My older son has been begging for a stir-fry all week! Tonight, he finally gets his wish. Stir fries are so easy to make and they are really, really hard to mess up. I like to save stir-fry night for any night it looks like I have a hodge-podge of produce that might need to get used up quickly. A stir fry is a great vehicle for throwing different veggies together! At this time of year in North Carolina, we have A LOT of great local veggies from which to choose. I listed a few ingredients below but you can use whatever you or your children love to eat.
You can make a stir fry with leftover rice or rice noodles. Whatever you have on hand will do just fine. Stir fries are naturally gluten-free and, in our house, usually vegetarian. Today, we are making ours with rice noodles. You can find rice noodles in your international food aisle – follow the directions on the package – they only take a few minutes to cook. Super easy! A stir fry is great for dinner but the leftovers also work well for lunch the next day – at home or in your child’s thermos for school lunch.
Ingredients for our stir fry …
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| Home grown corn!!! |
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Assorted vegetables from our CSA box this week ...
– Green beans or long beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces
– Sliced red pepper
– 1 ear of corn, kernels removed
– 2 carrots, cut into small disks
– 1 zucchini, cut into small pieces
2 eggs, scrambled
Rice noodles, cooked (or 1 1/2 cups rice, cooked and cooled)
Ingredients for stir-fry sauce …
1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten free) or tamari
1/4 cup veggie broth, chicken stock, or water
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Fish sauce, optional – a teaspoon or so
Directions …
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| Rice noodles, draining |
1. Heat olive oil in a large pan or wok.
2. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion is translucent.
3. Add the remaining veggies and cook until they are soft.
4. Add the scrambled egg and stir to combine.
5. Add the rice noodles or rice. Stir.
6. Whisk together the stir fry sauce ingredients. Pour the stir fry sauce evenly over the top.
7. Gently stir your veggies, eggs, and noodles over low heat for about a minute.
8. Remove from heat and serve!
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| Our veggie taste-tester … he’s a pro. |
A note about soy sauce … Most soy sauce is made with wheat as a main ingredient! However, I have found that almost all supermarkets sell either gluten-free soy sauce or tamari sauce so look for those options at your local store when you are making a stir fry!
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| Tamari Sauce and Sesame Oil from my local Harris Teeter … |
Hi, Great quick recipe. Is Tamari Sause soy based or otherwise. I am looking for options other than soy!- Thanks
Hi! Tamari sauce is ALSO soy based. If you wanted to avoid soy altogether, have you tried Fish Sauce? You could not use fish sauce exactly the same way as you would use soy – a little goes a long way! However, if you are making a stir fry sauce, try experimenting with a combination of fish sauce, lime juice, rice wine vinegar … thicken it up with a little bit of cornstarch …. maybe even coconut milk or peanut butter! I will try to come up with a soy-free stir fry alternative! Stay tuned…
WOW, you are a wealth of information! I have not had fish sauce. I will try it! The nut idea would be a great way to thicken I would think also. I will visit you again to see what other great recipes inspire me. Thank you for responding!
Glad it helped! I can pick up fish sauce at my local Harris Teeter – in the international food aisle. You should be able to find it pretty easily. It is most commonly used in Thai foods. Have fun experimenting!