the quest for perfect stirfry, part one

It’s not unsurprising that, despite the great work of our dining hall staff, there isn’t much of a food culture among students at boarding schools. I say food culture, really, as a pretentious way of saying an appreciation of food. All of us are hungry, and most of us make it a habit of complaining about whichever school-provided meals don’t fit our specific palette. At my school, however, students do experience a rare culinary unity around stir fry. Armed with flimsy spatulas and many-times-burned woks, students line up for the stir fry stations every lunch and dinner ready to smother a plate of chicken and veggies with soy sauce, teryaki, and honey. Most of those who cook at the stations are convinced of the superiority of their stir-fry recipes, and most aren’t very skilled with the Wok (myself included). But there are a few times, a few rare miracle moments, when it all comes together, and the meal turns out well. I'm going to undertake the quest for the perfect at-school recipe, stir fry or otherwise. I'm starting with my own peanut sauce stirfry, but then it'll be onto everyone else’s- tagging along with aspiring chefs for a few minutes a day in a quest to find that perfect recipe, that one combination of sauces and spices which can deliver a satisfying bite.

Ok, so what’s going on here? Looks nasty. I know.

I’ll start with ingredients.

For the sauce:

• 2 Tbsp Peanut Butter

• 1 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce

• 1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

• ½ Tbsp Sesame Oil

• ½ Tbsp Sriracha (if you like spicy food; can be omitted)

• ½ Tbsp Honey

Sauce preperation instructions:

1. In a bowl, mix 1/4 tbsp water, and all of the sauces except for the peanut butter and nutritional yeast (in order given).

2. Add peanut butter and mix under fully combined, adding a little water if needed. Use a fork- this will take a little patience.

3. Gradually add nutritional yeast and mix until thick and creamy.

For the meat and veggies:

• 1 cup chicken

• ⅔ cup cabbage OR rice noodles

• ⅓ cup carrots

• Corn if preferred

• Salt to taste

• Pepper to taste

• Chili flakes to taste

1. Put wok on MEDIUM LOW HEAT. Add in ½ tbsp canola oil, and add all veggies. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Stir-fry for one minute.

2. Add in sauce, and mix fully with veggies; once mixed, add chicken, and mix again.

3. Put wok on LOW HEAT, and mixing thoroughly, gradually add a marginal amount of soy and sesame oil until desired sauce consistency is attained and chicken is well-cooked.

4. Serve over plain, white rice, or on it’s own with a side of cream cheese toast. Trust me on this.

That’s it. I’m not going to review my own recipe, as I’m obviously biased, but if you have a stir-fry recommendation or a recipe you’d like me to review, please reach out. Peace.