Spectacular stir-fry

I’ve been making variations of this dish for more than 20 years, after first finding a flexible recipe in a “women’s” magazine. It’s delicious, fast and nearly foolproof. The real trick here is to prepare all the ingredients before starting to cook; the chopping and prep will take about as long as the actual cooking.

This recipe can be modified to use any protein (or none at all), but my favorites are chicken breast or lean pork. The original recipe called for broccoli and carrots; I have tried sugar snap peas, green peas, onions and bell pepper, as well. All are delicious; use whatever combination your family likes as a way to eat more veggies.

The steps are basic. You need a large skillet or wok, all your prep done and hungry people to eat the finished product.

Spectacular stir-fry

1 pound raw chicken or pork, diced in 1-inch pieces
3 cups broccoli, chopped into flowerets (use the stems, also, just slice thinly)
2 carrots, peeled and cut in matchstick pieces
1 cup sugar snap peas (fresh or frozen)
8 ounces spaghetti or linguine noodles, cooked and drained
3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
4 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
2 teaspoons chopped garlic, divided
2 cups water
8 ounce can water chestnuts, sliced
½ cup roasted peanuts
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes

Chop broccoli and carrots and set them aside. Remove the sugar snap peas from the freezer. Chop the chicken or pork and place in a medium bowl. To the meat, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Mix well and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 cups of cool water. Mix thoroughly and set aside. Drain and slice water chestnuts.

To a large skillet or wok, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Heat over medium high heat, then add the broccoli and carrots. Cook, stirring for 3-5 minutes.

Add one cup of sugar snap peas and cook vegetables for 3 more minutes.

Remove vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. If needed, add more oil to the pan, then add the chicken or pork.

Cook the meat for 7-8 minutes, until it is browned and cooked through. Stir the bowl of the cornstarch, soy and water mixture, then add it to the pan.

Then add the vegetables back to the pan and mix thoroughly.

Add the red pepper flakes, drained, sliced water chestnuts and the roasted peanuts.

Add the cooked spaghetti noodles and blend completely.

Serves 8 and reheats beautifully the next day.