Healthy Stir Fry Recipe

I'm not sure if it's because I have been making a bunch of Sprouted Kitchen's asian inspired recipes lately (like this one), but about a month ago my husband suggested that we have a stir fry night.  It sounds crazy because I cook fairly frequently, but the thought of making a stir fry recipe (whether it be someone else's recipe or my own) seemed really intimidating.  Not only had I never made stir fry before, but I didn't even have the basics, a wok!  I have always heard great things about woks (especially from my latest favorite cookbook) and recently was presented with the opportunity to create a stir fry recipe using the new Kyocera Ceramic Coated Wok (talk about the stars aligning!).  

I immediately got to work learning everything I could about how to make a stir fry.  Since I have been on such a major Sprouted Kitchen kick lately, I knew I wanted to create a recipe that was healthy and could accommodate an array of dietary needs/restrictions.  I took a trip down to DC's Eastern Market to get a little ingredient inspiration and boy was that successful!  The most amazing baby bok choy was among the delicious produce offerings at the market.  I quickly developed a game plan for this stir fry and it was finally time to put my new recipe to the test.  

Absolutely fabulous is really the best way to sum up my experience with this new wok.  The design of the pan made it easy to cook a large quantity of food in one fell swoop.  The high walls prevented oil from splattering outside of the pan while frying the tofu in coconut oil. The snug lid made steaming the veggies a cinch.  If that weren't enough, the ceramic coating (yay non-toxic!) also made cleaning the pan post-cooking super easy.  I kid you not, I could have easily just wiped it clean with a damp paper towel (don't worry- of course I used soap and water for the sake of hygiene).  I really wouldn't be gushing like this if I didn't feel this way.  This ceramic coated wok by Kyocera is an absolute gem and a piece of cookware that I would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a new wok.  

Oh, and the recipe was absolutely delish to boot!  Below is how I went about creating this flavorful and very healthy stir fry dish. 

Ingredients

• 1 pkg Extra Firm Tofu
• 2 Carrots (washed and cut into matchsticks)
• 1 Red Bell Pepper (cut into thin strips)
• 1 c Snow Peas
• 1/4 Red Cabbage (sliced into thin strips)
• 1/2 Red Onion (sliced into thin strips)
• 2 Baby Bok Choy (cut into quarters)
• 3 Tbs Scallions/Green Onions (sliced on the diagonal)
• Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil
• 3 Tbs Organic Tamari
• 3 Tbs Water
• 1 Tbs Lite Rice Vinegar
• 2 tsp Sambal Oelek
• 2 Tbs Muscovado Sugar
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 large Clove of Garlic (freshly minced)
• 1/2 tsp Freshly Minced Ginger
• 2 Tbs Corn Starch

Stir Fry Sauce

Before you begin cooking your protein and veggies, you need to make the stir fry sauce.  

1. In a bowl, combine Tamari, Water, Rice Vinegar, Lime Juice, Sugar, Garlic, 1 Tbs Toasted Sesame Oil, Sambal Oelek, Ginger
2. Set bowl aside along with 2 Tbs of Corn Starch (which you will mix in right before adding the sauce to the stir fry)

Instructions

1. Cube tofu in roughly 1" pieces, place between paper towels with a weighted object on top and allow tofu to sit for about 20minutes.  This will help to press the water out of the tofu, which will yield crispier pieces when cooked.  See this post from The Kitchn for more detailed instructions. 
2. Once tofu has been pressed, heat one heaping spoonful of coconut oil and a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil in a wok over medium high heat.
3. Once the oil is hot, add tofu and cook until just crispy on all sides.
4. Remove tofu from wok and set aside on a plate lined with a few paper towels
5. Return the wok to the heat, with the remaining oil.  You should have enough oil to sufficiently coat the pan, but if not then add a little more.  
6. Once the oil piping hot add the veggies, stir them around and then cover with the lid for about 3 minutes until they turn bright in color and have an al dente cooked texture
7. Remove lid, add tofu back in along with the scallions/green onions and stir to incorporate
8. Before adding sauce to the wok, mix the cornstarch into the sauce.  The cornstarch will help the sauce to thicken and create a stir fry slurry. 
9. Add the sauce to wok and stir contents until everything is well incorporated.  
10. Allow contents to cook for about 2 more minutes until you see the sauce has thickened. 
11. Remove wok from heat and serve stir fry over a bed of long grain brown rice.   I am a huge fan of Lotus Foods Organic Brown Rice.
12. Garnish with black sesame seeds and serve. 
13. Note- you can easily substitute chicken for tofu in this recipe.  Simply chop chicken breasts into 1" pieces and cook in the same mixture of coconut oil and toasted sesame oil. 

Thank you Kyocera for sponsoring this post. Recipe and opinions are my own.