Dave's Favorite Stir Fry

When I was pregnant I never really had cravings for any particular food, like many women have. I also never threw up (thank God...I'd rather die than throw up). There was only one time when I came close to barfing and it was because I thought about making stir fry for Dave--a dish I often made for him on Wednesday nights using veggies I would buy at the farmers market on my way home from campus. Throughout my pregnancy anything smelling like Chinese food grossed me out. When I asked Dave what he wanted me to make for dinner that night and he said stir fry, I immediately said no. Poor guy--he had to wait for over a year to eat it again.

A few weeks ago I actually wanted it myself so we went to the farmers market and bought a sack full of veggies. Dave and I have decided that stir fry it pointless without diakon radish so we made sure to get two to make up for lost time. =) There's a booth at our market where a little Asian couple (maybe Chinese or Hmong) sells a huge variety of veggies. They don't speak English very well, but when I ask what is good in stir fry, they can help me find some good stuff to use.

So here's what we generally use in our stir fry and how I cook it. It has no meat but you wouldn't notice since there is so much flavor and texture. We serve it over sticky white rice.

Dave's Favorite Stir Fry

• Diakon radish, cut into sticks
• Carrot, cut into half circles or sticks
• Sliced mushrooms
• Sliced bell peppers
• Minced ginger
• Chopped bok choy
• Minced jalapeno pepper
• Olive oil
• Sesame oil
• Soy sauce
• Chicken or beef broth base
• Corn starch
  

We always buy this vegetable...and I don't know what it is called. The lady told me it is good in stir fry so we use it every time. We even eat the flowers. I cut the thicker stems off and chop them up separately from the leaves/flowers.
So here is everything that I used this time. The type of veggies usually vary, but we ALWAYS use diakon radish (the white stuff) and the green veggie with yellow flowers.1. I start by heating some olive oil and sesame oil in a huge skillet and then cooking the ginger and jalapeno pepper for a few minutes. 2. Then I put in the daikon, carrot, and green veggie stems--these things are all a bit hard so it takes them a while to cook.
3. Then I douse it with some soy sauce.
4. Once all this stuff is tender (~5 minutes), I start throwing in everything else, except the leafy greens since those cook so fast.
5. I let it hang out for a few minutes, then pour in about 2 cups of chicken or beef broth (2 t mixed in 2 cups hot water) mixed with 2 tablespoons of corn starch. I let it come to a simmer so it will thicken.
6. Then I add more soy sauce.
7. The leafy greens are thrown in for just a few minutes at the end until they are tender.