Chinese Brown Sauce Stir Fry

 Last night I was lazy to cook and the idea of ordering Chinese takeout popped into my head.  I even pulled out the takeout menu and decided what I wanted to eat...a dish called Imperial Delight. I really enjoy this dish because it has a delicious sauce simply called brown sauce.  The more I looked at those simple words "brown sauce" the wheels in my mind started to turn... hmmmm... what is brown sauce?  So I abandoned the idea of ordering take out and decided that I would make my own version of a brown sauce stir fry.  I decided to go with a simple pork stir fry, but you can substitute chicken, shrimp, beef or a mix of all the meats (even tofu).  The stir fry came together in a flash and I loved doing it at home because it was much healthier and we saved money too...and with Christmas around the corner, that's a good thing.   :)

Ingredients:

2lbs of lean meat sliced
1lb of carrots cut large or baby carrots sliced in half
1 medium onion chopped coarsely
3-4 handfuls of broccoli florets
1 can of straw mushrooms (drained)
1 can of water chestnuts (drained)
1Tbs of cornstarch
1Tbs of ginger minced
1Tbs garlic minced
red chili flakes to taste
black pepper to taste

Note:  Lightly coat your sliced meat with 1Tbs of cornstarch before stir frying.

The Brown Sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 cup of chicken broth (or water/bullion equivalent)
1/4 cup of Chinese Rice Wine or Dry Sherry
1Tbs of honey or brown sugar
1Tbs of cornstarch

 Note:  This sauce is to taste.  So adjust to your palate as needed.

Directions:

Heat 3Tbs of canola oil on high heat in a wok.  When hot, add your cornstarch coated meat and brown well.

Then add your ginger, garlic and chili flakes.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

Next add your onions, carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts. Stir fry for another 2 minutes.

Then add your broccoli and stir fry for another minute.

Note:  I like my broccoli tender crispy.  If you like your broccoli well done, cook longer in the sauce.

Add your prepared brown sauce. Stir fry all the ingredients together and bring to a boil so the sauce thickens.  When the vegetables are cooked to your desired texture turn off the stove and serve.

Serves 6.  Enjoy with rice.


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