Lemon Garlic Ginger Stir Fry

Lemon Garlic Ginger Stir Fry

Little did we know our eight-year-old (picky eater) boy likes snap peas! He relished in opening them with his fingers and licking out the peas then crunching happily on the pods. You’ll notice this stir fry is pretty saucy – that is per Max’s request. He likes the sauce in Asian dishes, and somehow manages to eat even the messiest things with his fingers! Despite constant reminders and prodding to use his spoon or fork, he managed to down a sizable bowl of this stuff sans utensils!

This stir fry was a little warm for such a hot Minnesota evening, but it has a nice ginger lemon freshness that fits well with summer. I decided not to use my food processor as I normally do, but to instead pull out the mortar and pestle. My thinking was to get the ginger and garlic oils out so the dish would hold a stronger flavor. It seemed to work. I also prepped all the veggies into bowls and made the sauce ahead. I find that stir frying is such a fast process, that it works better if everything is ready to toss into the pan.

Ingredients:

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. canola oil

broccoli

snap peas

baby bok choi

1 red pepper

5 cloves garlic

1 finger fresh ginger

1/2 lemon juiced

1 serrano chile pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 Tbs. rice wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 Tbs. sugar

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Step One:

Chop each of the vegetables and set out in individual bowls near the stove.

Step Two:

Chop the garlic, ginger and chile pepper. Then smash the chopped seasonings in a mortar and pestle. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon into the mixture and stir.

Step Three:

In a lowball glass mix soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, rice wine vinegar, sugar and cornstarch.

Step Four:

Kick everyone out of the kitchen so you don’t overcook the veggies! Heat a large skillet or wok and add the sesame and canola oil. By the way, I never actually measure the oil going into the pan, so please use as much oil as you deem necessary for a nice coating. Toss in the broccoli and stir until it begins to turn bright green. This just takes a minute or two. Then add the bok choi and mix into broccoli. Then toss in peppers and peas. Mix the veggies for a half minute or so. Now, move the veggies away from a small spot of the bottom of the pan so you can do a quick saute of the garlic ginger concoction. Once these are in the pan, keep them moving as you do not want the garlic to burn. Once you smell the fragrance released, mix everything in the pan together and add the other 1/4 cup of water. You can add more if you want a more saucy stirfry. Your heat should be on high and the water should very quickly come to a boil around the edges of the pan. Once you see the water boil, add your sauce and mix well. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.