This is a nice refreshing stir-fry with a generous amount of vegetables in it. The original recipe was somewhat more fiddly about how the vegetables are cut; I've simplified it (here and as cooked) with no ill effects.

Beef & Basil Stir-Fry with Summer Vegetables

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan (p. 165)

Ingredients

• ¼ C soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1+1 Tbsp canola oil
• 500g thinly sliced steak, cut into ~3cm pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp ginger paste
• 2 zucchini or 1 yellow squash, cut into 1cm matchsticks or half-moons
• 2 carrots, cut into 5mm discs
• 125g sugar snap peas, trimmed and halved
• ¼ C fresh Thai basil leaves

Directions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, shaoxing wine, honey, and cornstarch. Buffer.
2. Season the beef with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the first tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat.
4. Add the steak and stir-fry until seared on all sides but still rare inside, ~3 minutes. Remove and buffer.
5. Add the remaining oil, the ginger, and the garlic, and stir-fry until fragrant, 30-60s.
6. Add the zucchini, carrots, and peas and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Add the steak and the sauce and continue stir-frying until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
8. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil leaves.

I've spent most of the last few months flying by the seat of my pants when it comes to scheduling and meal planning. Lots of "just-in-time" compiling of food. And lots of emergency takeaway as I realize that I've run out of either time, ingredients, or energy. (Or sometimes all three.) This stir-fry was very much in that vein. I needed something that I could throw together quickly with ingredients on hand. And this happened to fit the bill. And, bonus: It was even pretty tasty!

Spicy Basil and Chicken Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 fresh Thai or finger chilies, thinly sliced
• 2-3 coves garlic, minced
• 450g skinless boneless chicken breases, sliced
• 3/4 c. fresh basil chiffonade (preferably Thai basil)
• 3 green onions, chopped
• cooked rice, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the stick, fish sauce, sugar, and cornstarch and mix well. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil over high heat.
3. Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute.
4. Add the chiles and garlic and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds.
5. Add the chicken and stir-fry until no longer pink (2-4 minutes).
6. Add the basil and green onions and stir-fry for one more minute.
7. Stir the sauce and then pour it into the wok.
8. Bring to a boil and cook for 30-60 seconds longer.
9. Remove from heat and serve over rice.

Lemongrass Chicken Stir-Fry

I think I probably would have liked this Vietnamese-inspired stir-fry a bit more with some veggies in it. I think some thinly sliced carrot would have been a nice addition. But it was still very tasty as-is. The marinade and sauce were both excellent. I just would have liked to have had a little veg incorporated into it. That said, I do appreciate how easily it came together. So I'm not complaining.

Lemongrass Chicken Stiry-Fry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Marinade

• 2 shallots, quartered
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chile
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part only
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. corn (or other neutral) oil
• 2-3 Tbsp. water

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Stir-Fry

• 680g skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut (or other high smoke point) oil, divided
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced on bias (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh Thai basil

Directions

1. Combine shallots, garlic, ginger paste, chile, lemongrass, salt, and oil in a blender or food processor and purée. Add as much of the water as needed to blend the mixture.
2. Add the marinade to the chicken and toss to combine. Cover and chill for 1-24 hours.
3. Combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
4. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
5. Drizzle in 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil.
6. Add the onion and stir-fry until softened (2-3 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
7. Drizzle in another 1/2 Tbsp. of oil.
8. Add the carrot (if using).
9. Stir-fry until just cooked (2-3 minutes). Transfer to plate and set aside.
10. Drizzle in the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
11. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and stir-fry until cooked through (5-6 minutes).
12. Add the sauce and return the veggies to the wok and stir-fry until sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).
13. Sprinkle with basil and serve.

I wasn't a huge fan of this salad. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't great for me. That said, TF actually really liked it. She said it was nice and light and refreshing. Not necessarily a food she wants to have all the time, but possibly a favourite when she's in that salad-y sort of mood.

I didn't have the recommended flank steak for this recipe, so I cooked up a T-bone and cut that up instead. Not quite the same vibe, I know, but it worked well enough. And used up a steak that had been going begging for a while. So, all-in-all, a good result.

I also adjusted the proportions of vegetables slightly. Mostly because I didn't want to have fractional peppers left over in the fridge. Everything else was left as specified.

Thai Beef Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1-2 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 450g flank steak
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tsp. peanut or coconut oil
• 1 large head butter or leaf lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
• 1 c. thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh Thai basil
• 1-2 green onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, and chilies in a large bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
2. Season the steak to taste with salt and pepper and brush with oil.
3. Cook the steak to your desired doneness by your preferred method: grill, broiler, or frying pan.
4. Let steak rest for a few minutes, then thinly slice and add to the bowl with the dressing.
5. Add the remaining ingredients: lettuce, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, mint, cilantro, and basil.
6. Garnish with green onions (if using) and serve.

This curry is an interesting combination of Anglo-Indian and Thai flavours. I associate the mix of lemongrass, coconut milk, and fish sauce with Thai cuisine and would have expected them to be combined with a Thai curry paste. This recipe takes a different route by adding a large amount of Madras-style curry powder -- an Indian-inspired British spice blend -- instead. It made for a nice, if unusual, result.

I mostly followed the recipe here. My only slight deviation was to swap out the skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I also sliced the breasts in half lengthwise in order to speed up cooking time. I'm pretty happy with the results this produced. The final curry was a bit soupy, but very nice when served over a bit of brown rice.

Chicken and Coconut Milk Curry

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1.25kg skinless boneless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-3 shallots, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. Madras-style curry powder
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 stalks lemongrass, cut into 2cm chunks (white part only)
• 3cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced
• 1 c. chicken stock
• 1 (400mL) can coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
• 1 (~350g) sweet potato, peeled and cut into large dice
• 3 Tbsp. Thai basil, chiffonade

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook for ~4 minutes per side. (You may have to work in batches.)
3. Remove chicken and set aside, then add garlic and shallots and cook for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add curry powder, sugar, pepper, lemongrass, and ginger and cook for 30-60 seconds.
5. Add the chicken stock, coconut milk, and fish sauce and bring to a boil.
6. Add carrots, sweet potato, and chicken and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until veggies are fork tender and chicken is cooked through.
8. Stir in basil and serve over rice.

Easy Vegetarian Pad Krapow (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)

This was another Woks of Life find and it was a good one! Extremely tasty and incredibly easy. It comes together in just a few minutes and is very flexible in what protein you use. I used some chopped up mysterious deep-fried tofu slices I found at the Asian gorcery store. The recipe author used chicken-flavoured seitan. I think shredded jackfruit would also work well texture-wise, but it is sadly lacking in the protein department. Tempeh, TVP, or mushrooms might work okay, although I don't think they'd be as good as the tofu or the seitan.

Sadly the Kidlet did not enjoy this one. She tolerated it, but only liked the soft bland tofu interior and avoided the crispy, saucy exterior bits. (Which was pretty much the opposite of what I was expecting, to be honest.) That said, TF and I both loved it! And, especially given how unbelievably easy it is, I think we'll be making this again (despite the Kidlet's objections).

Vegetarian Pad Krapow

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce or 1 additional tsp. light soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1-3 fresh serrano or Holland chilies, sliced
• 1-2 fresh red Thai chilies, sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 shallots (or 1 red onion), halved and sliced
• 250g protein of choice (seitan, tofu, mushrooms, tempeh, TVP, etc.)
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 bunch holy/Thai basil, stemmed and rinsed
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and fish sauce (or additional soy sauce) and set aside.
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds or so.
4. Add both kinds of chilies, garlic, and shallots and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5. Add protein and stir-fry until it's warmed up and gets a little colour on it. (Probably another minute or two.)
6. Pour in the sauce and stir/toss to combine.
7. When pan seems dry (shouldn't take long over the high heat), pour in the water and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the basil and continue to stir-fry until wilted.
9. Remove from heat and drizzle with lime juice.
10. Serve over rice.

I originally added this meal to the menu for the week because I had some green beans that needed using. I kept putting off actually making it though and, sadly, by the time I finally got to it, the beans had gone a bit fuzzy. I went ahead with the curry as planned, minus the beans and it was delicious! The beans would've been a welcome addition, but it was still really lovely without them.

My plan was to make this with dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, tofu, green beans, and bell pepper as the inclusions. That said, it's a very flexible recipe and you could use lots of different things. If you're not worried about keeping it vegetarian, you can use fish sauce in place of some or all of the soy sauce and use meat or seafood in place of the mushrooms and/or tofu. If do want to stick with the vegetarian route, I don't recommend swapping out the dried mushrooms -- they add great flavour and texture! Do feel free to add other veggies as you please though. Depending on what's in season or what you have on hand, I could see lots of different things working well: carrots, onion, baby corn, bok choy, broccoli, sugar snap peas/mangetouts, spinach, eggplant, even pineapple if you'd like a sweet twist to your curry. Play around with it and see which combos you like.

Thai Red Curry

Adapted from Hot Thai Kitchen

Ingredients

• 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 c. boiling water
• 200-250mL tinned bamboo shoots (slices or matchsticks)
• 400-500mL full-fat coconut milk
• ~1/4 c. red curry paste¹
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. jaggery, palm sugar, or brown sugar
• 6-7 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
• 1 recipe Extra Delicious Tofu
• 450g green beans, cut into bite-sized pieces (optional)
• 1 red bell pepper (optional)
• 1/2 c. Thai basil, bruised

Directions

1. Pour the boiling water over the mushrooms and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.
2. Drain the bamboo shoots, rinse in cold water, then transfer to a small pot and add just enough water to cover.
3. Place pot over high heat and boil for 3-5 minutes.
4. Drain and rinse again. Set aside.
5. Once mushrooms are done soaking, squeeze to remove excess liquid (reserve the soaking liquid), remove the stems, and cut into slices ~4-5mm thick. Set aside.
6. Heat 3/4 c. of the coconut milk over medium heat until somewhat reduced. Ideally the oil will begin to separate, but apparently this doesn't always happen with tinned coconut milk.
7. Add the curry paste and the tomato paste to the thickened coconut milk, stir to break up and combine well, and fry for a minute or two.
8. Add remaining coconut milk and the mushroom soaking water and bring to a boil.
9. Stir in both types of soy sauce and the sugar.
10. Mix in mushrooms, lime leaves, and tofu. If you're using carrots or other long-cooking/firm vegetables, add them now as well. Simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add any remaining (more delicate) vegetables and cook for another 2-5 minutes depending on what you've added and how firm/soft you like it.
12. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Thai basil.
13. Serve over rice.

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¹ If you need to make this vegetarian (or vegan) be sure to check the ingredients to make sure your curry paste doesn't include shrimp paste. Also, be sure you're getting curry paste and not "curry sauce" or similar that already has coconut milk and fish sauce added to it. ^Back