It's time for another edition of
"Culi-ningus"......"adventures for your tongue"
So we begin tonights episode with a recap of last nights meal.
Freddie J and Francis Tancis collaborated on stir fry.
(artistic representation of what we may or may not look like prior to getting into the kitchen and holding court)
So we made a stir fry.
Francis Tancis has a particular expertise in these matters. His sauce (pronounced...."sowse") is that of legend.
So that, combined with the sous chef preparation of vegetables, and layer building techniques of one Freddie J....resulted in one of the finest stir fry's of my young life.
Allow me to explain (without divulging of course...the secret ingredients that are combined to make the sowse)
ingredients...(bear in mind...that S & P are some of the building blocks of good flavor...make sure you use them, but don't overuse them)
minced onion
minced garlic
minced ginger
chicken sausage
onion
green and red pepper
broccoli
cauliflower
sugar or snow peas (pods)
chinese noodles (don't be afraid to try different brands...they are hit or miss, and really its just a matter of making sure you don't overcook them. you should be good with whatever brand you want to try)
legendary stir fry sowse
So the basics of this meal...are as follows.
don't overcook...ANYTHING.
its better to have a little more bite to your veggies, than to have mush.
so the best way to start...is to cut up a package of chicken sausages (we are trying to be healthy at the Sandwiches household....and the chicken is actually bomb...so don't be afraid of it).
heat up a little oil in your wok (woks are best for cooking this kind of thing...but if you don't have that...then your biggest saute pan...
so put the sausage in there, on medium heat...and let it get a little sear to it. Make sure you heat it all the way through (5-10 min depending how hot your pan is), although it will have another round with the heat later.
So once its cooked through, take the sausage and put it into a seperate bowl.
In the same wok/pan, without rinsing it out (thats part of building the flavor...ya see), add 2 cups of water, and some of the minced garlic. scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up all the little bits.
bring it "to the boil" (thank you Paula Dean), and add the broccoli and cauliflower.
if you have a cover for it, this is a good time to use it. let the veggies steam for about 2-3 min. You don't want them to be mushy, and they are going to get another round with the heat too, so don't be afraid to leave them with a little bite. The broccoli should be bright green.
At that point, add the onion, peppers, and peas. This is also a good time to season with a little S&P.
After about 5-6 minutes total cook time (from when you added the brocc and cauli), you should take all the veggies off the heat, and into a separate bowl.
Now this is where the fun begins.
(this is a good time to make sure you have a pot of water boiling for the noodles. they only take about 2-3 min usually....and once they are done...you want to drain them, rinse them with cold water, and get them right to the serving plate, so when its close to the end of cooking for the wok, you should have the noodles ready to go in)
The wok...should theoretically be empty...but of course, we know there is a bunch of flavor all up in the bitch, since we've been seasoning it through this whole cooking process.
So now, we add a little more oil to the wok, on about medium heat...and we add the minced onion, garlic, and ginger (i never used to use ginger...but i'm telling you, it adds a totally different flavor element, and you can smell it the second you cut into it like..."oh damn....i'm using ginger." its so authentic, and you feel like a boss when you use it).
so anyway...let those get to the oil for a min or two.
before they start to brown....its time to add your sauce....now...here's the thing.
Francis Tancis is very particular about his sowse. He has spent many moons perfecting it....so to reveal it would be cheating.
I will say this.... I have made stir fry's in the past. You can get away with taking a store bought brand of stir fry sauce, and adding a little bit to it.
For example...Soy sauce...(not too much of it....be careful, it can be very salty). maybe throw in a dash of marinade or something....idk....just think of what goes together. add some water (don't be afraid if it looks too runny. throw in a pinch of corn starch or flower...because when you add it to the wok...it will boil, and thicken).
remember you need to have enough for all the veggies, the chicken, and the noodles.
noodle alert: (drop your noodles in the boiling water you have ready)
so take your sowse, and add it to the wok that has the garlic, ginger, and onion.
keep it at medium heat....let it come to a soft boil, and look for it to start thickening.
(if you've ever made gravy before, its along those same lines)
once it starts to thicken, throw in the sausage, and all the veggies. give it a good toss, and then cover it.
let it cook for another....idk...min or two. sowse should be coating everything, and there should be a little bit boiling at the bottom still (if its looking too dry...add some more water to it)
noodles are now.....cooked....drained, and rinsed with cold water (to stop them from cooking more and to keep them from sticking)
add the noddles to the wok....and toss with all the veg and sowse.
(i didn't actually take pictures as we were doing this....sadly...so ignore the fact that this isn't the exact meal we are discussing here....i chose this for the consistency of the sauce over all the veg and such.)
If you aren't enjoying the meal at this point
its your fault.
the basics are here for a BOMB meal.
don't over cook
serve ASAP....
and try to use chopsticks
like a boss
CHEAU
