By Marie Oser
Scripps Howard News Service
Stir-frying is perhaps the best known of the Chinese cooking methods. It involves quick cooking over high heat in a small amount of oil while stirring the food frequently during the process.
Stir-frying can be done in a Chinese wok or in any nonstick frying pan. Although you may use a regular frying pan, a wok will cook more quickly. I prefer to use a heavy-gauge, 14-inch stir-fry pan that features the sloping sides of the typical wok, without the accessories that I find largely non-essential.
A stir-fry pan of this size is similar to the wok, in that the heat concentrates at the bottom of the pan and the curved sides allow you to push the ingredients to cooler areas. This type of pan also has a long handle for easy maneuvering. Quick cooking in this way preserves the flavor, color and texture of the food, and the vegetables come out slightly crisp with more of their vitamins intact.
The technique generally calls for an oil with a high smoking point, such as corn or safflower oil, and to heat the oil to the smoking point. In choosing a stir-fry pan with a heavier gauge than the typical wok, there really isn't the need for such oils. Additionally, I use only olive oil, which is largely monounsaturated fat and, as such, lowers the LDL (bad) cholesterol, and raises the HDL (good) cholesterol.
It is not a good idea to heat oil until it smokes. Nutritionist-author Suzanne Havala-Hobbs confirms that doing so oxidizes the fat, producing possibly cancer-causing properties to form.
This dish features what I consider to be an essential vegetable in Chinese cookery, snow peas. This legume is entirely edible, including the pod. Snow peas are similar to fresh green peas, but much more delicate. They are available year-round, and are at their peak in spring and fall. A truly wonderful vegetable if fresh, its bright green pod is thin, crisp and almost translucent, and the tiny seeds inside are tender and sweet. Frozen snow peas simply do not have all the qualities of fresh. Pinch the tips before using and cook for no more than a minute. The larger snow peas might need to have strings removed; however, these usually pull off when you remove the ends.
Tofu And Snow Peas
Ingredients:
Marinade:
1 cup vegetarian chicken broth
1/3 cup tamari
2 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. granulated garlic
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
one 19-ounce package very firm Chinese-style tofu (packed in water)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tbsp. dried minced garlic
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 cup thinly sliced red onion (quarter and slice into strips)
2 slices vegetarian Canadian bacon, cut into thin strips
one 8-ounce package button mushrooms, sliced
12 ounces fresh snow peas, rinsed and trimmed
3 cups cooked short grain brown rice
Preparation:
Combine the marinade ingredients in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Rinse tofu and cut into 1-inch cubes. Place in a medium non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic), add marinade, cover and refrigerate a few hours or, optimally, overnight. Heat oil, crushed pepper, garlic and ginger over medium-high heat, 2 minutes. Add onions and vegetarian bacon; saute 2 minutes. Add slightly drained tofu and mushrooms, and discard marinade. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the snow peas and cook mixture just until peas are heated through, about one minute. Remove pan from heat and serve immediately with steamed baby carrots and brown rice.
6 Servings
Nutrition analysis per 2-cup serving:
Calories: 256; protein 16 g; carb 36 g; fiber 6 g; fat 6 g; chol 0.0 mg; calcium 115 mg; sodium 236 mg.
Calories from protein: 25 percent. Calories from carb: 55 percent. Calories from fat: 20 percent.
Traditional Beef and Snow Peas and White Rice
Nutrition analysis per 2-cup serving:
Calories: 624; protein 23 g; carb 41 g; fiber 3 g; fat 40 g; chol 64 mg; calcium 96 mg; sodium 334 mg
Calories from protein: 22 percent. Calories from carb: 40 percent. Calories from fat: 38 percent.
Notes on ingredients:
- Yves Veggie Canadian Bacon is an authentic wholesome alternative. Practically indiscernible from the traditional in appearance, aroma and flavor. This soy-based ingredient adds protein and carbohydrates with very little fat.
- Chinese-style tofu is sold packed in tubs of water in the refrigerated case at supermarkets and health-food stores. This type of tofu is best for any dish where the tofu will be handled a lot, such as in stir-frying. You may also find clear packages of shrink-wrapped tofu labed firm nigari tofu. This is also Chinese-style tofu.
- Tamari is a wheat-free, natural soy sauce. Darker in color than typical soy sauce, tamari has a rich, mellow flavor. Several brands of tamari are available in health-food stores, Asian markets and some supermarkets. Brands include Eden, San J, Tree of Life and Westbrae.
(Marie Oser is a best-selling author and on-camera chef at
www.VegTv.com. Her latest book is
The Enlightened Kitchen, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. She can be reached at
www.veggiechef.com.)
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