Sweet and Spicy Stir Fry

The Date: 19 October 2011

The Occasion: I saw a friend eating some mini Asian taco things at lunch a few weeks ago, and I decided I would try an Asian dinner of my own in the near future. I even wrote in my planner "look up Asian food." Now, I guess this meal is stretching it as far as authentic Asian goes, but it fit my flavor category for "Asian," and that was enough for a Wednesday night.

The Recipe: I looked at a lot of stir fry recipes, and settled on this one. It was great as-is; I've only made a few changes in my version, below.

How it Went:
I swapped a few ingredients for similar things that I had on hand. I pretty much stuck to the recipe, though, and was pleased with the result!

Your Turn:
In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 T olive oil. Add

• 2 chopped chicken breasts
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, finely minced 
• a dash of ground ginger

Stir fry until chicken is no longer pink.

Transfer chicken mixture to a bowl.

Add another splash of olive oil to the wok, then add

instagr.am veggies

• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 and 1/2 fresh petite green beans (I substituted a few chopped stalks of celery, some chopped scallions, and some thinly sliced carrots)

Stir fry about 3 minutes. Then add 2 T water, cover, and cook another 2 minutes.

Now we'll mix up the sauce. Mix

• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1 T cornstarch
• 1 T sugar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 T white vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Whisk well. Add sauce and chicken mixture, stir and let cook a few more minutes while you set the table.

Stir in

• 1 C canned or fresh chopped pineapple
• 1/3 C dry roasted peanuts

Serve with white rice or noodles.

You'll taste that quarter-teaspoon of Cayenne!