A stir-fry is a great way to quickly make a healthy meal with a variety of foods. In stir-frying, you quickly fry foods in a small amount of hot oil while stirring. You don’t need a wok to stir-fry. Any skillet will do. When planning your stir-fry, choose ingredients that are:
- full of nutrients
- limited in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium
- from at least 3 food groups; always include a veggie or fruit
The guide below shows simple ways to combine a variety of nutritious foods into a delicious stir-fry.
Make sure the ingredients in green are on your WIC food list.
Did You Know?
- You can find the stir-fry sauce recipes in Health eKitchen.
- Steam hard veggies until soft for children under 4.
- Dried fruit is a choking hazard and should not be given to children under 4. Finely minced is okay to give.
DIRECTIONS:
- Cook grains following package directions. While grains cook, make stir-fry.
- Prep your protein food and veggies and fruits.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add meat, poultry, or seafood. Stir occasionally until just cooked through, about 4-6 minutes. Transfer to plate.
- Add veggies to skillet. Start with harder veggies first. As they begin to soften, add softer veggies and keep cooking. Total cooking time may be about 10 minutes.
- If using garlic and/or ginger, add to skillet when all veggies are soft. Stir until fragrant, about 15 seconds.
- If using peanut sauce or other thick sauce, remove pan from heat and stir in sauce. If using a thinner sauce, add to pan and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir cooked meat, poultry, or seafood into veggie mixture. Serve over cooked grains.
If using tofu or edamame as your protein food:
- Follow directions above.
- Skip step 3.
- Add tofu or edamame in step 4, along with 1 tablespoon of oil.
- Follow rest of directions.
