Vegetarian Stir Fry

Ingredients:

Necessary:

Medium size cuts of Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, Grains, or Tofu
Flavoring (Spices, Salt, Pepper, Herbs, Curries, or Sauces of choice)
Oil or Butter for stir frying

Suggested Ingredients and Properties:

It is best to always use the most fresh, bright, colorful, and tasty ingredients in stir fries. Because of the diversity of stir fries, a person can use just about any ingredient of their choice. Stir fries are a great way of using the vegetables in your refrigerator or that you don't know what to do with. Some of the best vegetables to use in stir fries is broccoli, carrots, cauliflour, squash, peppers, mushrooms, corn, cooked beans, cooked peas, potatoes, and cabbage or a hard green of some type. Some of the best fruits to use in stir fries are pineapples, oranges, mangos, or coconuts. All kinds of nuts are great with stir fries. Tofu is also a great replacement of meat in a stir fry. Cooked rice is also a good way to replace meat in a stir fry. Always be sure to have the same amount of ingredients in the stir fry. Also be sure that each ingredient is cut to be the exact same size so that all ingredients cook evenly. For flavorings, always be sure to have enough to complement the amount of ingredients that you have. Suggested flavorings are garlic, onion, soy sauce, various curry pastes, ginger, lemon or lime juice, other fruit juice, hot peppers, or any other sauce, spice, herb, or paste. If using garlic, it can be minced, chopped, pureed, or whole. Two to three garlic cloves is best when cooking for one person. Ginger has the same properties as garlic. For onions, it is best to use a lot of it and to cut it the same size as other ingredients. Be sure not to use to much curry or any other spicy or strong flavorings. Add soy sauce or any other sauce to your liking. Do not over power the ingredients with to much flavorings. Do not burn flavorings or overcook ingredients.

Directions:

Cut and prepare ingredients. (vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, tofu, and other) They are best when cut evenly into medium or bite size peices. Cut and prepare flavorings. (garlic, onion, ginger, fruit juice, sauces, spices, pastes, curries, and seasonings) Garlic and ginger are best minced, chopped, pureed, or whole. Onion is best when cut the same size as other ingredients. Be sure to balance out the flavorings properly (and evenly) so that the flavorings do not over power the ingredients but are not so mild that food is bland. After preparations have been made, heat oil or butter in a large skillet or wok on medium high to high heat (be sure to always use a non stick wok). When oil or butter is melted and hot, either add hard ingredient of flavoring first. (If you are using garlic, onion, ginger, or a paste of some type, always add those before any thing else - stir fry them for one to two minutes (do not let them burn or overcook - if they overcook they will turn brownish or dark). Then add the hardest or firmest ingredients first and stir fry. (The hardest ingredients are most likely going to be vegetables, nuts, or grains. Broccolil, cauliflour, carrot, squash, corn, beans, peas, a hard green, and potatoes will be the hardest vegetables. Do not add tofu, mushrooms, or peppers until the first ingredients are half way cooked. Any type of nut or grain such as rice can be added to the stir fry with the hard vegetables. After the hard vegetables and ingredients have been stir fried for two to three minutes, add the soft ingredients (mushrooms, peppers, fruit, and tofu - if using tofu, be sure to use firm tofu so it doesn't fall apart when stir frying). Stir fry all of the ingredients together for another minute or so then add any other flavorings to the mixture (sauces, spices, and herbs). Mix it all together so that the flavorings are distributed evenly throuout the stir fry. Add some drops of water and cover. Turn the heat down to medium/low and steam till the water evaporates. (This step can be skipped) The stir fry is now ready. A vegetarian stir fry is great when served with or over cooked rice, or noodles. Some people like their vegetables cooked well so that they are soft and juicy. Others like their vegetables to still hold a hard and crunchy texture. Cook your stir fry to your own liking. Also be carful not to stir constantly as this will give your stir fry a soft mushy texture. You can garnish the stir fry with fresh cut lime, lemon, or orange wedges, pineapple slices, fresh herbs and leaves, or sesame seeds. Serve hot and fresh. Enjoy!

This recipe serves as many as you prepare.