Change up your tired stir fry

Tired of the same old boring weeknight stir fry? I have a few tips that you may not have considered that could help you make your dinner fresh and different.

We all know that a stir fry is a really quick and easy meal. I make them pretty often, especially during the week when I don’t have a lot of time. The only problem I have is that they can get pretty boring. Sure, you can try different sauces (those I usually make my own) or meats, but that will only get you so far. Last night I took some extra time in the super market, thinking about what I could do to add some spark to my latest stir fry, and I was pretty happy with the results.

I didn’t change much, to be honest, but the meal felt really fresh and different. I bought my usual broccoli, because I love it and can’t stir fry without it. I usually go with chicken, but this time picked up a pork tenderloin and cubed it for my meal. It was a nice choice. It offered a different flavor and texture than chicken, but still went really well with all the typical stir fry flavors (ginger, chili, et al).

I was also looking for something different to add to my dish, and as I was perusing the vegetable aisle, something a bit outside of the box caught my eye: a package of cole slaw mix. You’ve seen them before, they have sliced cabbage and carrots all ready for some cole slaw dressing. I figured cabbage and carrots would go great in a stir fry, and by buying them this way I wouldn’t have to do any chopping. I’m not going to argue with that!

The final difference is one that I’ve done before and I find it’s the most important change that I can make to a stir fry. I bypassed the rice, which I find can get pretty tiresome. When I opt for something different, I usually go with Udon noodles. I’m just crazy about the big, slightly chewy noodles. Last night I tried some rice noodles, like you find in Pad Thai. It added some welcome change to my stir fry and I was really happy with the results.

Alright, so adding noodles and cabbage may not be groundbreaking advances in stir fry, but I know they were outside what I usually do and made all the difference in the world. Do you have any great stir fry secrets?