Stir fry, Tinyisland style Vegetables: cabbage (e.g. ¼ large head) onion/shallot (e.g. 1 medium onion chopped very coarsely) celery (1½ stalks max) carrot (2 large carrots) bell peppers (e.g. one red, one gold) broccoli/Chinese broccoli (optional) leek (optional) bok choy (1 small baby max) mushroom (hard to use too much) Protein tofu (1 full box; we buy extra firm that keeps a long time in fridge) cashews (big handful) Sauce oyster sauce fish sauce mirin soy sauce grated fresh ginger 2 large cloves garlic, crushed dry mustard NOTE: the following turned out really good, almost vegan too! half medium head cabbage 1 medium onion sliced thin then cut crosswise 3 sticks celery 3 carrots sliced thin (1/8") 2 knobs broccoli flowered and steamed 8 minutes 8 oz. mushrooms tofu cashews hoisin sauce mirin (more than usual) some fish sauce little soy powdered ginger granulated garlic dry mustard Chop all vegetables ideally to bite-sized chunks. Put all vegetables except the mushrooms in one KitchenAid mixer bowl. Chop the tofu into large chunks and slice the mushrooms. Put the tofu, cashews and mushrooms in a second mixer bowl. Start the rice cooking. Make the sauce. Start the wok heating and bring out the bowls and wok tools. Add some oil and immediately add the entire contents of the main vegetable bowl and toss with the wok tools continuously until coated with oil, then cover and let self-steam for a moment. Then remove the cover and again toss, repeating until the vegetables are nearly done. Then add sauce and toss to coat, then add the contents of the second bowl and stir fry briefly just to heat, do not let the mushrooms cook until limp. Add a dash of sesame oil for fragrance and serve immediately over rice with soy sauce and hot chili oil on the side. -- posting text (in case firefox craps out) -carrots -celery -rice -soy sauce -cabbage -chicken -scallions (green onion?) -water chestnuts -ginger -sprouts -chicken broth -peanut oil -corn starch To this list I would certainly add onion leeks (white part only) baby bok choy green beans snow peas / sugar snap peas Chinese long beans (yum!) extra-firm tofu, cut in large chunks like 2 dominoes stacked cashews mushrooms of many kinds and sometimes, in some dishes, lemon grass As for sauces, well, it's a pretty open book there. I shop a lot at Asian markets, so the book is really open. But: fish sauce (I like 3 Crabs) soy sauce (I only buy Kikkoman) oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee) mirin sauce (Kikkoman) sometimes mixed and seasoned with one/more of: dried mustard garlic (fresh, crushed or powdered) powdered ginger Some people like to put starch right into their stirfry, like noodles. At my house we tend to serve it over a starch, like Basmati rice. And then, of course, there is the entire capsaicin spectrum. What would supermarket stirfry be without the "red cones of death" (Thai chillies)? I am currently enamored of roasted seeded peeled diced jalapenos, which add subtle spice that doesn't even taste like jalapenos. I am also very fond of the taste imparted by serrano peppers. But I know a lot of Texans like more heat, like with habaneros and such. Really, peppers is an enormous subject. I would happily give you my recipe(s). Only, I don't use them for stirfry. It's like a recipe for making hamburger. Just chop everything so it's in roughly the same size pieces, and have at it. Experience will teach you what you like, and what your wife likes, and your kids .. :-) OK, I lied. I *did* write down what I did once: Stir fry, Tinyisland style Vegetables: cabbage (e.g. ¼ large head) onion/shallot (e.g. 1 medium onion chopped very coarsely) celery (1½ stalks max) carrot (2 large carrots) bell peppers (e.g. one red, one gold) broccoli/Chinese broccoli (optional) leek (optional) bok choy (1 small baby max) mushroom (hard to use too much) Protein tofu (1 full box; we buy extra firm; keeps well in fridge) cashews (big handful) Sauce oyster sauce fish sauce mirin soy sauce grated fresh ginger 2 large cloves garlic, crushed dry mustard Chop all vegetables ideally to bite-sized chunks. Put all vegetables except the mushrooms in one KitchenAid mixer bowl. Chop the tofu into large chunks and slice the mushrooms. Put the tofu, cashews and mushrooms in a second mixer bowl. Start the rice cooking. Make the sauce. Start the wok heating and bring out the bowls and wok tools. Add some oil and immediately add the entire contents of the main vegetable bowl and toss with the wok tools continuously until coated with oil, then cover and let self-steam for a moment. Then remove the cover and again toss, repeating until the vegetables are nearly done. Then add sauce and toss to coat, then add the contents of the second bowl and stir fry briefly just to heat, do not let the mushrooms cook until limp. Add a dash of sesame oil for fragrance and serve immediately over rice with soy sauce and hot chili oil on the side.