The Thrifty Cookbook: 476 Ways to Eat Well With Leftovers (50 page)

Lastly: if you are using raw rather than leftover vegetables, the order in which you add them is important. Tougher ones should be cooked first and the most tender ones last. Spinach and Chinese leaves have a high water content and can make the other vegetables soggy, so add them right at the very end; they need only a minute.

Leftover vegetables are not ideal for wokking but this is the perfect time to use up an array of fresh vegetables that are on the turn, cooking them in strict order so that tougher vegetables such as carrots come well before softer ones such as mushrooms or peas. Keep things straightforward by flavouring the oil simply with garlic, chillies or ginger, or experiment with bottled Chinese sauces. Serve vegetable stir-fries as a TV supper, with rice, noodles or just on their own.

Serves 2

1 tablespoon vegetable or groundnut oil

1 onion or a bunch of spring onions, finely sliced

1cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped or grated

1 garlic clove, crushed

3-4 teacups mixed vegetables, cut into fine florets or dice – broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, pepper, French beans, fennel, cabbage, courgette, asparagus tips and mangetout are all great, depending on the time of year and availability

a handful of bean sprouts, if you have them

3 tablespoons soy sauce

To serve:

sesame seeds, toasted in a small frying pan without oil until just browning (watch them, as they burn easily
)

sesame oil

First prepare and chop all your ingredients.

Heat a wok over a fairly high heat, then add the oil and heat until shimmering.

Add the onion and stir for a minute, then add the ginger and garlic and stir well for about 30 seconds.

Add the thickest or hardest vegetables first (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and the like) …

… with softer vegetables such as courgette following as each becomes tender (but not soft – you want to keep a bit of crunch here). Bean sprouts, if you are using them, will take only 30 seconds to cook, so add them right at the very end.

Finally, add the soy sauce, toss well and serve immediately, with a scattering of toasted sesame seeds and a drop or two of sesame oil.

In a classic meat stir-fry, the meat is marinated in oil and flavourings, then flash-fried right at the start. Then you remove it from the pan while the vegetables and sauce cook, returning it to the wok right at the end.