Cajun Stir Fry

Few things taste better to me on a nice, spring-like day than stir fry. Maybe it's the rainbow of vegetables that go into stir fry, or the smell of the spices cooking up. Or maybe it's because, after a long and painful midwestern winter, anything will get me into that spring-time harmony. Plus, Rickie's mom graciously bought us a brand-new wok (after I completely destroyed our 1st one after one use) and we love getting all the use out of it we can.

Below is a Cajun Stir Fry recipe Rickie likes to cook up for us. Stir fry (like anything) can be a little dull if you are always using the same ingredients and spices. So this recipe is a nice (and delicious!) change from your typical soy-based stir fry.

Ingredients

2 tbsp peanut oil, divided
1 onion
2 bell peppers (when I'm in charge of getting the peppers at the store, I tend to pick 2 green. Rickie, on the other hand, would get a red and orange. So, we make ours with 1 green and 1 red).
2 zucchini
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 lb chicken or steak
1/2 lb shrimp
3 cups pasta
cajun seasoning, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
parsley, to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions on the box, drain, and set aside to cool.

2. Cut up onion, peppers, and zucchini (add cajun seasoning, if desired).

3. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat.

4. Once hot, add onion and cook for 2 minutes. Then add peppers and zucchini, cooking for an additional 2 minutes.

5. Add chicken broth, cajun seasoning, and cayenne pepper to vegetable mix, cooking for 2 minutes.

 

 

6. Transfer the vegetable and chicken broth mixture to a medium-sized bowl and set aside.

 

7. Cut chicken (or steak) into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in the wok, again over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 lb of chicken to wok, cooking for 3-5 minutes per side (this time could vary depending on the size of your chicken). Add cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper to chicken while cooking.

 

8. Once cooked, add chicken to the medium-sized bowl with the vegetables.

 

 



9. Add 1/2 lb of shrimp to the wok, cooking 3 minutes per side. Again, add cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper to shrimp.

All those years in Southern Maryland allowed Rickie to expertly master the art of shrimp-cooking.

 

10. Once the shrimp has finished cooking, add vegetables and chicken to the wok, along with cooked pasta. Mix together, adding additional seasoning (if desired). Add parsley to taste.

 



Rickie's refined "pinkie-up" technique for seasoning the stir-fry.

 

 

 

11. Serve, enjoy, and mailman everything!