East West Stir Fry

Look No Further For Great Stir Fry Recipes!

This East West Stir Fry recipe is one of my favorite stir fry recipes and has been tops on my list of Chinese food recipes for decades.

When I was a young, newlywed cook, woks first came on the mainstream scene. Having grown up in a rural western NY town, I had never really experienced Chinese food until I moved to NJ after getting married. I quickly became a Chinese food recipes lover, though, so I was an enthusiastic wok cook during those years.

I like wok cooking because it was fast, easy, healthy and delicious! I bought one of those specialty niche cookbooks that you can grab for $6 or so on the bargain tables at your local bookstore and a version of East West Stir Fry was in it. Over the years, I've put my own stamp on this recipe.

I highly recommend you make this recipe in a wok, but if you don't have one, you can use a heavy fry pan. The wok, with its high sloping sides, however, is specially designed to cook food quickly and with a minimum amount of fat. This stir fry recipe has become a family favorite. I hope you enjoy it too...

East West Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground beef
3 T. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup celery, sliced diagonally
1 medium carrot, sliced into thin strips
1/4 lb fresh green beans
1 small white turnip, peeled & sliced
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 T. honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp water
1 bag baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped peanuts
2 cups cooked white rice

Directions:

Shape beef into large patty. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over high heat in your wok (or fry pan). Add beef patty and brown for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Break meat into chunks and cook for about 30 more seconds. Remove from the wok and let drain.

Pour remaining oil into the wok and add the vegetables. Cook for 2 minutes and then add the broth by pouring it slowly down the sides of the wok to heat it. Reduce the burner heat and cover the wok for 2 to 3 minutes. Check that the vegetables are crisp-tender.

Next, add the honey, soy sauce, and cornstarch mixed with water. Return the meat to the pan, stir and heat until sauce thickens slightly. Finally, add the spinach and cover the pan for 1 minute to wilt it. Stir the spinach into the stir fry mixture.

This recipe is quick to cook, but do allow adequate time to cut up all of your veggies. Depending on your knife skills (and your knives), that can take a while. Of course, you can prepare the veggies ahead of time too and just store in the fridge till you're ready to cook!

Serve the stir fry over the rice and then sprinkle with the peanuts. Beyond yummy!

A note on the variations... over the years, I have often made this meal with different variations. But what gives it such rich, delicious flavor is the way you cook the meat, preserving its juiciness and the mix of flavors that go into the sauce. So try not to stray too far from those!

Variations

Add other vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, bamboo shoots, bok choy, water chestnuts, etc.
Use prepared shredded carrots to make things easier
Substitute ground turkey or soy crumbles for the hamburger (though I don't guarantee the same great flavor!).
Add some 5-spice mix to the seasonings.
Serve over brown rice instead of white rice.
Use cashews instead of peanuts.

These are just a few suggestions... the possible variations are almost endless...