By Melissa Clark, The New York Times
As anyone who has ever made a stir-fry knows, the most time-consuming part happens on the cutting board, not in the pan. All the slicing, mincing, julienning and matchstick-making needed to turn whole ingredients into small, uniform pieces takes far more effort than cooking them, which, in a ripping-hot pan, happens in minutes.
But there’s one simple way to streamline the process, and itap already waiting for you at the supermarket: ground meat. Swapping it in for whole cuts of chicken, beef or pork makes a good part of the knife work disappear. Yes, you’ll still have vegetables and aromatics to deal with, but as far as your protein goes, just open the package and add it to the pan.
Some of the world’s greatest stir-fries are made with ground meat. There’s classic Sichuan dry-fried green beans, often studded with ground pork, and Thai pad krapow, with ground chicken and basil. In these recipes, ground meat isn’t just a timesaver; it makes the dish better.
Thatap because, compared with a sliced cutlet, those tiny, loose crumbles have more surface area, ready to absorb all the seasonings in the pan. In this recipe — a riff on the Sichuan green beans — the garlic, ginger, cumin, soy sauce and a bright hit of rice vinegar permeate the chicken and make it especially savory.
Ground meat can also be more economical than the chicken breasts, tenderloins and steaks often called for in stir-fry recipes. And it defrosts quickly, so you can stock your freezer when itap on sale. I find it takes about an hour to defrost a pound of ground meat if I put it on an overturned sheet pan. (If itap vacuum-packed, you can leave it in the package; if itap packed on a plastic foam tray, take it out of the package first.)
In this recipe, I opted for ground chicken (or turkey) because itap mild and light, letting the beans, garlic and cumin shine. Ground pork, beef, lamb or duck are fine substitutes if you want something brawnier. But take note that beef and pork can throw off a fair amount of fat while browning. If thatap not your preference, look for a leaner grind or cut back on the oil, since the meat will render plenty of its own fat.
Give it a good sear, and you’ll get little crispy, caramelized bits of chicken clinging to blistered green beans, all of it glossy with sauce. Itap a deeply flavored meal that proves the easier path can also be the better one.
Recipe: Stir-Fried Cumin Green Beans and Chicken
The most time-consuming part of any stir-fry is chopping the ingredients into small, quick-cooking pieces. But in this very savory recipe, using ground meat streamlines the process. The tiny bits of ground chicken are also better at absorbing the seasonings, fully taking on the flavors of garlic, cumin, ginger and soy sauce, all brightened by a dash of rice vinegar. The ground chicken (or turkey) gives this a subtly meaty flavor, letting the vegetables and aromatics take center stage. But feel free to substitute ground pork, beef or lamb, if you want something richer and brawnier.
By Melissa Clark
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral-tasting oil, such as peanut, sunflower or grapeseed, plus more if needed
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey, preferably dark meat
- 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
- 8 ounces green beans, cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 red or green chiles, seeded or not, thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1/4 cup cilantro or basil leaves and tender stems, chopped, plus more for serving
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, plus more for serving
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce, plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce or 1/2 teaspoon honey
- Cooked white rice or rice noodles, for serving
Preparation
1. Heat a large (12-inch) skillet or wok over medium-high for 1 minute. Add oil and heat for another 30 seconds — it should be hot but not smoking.
2. Stir in chicken and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until browned and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
3. Return pan to heat and add more oil if it looks dry. Stir in green beans and stir-fry until they are crisp, tender and bright green, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in chiles, garlic, ginger, cumin seeds and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.
4. Return chicken to skillet, along with chopped cilantro, vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Stir briefly to combine. Taste and add more vinegar and soy sauce if needed. Top with more chopped cilantro, and serve with rice or noodles if you like.
This article originally appeared in .
