Help - Stir Fry!

[Cetti]

I've just found a 400g bag of prawns lurking in my freezer , with the date stamp almost run out. I would love to do a stir-fry, but haven't yet mastered the knack of cooking this way without having to add a jar of gloopy sauce to make it tasty. Any help/tips would be very, very welcome.

[chijiki]

You don't need gloopy sauce. Here's a quickie for prawns & mixed veg for 4 people. You need 4 oz each of bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, mange tout, & carrots. (or substitute any for cauli, brocolli, peppers etc) and 8 oz prawns. Cut all veg into slices. Heat oil in wok. Add onions & cook for 1 minute. Add all veg except beansprouts and cook for 1 more minute. Add prawns & beansprouts. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt & 1 of sugar and 1 tablespoon of stock (or just water) Cook for 1 more minute. Done. Do not overcook or veg will lose flavour.
This assumes your prawns are cooked. If you are using uncooked prawns then continue cooking until they go from grey to pink.
When you've done this simple dish once you can change the recipe using other veg, and add cooked ham with the prawns or play to your hearts content.

[chijiki]

Here's a quickie for cold prawns to serve as a starter or part of a buffet. You need 8oz prawns. 2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sesame seed oil and some thin shredded ginger or carrot to garnish.
Thaw prawns & cut in half lengthways. Boil 1 pint water in pan. Add prawns & boil 'til they turn white. Remove prawns and plunge into iced water for few seconds. Remove prawns & dry. Place in serving dish.
Mix together the wine or sherry with the salt, & sesame oil & then pour over prawns. Garnish with the ginger or carrot. Serve.

[chijiki]

One final quickie. Fried rice with veg & prawns. You need 1lb boiled rice that has gone cold & hard (otherwise it will not work). Use 2oz each of small chopped mushrooms, peppers & carrots + 2oz peas.& 3 spring onions finely chopped and a 3 egg omelette chopped into small chunks
Heat veg (except spring onion) in 3 tablespoons oil in wok for about 1 min. Add rice, teaspoon salt, few splashes soy sauce and stir to seperate grains of rice. Add egg. Cook for further 1 min. Put on serving dish. Garnish with the chopped spring onion.

[chijiki]

If you want more, post another question in a weeks time, otherwise I'll (we'll) be in BIG BIG trouble from the Ab police for hogging the site.

[Cetti]

You're an angel chijiki - I'm ok with the actual stir-frying bit, but needed help when to add the soya sauce etc. Thank you so much :-))

[cucumbers]

For a real easy one just add some copped veg and any one of Blue Dragons stir fry sauces in a packet. No addatives or GM etc. just great sauces.

[cucumbers]

That was chopped veg by the way.

[Cetti]

and thank you too, cucumbers - methinks I shall be pretty busy :-)))

[feelap]

Skewer the prawns onto bamboo skewers and sprinkle with paprika and sweet thai chilli oil and bung it onto the barby until they are cooked and have a lovely red coating! YUMMY!

[Cetti]

Sounds wonderful feelap, but these prawns are the small variety - not the giant Aussie ones - thanks anyway!