making a good stir-fry is that same wok that everyone gets as a wedding gift. Once your

ingredients are prepped, the first step is to heat up your oil in the wok. You’ll want to use a blend of sesame and vegetable (or canola) oil. A blend is necessary because sesame oil has a very low smoke point and won’t hold up to high heat. (It will break down and burn faster.) But add a little vegetable oil, and the smoke point of the entire blend is elevated. “You’re not using a lot of oil,” says Ardoin. “Use two or three tablespoons, total, in your wok.” Once the oil is almost smoking hot, it’s time to make your base. First, add garlic, ginger and green onions to the wok and quickly stir. (This is the most common base flavor.) Once they are heated — and they will heat quickly! — add red chili flakes to your liking, and then the harder vegetables you’ve chosen to cook, such as carrots. After a few seconds, begin adding vegetables that don’t take as long to cook — things like onions and bell peppers. Stir as frequently as you can. You’re stirring. You’re frying. Now it’s time to add your noodles or rice. “Right before you add one of them,” recommends Ardoin, “toss some fresh basil in there so that it gets a really fragrant, peppery bite.” Because you’re working with oil at such a high heat, things are going to cook quickly. Once your noodles or rice are nice and crispy, it’s time to add soy sauce or fish sauce. Which you choose depends on your personal preference and your doctor’s recommendations with respect to your blood pressure. (Fish sauce is really salty.) “For soy sauce, you might use two ounces for a dinner for two. You don’t need a lot because the ingredients you’ve used will add so much flavor to it.” For your romantic dinner for two, if you’re drinking wine, go for something dry. You’ll have so many other flavors in your dish that you don’t want anything too fruity. A sauvignon blanc is a winning idea, or a dry chardonnay. If you’re going all in on this thing, consider warming some sake. But don’t start drinking until you’re done cooking: That oil is hot, and avoiding an ambulance while stir-frying is always one of our goals. And just like that, you’re done.

Essential Asian Ingredients

76

JULY•AUGUST 2019