In a skillet, saute two or three cloves of garlic with vegetable oil, soy sauce, a couple of dashes of salt and at least half a teaspoon dried or grated fresh ginger. For a sweeter sauce, add about a tablespoon of brown sugar. For tanginess, add a splash or two of rice vinegar or balsamic vinegar.
To the purists: This isn’t classic Asian cooking but merely approximates Asian flavors with what you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to add leftover sweet-and-sour dipping sauce or teriyaki sauce from takeout food, or that frozen packet of what you think might be plum sauce at the back of your freezer. You can also add the ramen spice packet, but if you do, exclude the salt and ease off on the soy sauce because the spice packet is already intensely salty. If you plan to add meat to your stir-fry, pair chicken flavor with chicken, beef with beef or shrimp with shrimp.
Now add sliced vegetables, whatever you’ve got. Try fresh or frozen carrots, green beans, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, sliced onion, bell pepper, snow peas or shelled peas. Fiber is your friend!
If you want meat, toss uncooked sliced chicken, steak or whole shrimp into the pan before you add the veggies, or add chopped cooked chicken. (Canned chicken isn’t good in this recipe, as it tends to disintegrate into little bits.)
