I've been on a big Asian food kick lately; I'll have to recount some of my adventures in crispy spring rolls, Vietnamese sandwiches, and savory noodle dishes in another post. But, much as I love treating my palate to restaurant-prepared dishes, what I'd really love is to be able to make my dish last long enough to pick it apart; to identify ingredients and spices and ponder how I might prepare the meal in my own kitchen. While I don't believe I possess the necessary devotion or skill to recreate these meals, I'd like to be able to whip up a version that satisfies me just the same.
So I decided to start with the one of the very few Asian dish in my repertoire: a vegetable stir fry. Now, my typical "stir fry" dish involves a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, soy sauce, crushed garlic, and white rice; so it wouldn't take much to step up my game. But, after a little experimentation and research, I found that a few subtle changes can make all the difference.
