Matt's all-purpose, low-fat Chinese food recipe

Matt's low-fat, all-purpose Chinese food recipe

1. Prepare some noodles or rice.

The default rice and noodle in China are both plain white. But you can find other rices and noodles if you look in the right places.

2. Mince some garlic

China is the world's number one producer of garlic. Growing up I was always told that it was Gilroy, but I now think that was just a marketing ploy.

3. Grate some fresh ginger

4. Chop up some vegetables.

In my case, I used baby bok choy and mushrooms. Baby bok choy is not the "designer vegetable" I think it is in American supermarkets, but an inexpensive staple. In fact, domestically produced produce in China is very inexpensive. My local supermarket also carries a long line of organic produce, which is about twice as expensive as the non-organic, but still cheaper than in the United States. The grocery store's basic mushroom is brown and more flavorful than the basic white mushrooms in the United States.

5. Combine water, corn starch, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and any other sauces of your choosing.

I almost always use soy sauce and vinegar, but when it comes to additional flavors you can mix it up. There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of ready-made sauces to choose from in the supermarket. I usually use some form of chili sauce.

6. Heat some oil in the wok. Add, one by one, the garlic, ginger, vegetables, and sauce, constantly and vigorously stirring.

I stopped using my long-handled spatula because it was flicking food all over the kitchen. Now I use a bamboo spoon, which lets me stir with greater accuracy and force. This is the same basic procedure that is used on woks across China, but it usually involves a lot of oil. I don't use much oil, so I need to be extra vigilant in the stirring to keep it from burning. But it's usually okay because the vegetables give off so much liquid that the stir-fry becomes nice and saucy, which is perfect for serving over rice or noodles.