The key to a good stir fry is both ingredients and timing – follow this exact recipe for a restaurant-quality stir fry that the whole family will love. Not only is it tasty and nutritious, it’s the perfect meal to make when you’re busy, just remember to marinate the chicken two hours in advance as you want the rich flavor to pop!

Stir Fry with Chicken

Ingredients:
2 medium onions
2 medium red or green peppers (one of each is best, but go with what’s fresh and cheap)
1 bunch broccoli
1 yellow zucchini; or 12 okra; or 12 large flat beans (taste and season dependent)
largish handful of yellow beans if available ends trimmed and cut in half; or 1/2 a small cauliflower broken into small florets; or 2 medium carrots peeled trimmed and sliced fairly thin
1 large handful of bean sprouts
1-2 boneless chicken breast, skinned (buy with skin on and take it off yourself and save a couple of bucks!)
1 large lime
black bean sauce (sold in jars at any grocer)
soy sauce (you can use regular, dark, lite or mushroom soy-whatever’s available)
3 large garlic cloves
2 inch piece of ginger
3 large green onions
cumin seeds or powder
fresh coriander leaves (also called cilantro) or coriander powder
sesame oil
oyster sauce (optional)

Pre-cooking:

At least two hours before cooking, put the skinless chicken in a large freezer bag.
Add two tablespoons of black bean sauce; the juice of 1 lime; and a good splash sesame oil.
Force air out of the bag, seal and shake it thoroughly to mix and coat. Set aside on the counter.

Prepare the vegetables:

1. Peel and chop each onion into large pieces – cut into eighths.
2. Clean and chop peppers into large bite sized pieces.
3. Wash trim and/or peel all other vegetables.
4. Peel and fine dice garlic, ginger and 2 green onions and mix these three together.
5. If you are using carrots, cauliflower or broccoli, pre-steam these lightly:
   5-6 minutes for carrots; 3-4 minutes for cauliflower; 2-3 minutes for broccoli flowers and 3-4 minutes for thin rounds of broccoli stems). DO NOT PRE-BOIL AS THIS ELIMINATES ALL NUTRIENTS AND MUCH OF THE FLAVOR.
6. If you don’t have a steamer, then use a cooking pan (wok or large fry pan): Heat a little oil, add the veg and stir fry a couple of minutes, sprinkle a very little bit of water on them, turn heat to medium and cover. After 2-3 minutes, stir again and add another sprinkle of water if necessary, then re-cover and cook one more minute.

Set everything aside in a bowl.

Recipe:

1. Put chicken under the grill, and turn every 3-4 minutes.
2. It should take about 10 minutes to cook. To test, slice right through middle to ensure there is no pink (a hint of pink color in the white doesn’t matter, but if there is distinct pinkness in the middle it’s not cooked).
3. Slice the chicken cooked breast into thinnish bite size pieces and set aside.
4. Put a splash of oil (Canola is best) in a wok or large fry pan on medium or medium-high (for wok) heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop in a small piece of the diced green onion in the pan, it should instantly sizzle.
5. Add garlic mixture, cumin and coriander and immediately stir around for 10 seconds then immediately add onion and peppers and stir around until mixed.
6. Leave mixture to fry for 1-2 minutes, then stir around and leave another 1-2 minutes, then add all other veg, including anything that was pre-steamed.
7. Turn heat up to medium high. Stirring occasionally, stir fry until it’s at a texture that is cooked but not soft.
8. Add the sliced chicken, a good splash of soy (not too much-people can always add more at the table) and 1 large tablespoon of oyster sauce (optional). Mix around and cook another 1-2 minutes.

This dish can be serves as-is or over plain boiled rice.

In either case garnish with the third green onion – finely chopped and sprinkled over the served portions.

If serving over rice, you’ll probably want an extra splash of soy in the stir fry.