beef and beans stiry fry

• brown rice (I used Chinese take out)
• pre-cut stir-fry beef (that's a lot of hyphens)
• Chinese 5 spice (optional)
• 1 bag of green beans and carrots
• soy sauce
• mirin
• sesame oil
• rice vinegar

Combine equal parts soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and vinegar together, set aside. Sprinkle beef with a little Chinese 5 spice and brown in a little wok oil over high heat. Once cooked set aside and drain wok of any residue. In a little more wok oil cook veggies for about 5 minutes or until bright green. Turn heat off and add beef and sauce. Serve immediately over brown rice.

The dish: This an easy dish that can be made with a few instant ingredients and some stuff from your well equipped Asian pantry, we talked about that already, remember? We also went over some basic wok skills a while back, so you should be an old hand at this point. If you don't own a wok, go get one. There's no need to spend a lot of money, I have a cheap one and it's held up quite nicely throughout the years. Stir-frying is a great way to whip up a healthy (in spite of the name) dinner that can be ready in less time than most "instant" meals require.

veggie and tofu ginger stir-fry

• 1 brick of tofu, cubed


• 1 yellow pepper, cut into matchsticks, or julienned if you think that highly of yourself


• 1 bag of cut green beans and carrots


• wok oil


• mirin


• soy sauce


• ginger flavored soy sauce


• cooked rice

Heat your wok over the hottest flame you can find for about 5 minutes. While doing that combine a generous amount of ginger flavored soy sauce with smaller amounts of mirin and regular soy sauce. When the wok gets red hot add the wok oil and swirl around being careful not to cause a small fire. Add the tofu and cook over high heat until firm and browned about 5 minutes. Add a little more wok oil and the veggies, cook for another 3-5 minutes. Toss in sauce to mixture and serve over rice.

The dish: I don't reinvent the wheel, I buy rice from my local Chinese place; it cost about a buck and tastes better than any rice I've ever made. Good wok skills boil down to three basic factors: 1. Use good quality, authentic ingredients. Do not cook in a wok with any oil other than wok oil, it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. 2. Be prepared. Cooking in a wok came about as a way to conserve energy, so cooking times are short and the flame is always high. Make sure everything is prepped beforehand. 3. Be not afraid. There is a good chance that between the high heat and its odd shape that you will set the thing on fire, it's no big deal if you do. Seriously, in the event of any kitchen fire, turn the heat on the stove off, RIGHT AWAY. If you're thinking clearly you can wet a kitchen towel and throw it over the flames, but NEVER throw water directly onto a burning stove.