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How to transform a Beef casserole family meal into a baby and toddler meal

How to stir-fry

Stir-fries are a quick and easy way to put together a tasty, nutritious meal. You easily can change the flavour, colour and texture by using either beef or lamb and varying the vegies. Asian sauces taste great in both beef and lamb stir-fries. Team lamb with hoisin sauce, black bean, sesame oil, star anise, or a little hot bean paste. Beef combines well with soy sauce, oyster sauce, sweet chilli and fish sauce.

Easy steps to the perfect beef or lamb stir-fry

Step 1 – Cut meat across the grain into strips of even thickness. Coat the meat in oil instead of adding oil to the wok or pan.

Step 2 – Ensure the wok is hot before you begin to cook meat or vegetables. It should be hot enough to evaporate a bead of water on contact.

Step 3 – Cook meat in small batches (about 250g). When you add the meat to the wok, work from the outer side to the centre, where it will be hottest.

Step 4 – Set meat aside and return to the wok with sauces once the vegetables are cooked. Stir-fry only to combine – do not reheat meat for too long or it will toughen.

Stir-fry tips

Prepare everything you need before you heat your wok. Stir-frying is such a quick cooking method you won’t have time to chop your vegies or measure sauces as the dish cooks.
Cut all of your ingredients into even sized pieces. This way all cook within about the same time period.
When stir-frying the meat wait at least 30 seconds before tossing or stir-frying. This gives the meat a chance to brown, giving it good colour and flavour. The second side will take a little less time to cook. It's ready as soon as the redness is gone, no longer. When you're stir-frying vegetables begin to stir-fry immediately.
The wok - better too hot than not hot enough. When you stir-fry vegetables heat the oil until it's hot enough to sizzle a piece of onion or spring onion. Reduce the heat a little if you add garlic and ginger, to stop them burning. Stir-fry for just a few seconds then add the next ingredient. Your nose will tell you if you've got the timing right. Let the heat remain at high throughout cooking.
When you stir-fry the vegetables stagger the additions according to how long they take to cook. Put denser vegies like carrot in first. Add other vegetables like capsicum a couple of minutes later and put leafy vegies like bok choy in last.
Do not allow the meat to boil in the sauce. This will toughen the meat. When adding the liquid ingredients to the wok make a well in the centre. Add the liquids to the centre, stir to boil and thicken before returning the meat to the wok. Serve immediately.
If you’re preparing your own stir-fry strips cut beef and lamb across the grain of the meat. Slicing across the grain gives a tender result. Cut the meat into thin even strips of the same thickness.

Best cuts for stir-frying

Beef

Stir-fry strips or prepare your own from rib eye/scotch fillet, fillet/tenderloin, sirloin/porterhouse/New York, rump, boneless blade, round, oyster blade and topside steaks

Lamb

Stir-fry strips or prepare your own from eye of shortloin/backstrap, fillet/tenderloin, round/ knuckle and topside

Veal

Stir-fry strips or prepare your own from leg steaks/schnitzels, eye of loin, fillet, boneless rump, boneless shoulder and breast

Enjoy these delicious stir-fries

Beef and snow pea stir-fry

Stir-fried beef mince and vegies in lettuce cups

Lamb, chorizo sausage and bean stir-fry

Stir-fried chilli lamb with brocollini

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