Hubs never used to eat stir fries. I'm not sure why but he had decided he wasn't crazy about them, and for years every time I made one he just kind of picked at it. Now that he's supposed to eat more veggies, it's sort of like stir fry hating karma. Jake and I love any sort of Asian food, so for us it's a perfect excuse to have it for dinner more often! Hubs has decided that he likes them now and then too, so everyone is happy.
Some stir fries come out a bit oily and limp, so you have to watch how you cook them. I steamed the broccoli a bit before adding it to the pan at the very last minute so that it's cooked perfectly. There is also a lot of sauce in this recipe, so you can adjust how much you add to your liking.
This recipe is adapted from my dog-eared and worn out copy of Crazy Plates by Janet and Greta Podleski. The stir fry is supposed to be made with pork, which I'm sure is delicious, but nobody in my family eats pork so I used chicken instead.
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup each sliced red and yellow bell peppers
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp each sesame oil and grated gingeroot
1 clove garlic, inced
1/4 tsp Chinese five spice powder
Whisk the broth, hoisin sauce, marmalade, rice vinegar, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and 5 spice powder together in a bowl. Set aside.
Put the broccoli in a microwave safe bowl with about 1/4 cup of water and cook on high for about one minute, or until just tender crisp. Drain and set aside.
In a walk or large fry pan, heat up a small amount of oil and cook the meat over high heat until no longer pink. Add the peppers and continue to stir fry until they soften slightly. Throw in the broccoli and stir. Reduce the heat to medium high.
Pour in some of the sauce over the chicken and veggies, stirring. I don't like my stir fry too saucey and found that there was far more than I needed, so I didn't use it all. The sauce will bubble and thicken, coating all the meat and veggies. You can eyeball it.
Serve over hot cooked rice.
