Recipe 'Rithmetic

In the past, I have usually made Asian food the American way: Open bag of Wanchai Ferry Teriyaki Chicken, replete with its handy sauce packet, and warm it all up in a pan. Easy Peasy Japaneasy. (I couldn't resist.) Occasionally, I will go the extra mile and make a stir fry with a mixture of fresh and frozen vegetables, add some type of meat or fish, and finish with a bottled stir fry sauce. Both taste pretty reasonable and are mindless to prepare, but who knows what kind of mystery ingredients are in those prepared meals and bottled sauces. Furthermore, who knows how much you more you are paying for all that "convenience."

Tonight, for dindin, out of necessity and sheer unwillingness to NOT make a quick, unnecessary run to the grocery store or get fast food for dinner, I decided to concoct a stir fry sauce for with my bare hands and sheer human intellect. Oh, and Google helped, too. See, I had all the ingredients for American Stir Fry #2 except the bottled sauce. No way husby is eating stir-fried frozen vegetables and chicken breast without some kind of sauce chaser.

Ahhh, Google. What did we do without you?

Huge success! Never again will I buy a bottled sauce or those overpriced frozen meals! I found a great recipe online for a simple, homemade stir fry sauce, and it was delicious and easy to make! I have to share! I tweaked it a little, having no Tabasco or Siracha at home, so I will call this one my own, thus no credit to my Googling.

Basic Stir Fry Sauce

1 1/2 sesame oil (In my opinion, this ingredient is a non-negotiable. Sesame oil has so much flavor, so no other oil will really suffice. Just get a bottle and keep it on hand. It will last a long, long time.)

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp minced ginger (Again, an important ingredient. I have ginger paste in my fridge at all times, pretty much because it really doesn't go bad and its fun to throw into lots of Asian dishes for a little extra kick. Trust me. Also good in some baking recipes like gingersnaps. Hmm..I'm hungry again.)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1-2 Tbs. soy sauce (In the words of one of my Asian pals: "Kikkoman. Only use Kikkoman." So I do.)

1/2 tsp chili powder (More if you're feeling dangerous.)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs lemon or juice of half a lemon

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Saute the garlic and ginger in the sesame oil for a quick minute then add remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cornstarch. Bring to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch and allow to a simmer. Pour over cooked vegetables and meat and saute for 5 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly during cooking.

Nom nom nom!

Bonus Points:

# ingredients in this stir fry sauce: 11

Cost of my stir fry sauce: Pennies.

Cost of frozen stir-fry vegetables: $2.

Cost of 12 oz of chicken $2-3 dollars

# ingredients in bottled stir fry sauce (La Choy): 17 (Some of them are scary! Don't even ask about the powdered kind...)

Cost of stir fry sauce: $3

# ingredients in Wanchai Ferry meal: Many, many more than 11.

Cost of Wanchai Ferry meal: $7 (And no way are you getting 12oz of chicken out of that bag, sweetie)

But I do love that panda.