Stir Fry is my favorite pick when it comes to quick yet and healthy dinners. It takes less than 30 mins to put up this wholesome meal. So this time it was Stir Fry paneer & veggies in teriyaki sauce with a side of steamed rice . We have very few vegetarian chinese or japanese food options available here in the restaurants. Making Stir fry at home means endless vegetarian options of ingredients or sauces. It is so much quicker than getting a Chinese / japanese takeout and it’s totally customizable . You can add as less or as many ingredients – choice is yours. Home made teriyaki sauce isn’t difficult to whip up either and so easy to make changes to suit your taste. Imagine your family readily eating so many veggies in one go , it’s so satisfying. Summers are still on and we have sunlight till 8.30 pm. A longer day calls for more activities outside the house. So who wants to stay home ad make elaborate dinners.. not me. We head out every evening and make the most of this weather. My son loves his park time and doesn’t want to come home before dusk . By the time we return its past dinner time – yes now a days we are having late dinners which isn’t good. But this weather wont last longer so making most of it. I am sharing few pictures of a nearby park which is by the lake. We love to spend our evenings here – it’s absolutely serene and beautiful. Along with a children’s play area it has a beautiful lake and a boardwalk . I can spend my entire day gazing at the waters, it’s so calming.
Summers will end soon and I don’t even want to think about fall. Winters in Seattle are really gloomy . It rains all the time and I actually doubt if the sun even rises – yes it’s that gloomy and dark most of the times. I am such a chatterbox , always loose track and go off topic. Coming back to food – stir fry’s are super easy to put up if you work smartly . Chopping veggies doesn’t take a lot of time may be 10 mins maximum , but say you are really in a hurry then just chop them beforehand – like a day in advance is fine. Place it in the in a ziplock bag or air tight containers in the refrigerator 1-2 days before you intend to prepare the stir fry . So the following was the composition. Adding sweet corn and zucchini was a last minute decision .
Now lets talk about the sauce. Teriyaki sauce is used a lot in asian cooking . If you aren’t familiar with it let me brief you up here. {TERI means shine given by sugar content and Yaki means grilling or broiling – this is courtesy Wikipedia }
How does it taste?
It tastes sweet due do the addition of sugar and tad tart beacause of soy sauce and vinegar and not at all spicy , but spices can be added if desired.
Serving suggestions
Teriyaki sauce is extremely versatile and can be added to stir fry’s, drizzled on steamed rice, noodles, simply use it for dipping or even marinating purposes. It makes everything so flavorful. By the way I love sushi with a side of teriyaki.
What different are we doing here
Well traditionally teriyaki sauce is made with addition of sake or mirin which are rice wines and some countries make it using other wines too. But we are a alcohol free family and my son eats what we eat , so we will skip the wine here and add a little bit of spice too. Originally brown sugar is used but now a days I am hooked to using dates/khajoor in about anything .Dates are packed with health benefits and are a good source of vitamin, minerals and fiber . My second pick would be brown sugar/ sugar in raw and third pick would be honey. Cornflour is used to thicken the sauce but I am using rice flour .
Why not get it from the store and call it a day
I make Stir fry’s many ways depending on my mood and use different sauces every time. Now it’s not possible for me to stock up each and every sauce available in the supermarket plus its so darn simple to make your own one . All it takes is mixing few ingredients and 2-3 minutes and your sauce is ready , and not to forget the personal touch you give to your cooking while making goodies at home. Sounds super simple – trust me it is . Best part of this stir fry is ‘paneer’ , and this addition can only happen if you make it at home. You can easily veganize this stir fry easily by simply replacing paneer with firm tofu .
Serving suggestions
With steamed brown or white rice or steamed or lightly tossed noodles
Highlights
quick and easy delicious wholesome Hope you love it as much as we do. Do give it a try and send your clicks so that I can feature it in readers success section on my facebook page carveyourcraving. Happy cooking.
