I always say to Emily, "You're amazing ..." And she always says back, "YOU'RE amazing!" That's why this dish is called "Emily's Stir Fry".
I haven't taught cooking in person in my great kitchen for almost two years ... y'know ... lockdown and all. But I wanted to for my client, Emily, because she's had such a profound healing ...
Due to professional confidentiality, I can't reveal anything about this healing. And her name may not even be Emily ...
But I can reveal something ... she really wanted to know some cooking basics. Which seems to be a given for many of my young clients these days.
One even believed wrongly that restaurant food was more sanitary than what you made at home. I had to tell her that ... with just a few easy precautions ... that was definitely NOT the case. And that eating restaurant food would definitely make her GAIN instead of lose weight.
Learning Cooking ...
One of the things Emily wanted to learn was a simple stir fry. She also was a little nervous about boiling water for pasta. So I decided to combine the two and include a skill that made a stir-fry really special ... velveting.
Velveting chicken is a Chinese secret weapon that ... instead of just sauteing the chicken ... leaves it a bit crispy on the outside and super-moist of the inside ... exactly the texture you want.
So I added this really easy extra step ... and by the end of the session she was a lot more comfortable with the boiling and draining.
I also included what I call "Chinese Super-Sauce" ... again another uber-easy concoction that makes any stir-fry foolproof. Want to make this uber-Paleo ... use arrowroot or tapioca starch instead of the cornstarch.
All you need to do is ... "velvet" the chicken, whip up the sauce, stir-fry whatever veggies you want (you can also add rice, Gluten Free or low-carb pasta if you'd like to make a Lo Mein), mix in the sauce, wait until it bubbles and thickens ... and you're done. The choice of all that is up to you.
The recipe makes a lot of sauce ... just use enough to coat everything and refrigerate the rest for another use. Also ... traditional Chinese dishes come with rice ... but that's not terribly Paleo. Eat a little, use low-carb Banza "rice" pasta instead, or skip it altogether.
This is a gift to Emily ... and to all of you. Happy cooking! And eat it up ... FOR REAL!
AuthorJill PlaceThe BEST sauce and finger-lickin' chicken recipe this side of a Chinese restaurant. And so simple even my cooking-uneasy client can do it!
Whisk egg white, vinegar, cornstarch or arrowroot, and salt together in a small bowl until marinade is smooth. Add chicken; cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes or longer.
Bring water and oil to a boil in a pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
Pour excess marinade off the chicken. Add chicken to the pot; boil until white on the outside but still raw in the middle, about 1 minute. Remove from water.
Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use, up to a few hours. Or use right away. Add at end of stir fry and cook until chicken is heated through.
In a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, place the soy sauce or aminos and cornstarch or arrowroot. Whisk vigorously until the starch is completely dissolved.
Add the rice vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic powder, dried onion, and stock and whisk until smooth. Add about 1 tbsp. of chopped scallion and mix to combine. Set aside.
Heat a saute pan or wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed onto it. Pour in some oil (I use grapeseed) and heat until sizzling. You don't have to use much (1-2 tbsp.) if you're using a nonstick pan.
Add the veggies and, depending upon what veggies you use, stir-fry ... stirring frequently ... until veggies are crisp-tender and coated with oil, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the chicken a cook about 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
Pour in enough sauce to coat everything and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to cook, undisturbed, until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add cooked noodles (prepared according to package directions) if using and stir to combine; add more sauce if necessary.
Sprinkle on remaining scallions and serve immediately.
Ingredients
Directions
Whisk egg white, vinegar, cornstarch or arrowroot, and salt together in a small bowl until marinade is smooth. Add chicken; cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator 30 minutes or longer.
Bring water and oil to a boil in a pot over high heat. Reduce heat to medium.
Pour excess marinade off the chicken. Add chicken to the pot; boil until white on the outside but still raw in the middle, about 1 minute. Remove from water.
Store in the refrigerator in a sealed container until ready to use, up to a few hours. Or use right away. Add at end of stir fry and cook until chicken is heated through.
In a large measuring cup or bowl with a pour spout, place the soy sauce or aminos and cornstarch or arrowroot. Whisk vigorously until the starch is completely dissolved.
Add the rice vinegar, rice wine, sesame oil, sugar, ginger, garlic powder, dried onion, and stock and whisk until smooth. Add about 1 tbsp. of chopped scallion and mix to combine. Set aside.
Heat a saute pan or wok over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles when splashed onto it. Pour in some oil (I use grapeseed) and heat until sizzling. You don't have to use much (1-2 tbsp.) if you're using a nonstick pan.
Add the veggies and, depending upon what veggies you use, stir-fry ... stirring frequently ... until veggies are crisp-tender and coated with oil, about 5-8 minutes.
Stir in the chicken a cook about 2-3 minutes until cooked through.
Pour in enough sauce to coat everything and stir to combine. Allow the sauce to cook, undisturbed, until it begins to bubble and thicken. Add cooked noodles (prepared according to package directions) if using and stir to combine; add more sauce if necessary.
Sprinkle on remaining scallions and serve immediately.
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