On my ongoing challenge to come up with ways to use samphire or sea asparagus, I guess it was just a matter of time before I tried a stir fry.
Don’t you love a good stir fry? It really is a life-saver of a kitchen recipe. Using what is in the fridge, and adding some protein and starch, in this case rice, makes this a simple way to get dinner on the table in a flash.
And instead of worrying about what sort of sauce to make as you go, trying to remember where the fish sauce is, along with that tbsp of chili paste that you can’t seem to find, I’m taking all the pressure off, by making the most of my Ginger Miso Dressing. This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups, and keeps for a good two weeks in the fridge, so why not use it for more than just salad dressings? It can be used as a marinade for meats, fish, in cole slaws etc. And today it will go into this easy-peasy stir fry.
Really the hardest part about this recipe, is the chopping. That is if you’ve already made up the dressing and it’s smiling at you when you open your refrigerator. If not, whip up a jar of the dressing first. You can find it here.
Oh, I’m also going on the assumption that you have some grilled or shredded rotisserie chicken breast in the fridge as well. Or you could use frozen cooked shrimp (just thaw, by soaking in a bowl of water until tender again) If you don’t have either of these, or some leftover beef or pork that could be cubed up, then you will have to quickly grill up some protein. A good sized chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper will feed four people. I would count on 5 shrimp per person. Once the chicken has been sautéed or even poached in seasoned broth, let it cool and then cut up into bite sized pieces.
You will also want to prepare your rice in advance. Ideally, a good stir fry uses cold rice. If you take rice right out of the pot or rice cooker and add it to your wok or sauté pan, it will clump up and not separate into lovely grains of goodness.
I would count on 1/2 cup of cooked rice per person. So 1 cup for two people, or 2 cups cooked rice for a family of four. You get it, right?
And then the veggies. I highlighted samphire in this recipe, so I would used a good 1 to 1 1/2 cups of it. Just soak it in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to remove any briny overtones. Some will remain, but that is the beauty of samphire.
Then add any veggies that you have lurking in your crisper: carrots, snap peas, cabbage, green onions, peppers; whatever floats your boat, and will hold up in the wok or sauté pan you’ll be using.
Once the veggies are sautéed, the meat and rice have been added, and all have been quickly warmed through, it is time to add your dressing. I would go with at least 2-3 tbsp per person. You will see how much is getting soaked up. I leave it up to you. At this point, you may even want to add extra hot pepper flakes for some heat.
To serve it, just garnish with chopped onions, and peanuts or almonds. And Bob’s your uncle!!
Love Jen.
Chicken, Samphire and Veggie Stir Fry with Ginger Miso Dressing
A quick and easy stir fry using what is in the kitchen and a versatile tasty dressing, highlighting Samphire or Sea Asparagus.
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked rice cooled
- 1/2 cooked large chicken breast grilled or rotisserie etc, shredded or cut into bite sized pieces (basically you want 1/3 cup of meat per person)
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups samphire soaked in cold water for 5-10 minutes and rinsed
- 2 tbsp olive oil plus more if necessary
- 1/2 cup carrots shredded or sliced thinly
- 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 cup red pepper chopped or sliced thinly lengthwise
- 1/4 cup snap peas sliced thinly
- 1/3 cup Ginger Miso Dressing see archives for recipe
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts or cashews chopped coarsely
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or wok over med-high heat.
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Add the carrots, pepper, cabbage and snap peas and sauté until crisp tender.
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Push the veggies to the outside edges and add the samphire, sauté no more than 30 seconds, push to the outer edges.
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Add more oil if necessary.
Add the meat and the rice. Sauté quickly to warm through.
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Add the dressing and stir to combine well.
Remove from heat and serve.
Garnish with the green onions and chopped nuts
Recipe Notes
You may also want to add hot pepper flakes after you have added the dressing. You taste and decide.
Really, the protein and the veggies are up to you.
But do use the samphire- it adds a salty briny aspect that makes this such a dish of umami!!
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