Lamb 'N' Pine Nut Stir Fry
Submitted by gramakat
Lamb and pine nut stir fry: quick microwave stir fry with thinly sliced lamb, bok choy, mushrooms, and oyster sauce. Toasted pine nuts on top for crunch. Ready in under 30 minutes over rice.
YIELD
2 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
10 minREADY
30 minThis is a retro microwave stir fry from the era when microwaves came with browning dishes, but the flavors hold up. Thin-sliced lamb cooks in under two minutes, tossed with oyster sauce, ginger, bok choy, and mushrooms, then scattered with toasted pine nuts.
Partially freezing the lamb for 20 minutes before slicing is the professional trick. Firm meat cuts into thin, even bite-size strips that raw-fresh lamb refuses to do. Aim for ⅛ inch thick slices across the grain.
If you do not have a microwave browning dish, this works in a hot wok or heavy skillet on the stovetop. The sauce thickening, vegetable steaming, and lamb searing all translate directly. Stovetop version: 3 minutes total for the lamb, high heat.
Pine nuts are the unexpected element and they transform the dish. Toasted until golden, they add a buttery, resinous crunch that plays beautifully against the sweet oyster sauce and mineral bok choy. Do not skip toasting; raw pine nuts taste grassy.
Bok choy needs barely any cooking. You are looking for crisp-tender, not limp. The stalks should still crunch slightly when you bite them.
Serve over steamed jasmine rice to absorb the glossy sauce.
Kitchen Tips
- Use lamb leg or loin for this stir fry. Shoulder has too much connective tissue for quick cooking.
- Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes. They go from golden to burnt in under 30 seconds.
- Slice ginger root thinly and then grate to avoid getting stringy fibers in the sauce.
- For stovetop conversion, heat a wok until smoking, add oil, stir-fry the lamb in a single layer for 30 seconds per side, then add the sauce and vegetables.
Variations
- Swap lamb for thinly sliced beef tenderloin or flank steak.
- Add a few dried red chiles or a pinch of Sichuan peppercorns for a spicier, Szechuan spin.
- Stir in a handful of snow peas or sliced water chestnuts for more crunch.
Ingredients
Directions
Partially freeze lamb.
Thinly slice into bite-size strips.
In a 1-cup measure stir together 3 tablespoons water, oyster sauce, cornstarch, grated gingerroot and chicken bouillon granules.
Micro-cook, uncovered, on 100% power for 1½ minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly, stirring every 30 seconds.
Set aside.
In a small nonmetal bowl combine bok choy, sliced mushrooms, and 1 tablespoon water.
Cover with vented clear plastic wrap.
Micro-cook, covered, on 100% power for 1½ minutes or until bok choy is just crisp-tender.
Drain.
Cover and set aside.
Preheat a 1½-inch microwave browning dish on 100% power for 3 minutes.
Add cooking oil to browning dish.
Swirl to coat dish.
Add lamb strips.
Micro-cook covered, on 100% power for 1 to 2 minutes or until lamb is done.
Drain off fat.
Stir in oyster sauce mixture.
Micro-cook, uncovered, on 100% power about 30 seconds or until mixture is heated through.
Toss lamb mixture with toasted pine nuts and bok choy mixture.
Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired.
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