Stir-Fry

  • Just wondering what you all put in your Stir-Fry's. I seem to make them all the time since they are easy enough and low point value. I use the Kikkoman Teryaki sauce and marinade, which is zero points. I add chicken, brocolli, cauliflower, onion, peppers, celery, sometimes corn. I feel like its getting boring now. What do you all put in yours? I am looking for some yummy ideas to do to mine next time...(tomorrow night, its my "safe food") I like scrambled eggs in it.... i know thats weird, but its yummy!

    Also, i made my boyfriend some Naan bread pizza's for dinner one night, and i used my calculator on them. They came up as 1 point for a huge garlic Naan bread. Does that make any sense at all? i thought they were way more then that value wise. I was thinking the label was wrong... very wrong! It was from one of those places where they were baked elsewhere but then brought to the store to be sold. The store was a place equiv to Trader Joes in the US, we call it FarmBoy, i think its the same type of place. Anyhow, it was a normal nutritional label... but could it have really been that low?? if so, im loadin up on the naan bread lol.
  • Dont forget the true asian staples: sliced waterchestnuts or bamboo shoots. Crunchy, a little sweet and a wonderful complement to other veggies. they also absorb the flavors from the rest of the dish.

    Sometimes I use riced cauliflower instead of real rice. Yummy and more veggies! And dont forget the mushrooms!

    We cook lots of asian food and spend our minimal carbs on ingredients. Bamboo shoots, sliced waterchestnuts, and various types of canned mushrooms are staples in our pantry. We get them really cheap when on sale. Try them out! Yummy. Also look for tai seasonings as well as traditional stuff, worth cheking out.
  • Naan: All the naan I've seen (which btw is some of the most delicious breadstuff in this world) is definitely a good chunk of points. No good naan should be only 1 point unless it's very, very tiny.

    I used WW Online to search and they show 1 piece of naan (85 g) at 5 points. Watch serving size, too. The kind that I sometimes see in the stores shows one piece of naan as THREE servings. So whatever the nutritional value they had a person had to multiply by three in order to eat a whole piece.
  • I've gotten naan from Trader Joe's before, and it's definitely been 7 or 8 points per piece.

    As for stir fry, try adding some fruit. I know it sounds weird, but one of my favorite Asian restaurants uses mango in a curry/stir fry dish and it's so good. So you could try mango or peaches or something with that sort of consistency.
  • Cashew!!!! they are so good in stir fry! adds a bit of points but Yummyyyyy!
  • Hoisin and/or oyster sauce, and sriracha - yum! My town is also blessed with the largest Asian supermarket in the state!
    I often use no sodium broth as well.

    When I'm lazy also really like the Archer Farms frozen stir fry veggies that Target sells - they taste FRESH!
  • All excellent ideas. I would LOVE to include mushrooms, but my boyfriend hates them with a passion so i have to leave em out or put them on the side (which seems to be too much work and 1 more pan to clean lol). Cashews sounds interesting. I tried the baby corn in there too which was good, i dont like the texture or crunch of the waterchesnut though, i always pick them out if i find them in a frozen dinner meal.

    Munchy, we have a huge asian market here too... called T & T Supermarket. Its massive. However, i went in there once and never want to go back. The smell of seafood in there turned my stomach so bad i had to leave it. A whole grocery store should never smell like the smelliest fish you have ever smelt!
  • Quote: All excellent ideas. I would LOVE to include mushrooms, but my boyfriend hates them with a passion so i have to leave em out or put them on the side (which seems to be too much work and 1 more pan to clean lol). Cashews sounds interesting. I tried the baby corn in there too which was good, i dont like the texture or crunch of the waterchesnut though, i always pick them out if i find them in a frozen dinner meal.

    Munchy, we have a huge asian market here too... called T & T Supermarket. Its massive. However, i went in there once and never want to go back. The smell of seafood in there turned my stomach so bad i had to leave it. A whole grocery store should never smell like the smelliest fish you have ever smelt!
    Ha, I know the smell - they also have full roasted ducks hanging in the window, and it's intense. It's worth it to me because a lot of their produce (Japanese eggplant, broccoli, scallions, limes, cilantro and their tofu) is a great price!. Honestly, stop and shop sells a few of the same items, but the cost is 3x what you pay at the Asian market, and usually the brand isn't as tasty.
  • Quote: Hoisin and/or oyster sauce, and sriracha - yum! My town is also blessed with the largest Asian supermarket in the state!
    I often use no sodium broth as well.
    I love Hoisin sauce!!!

    I love to mix 1/2 cup of hoisin sauce with 1/3 cup of orange juice, add a tsp of cornstach and mix a bit in a pan. I add some chinese spices mix. It's great with sliced porc and tons of veggies and it's really quick to do

    And then my bf just destroy all the taste of my receipe by adding TONS of sriracha to his plate. ''Thanx honey, always good you like my cooking'' LOL
  • I love doing pineapple in a wok bowl. I am pretty picky, but I have: chicken, bean sprouts (lots, I love them), peas, water chestnuts (lots, I love them, too), mushrooms, carrots, celery, cashews (1 Tbs at the most) and some sesame seeds. I don't like heat/spice, but a good teriyaki sauce is priceless in my house.
  • OSU - Which teryaki do you use?
  • I love shopping at the asian market (though sometimes the fish smell gets to me). There are are all kinds of neat veggies to try, if you could somehow overcome that. (dab some vicks vapor rub under your nose?)

    Anyway--some of the veggies I like are pak choi, bok choi, lotus root (it's beautiful too!) fresh ginger, garlic shoots/greens from the farmer's market, different kinds of mushrooms (enoki is awesome in stir fry!), shiso leaves or thai basil shredded and sprinkled in at the table (so they're not overcooked), cilantro, daikon radish, japanese or indian eggplant (in addition to all the great veggies already mentioned).

    I don't do all that stuff all the time, but mix and match according to my whim.

    You can also try cooking in different oils (sesame or coconut if you don't mind adding a bit of points to see how you like the flavor). If you like Thai food, try adding a little bit of fish sauce to see how you like that!

    I think one of my fave stir fry preps is to skip the soy sauce or teriyaki or marinade, and just do a little bit of coconut oil, to cook things in with a splash of fish sauce and some fresh cilantro and sriracha (rooster sauce, hot!).

    Stir fry is so much fun to play with. You can try different veggies OR change the seasonings/flavorings--I think the latter can have the greatest impact on flavor.
  • Tiger those are some good ideas. I used to work close to China town in our city and saw some interesting stuff there to cook with, but for convenience i just go to the local grocer.. who never has that type of produce. I think i may make a trip though and see what goodies i can find. Ya tend to get sick of the very same stuff all the time, which is i guess why we end up eating the stuff thats not so good for us.

    Lately ive been craving shawarma's! good grief... but id have to tell the guy to go EASSSY on the chicken! cause they put sooo much.