We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. But
need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento (bell
pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
London. (U.K.).

would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?

john aston said...

> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento
> (bell pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be
> expensive in London. (U.K.).
>
> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else
> that would work well in a low cost combination? also for
> non-vegetarians I thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is
> that a good idea?


There's an enigma if ever there was one!

Andy

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
> wrote:
>would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
>would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?

One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.

Mr. Bill wrote:
> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
> > wrote:
>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
>> would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>
> One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
> crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
> and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
> really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
> ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.
>

Broccoli stems are without a doubt the best part. It has been next to
impossible to find broccoli with attached stems in the past year or two.

john aston wrote:
> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento (bell
> pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
> London. (U.K.).
>
> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
> would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>
>

You might get good answers if you report what is currently inexpensive
for you. Such as "green beans are inexpensive now".

Andy wrote:

> john aston said...
>
>> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people.
>> But
>> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento
>> (bell pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be
>> expensive in London. (U.K.).

Snow peas (mange-toute pea/sugar pea) are good - and not too expensive
here in South Africa, as are Chinese baby corn. Not sure what they cost
and how readily available they are in the UK though... Thin strips of
carrot and shredded cabbage are a few other things that lend themselves
to stir-frying too. (I'll pass on the cabbage myself tho' <laugh> hate
the stuff).
>>
>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything
>> else
>> that would work well in a low cost combination? also for
>> non-vegetarians I thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is
>> that a good idea?
>
>
> There's an enigma if ever there was one!

I just can't imagine stir-frying minced (aka ground) beef - but then who
am I to say? Dunno, maybe some of our Asian or Asian-American folks
could comment about this. Strips of beef, pork or chicken are more what
I'm used too. Or shrimp (prawns).

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

Andy said...

> There's an enigma if ever there was one!


Now that I've thought about it... <brief light bulb flash>...

For added flavor, maybe finish stir fry servings with a spoonful of diluted
beef or chicken bullion and top with grated cheese.

Andy

ChattyCathy wrote on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:37:53 +0200:

>> john aston said...
>>
>>> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of
>>> people. But need to keep the cost of the main ingredients
>>> down. I know pimento (bell pepper) and courgettes
>>> (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in London.
>>> (U.K.).

> Snow peas (mange-toute pea/sugar pea) are good - and not too
> expensive here in South Africa, as are Chinese baby corn. Not
> sure what they cost and how readily available they are in the
> UK though... Thin strips of carrot and shredded cabbage are a
> few other things that lend themselves to stir-frying too.
> (I'll pass on the cabbage myself tho' <laugh> hate the stuff).
>>>
>>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and
>>> anything else that would work well in a low cost
>>> combination? also for non-vegetarians I thought I could
>>> add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>>
>> There's an enigma if ever there was one!

> I just can't imagine stir-frying minced (aka ground) beef -
> but then who am I to say? Dunno, maybe some of our Asian or
> Asian-American folks could comment about this. Strips of beef,
> pork or chicken are more what I'm used too. Or shrimp
> (prawns).

Minced chicken is often cheaper than unground and works in some Thai
dishes so I don't see why it would not be possible in a stir fry tho
I've never used it.

A lot of vegetables have widely varying prices.
Cucumbers are often remakably inexpensive and are good cut into one inch
chunks but added at the end so that they are not overcooked.
Regular cabbage is usually cheaper than Bok-choy or Napa cabbage but
green (sweet) peppers have been from USD 0.88 to USD 2.50 per pound in
the last week or so. In fact, red peppers have been cheaper than green
on occasion.
I only like broccoli stems and not the florets but that's an individual
choice.
Onions are usually inexpensive and are best cut lengthwise, not into
rings. IMHO.
Frozen peas can often be inexpensive if bought in large bags and would
be added at the end of cooking.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James Silverton wrote:
> ChattyCathy wrote on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:37:53 +0200:
>
>>> john aston said...
>>>
>>>> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of
>>>> people. But need to keep the cost of the main ingredients
>>>> down. I know pimento (bell pepper) and courgettes
>>>> (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in London.
>>>> (U.K.).
>
>> Snow peas (mange-toute pea/sugar pea) are good - and not too
>> expensive here in South Africa, as are Chinese baby corn. Not
>> sure what they cost and how readily available they are in the
>> UK though... Thin strips of carrot and shredded cabbage are a
>> few other things that lend themselves to stir-frying too.
>> (I'll pass on the cabbage myself tho' <laugh> hate the stuff).
>>>>
>>>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and
>>>> anything else that would work well in a low cost
>>>> combination? also for non-vegetarians I thought I could
>>>> add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>>>
>>> There's an enigma if ever there was one!
>
>> I just can't imagine stir-frying minced (aka ground) beef -
>> but then who am I to say? Dunno, maybe some of our Asian or
>> Asian-American folks could comment about this. Strips of beef,
>> pork or chicken are more what I'm used too. Or shrimp
>> (prawns).
>
> Minced chicken is often cheaper than unground and works in some Thai
> dishes so I don't see why it would not be possible in a stir fry tho
> I've never used it.
>
> A lot of vegetables have widely varying prices.
> Cucumbers are often remakably inexpensive and are good cut into one
> inch chunks but added at the end so that they are not overcooked.
> Regular cabbage is usually cheaper than Bok-choy or Napa cabbage but
> green (sweet) peppers have been from USD 0.88 to USD 2.50 per pound in
> the last week or so. In fact, red peppers have been cheaper than green
> on occasion.
> I only like broccoli stems and not the florets but that's an
> individual choice.
> Onions are usually inexpensive and are best cut lengthwise, not into
> rings. IMHO.
> Frozen peas can often be inexpensive if bought in large bags and would
> be added at the end of cooking.

Also celery, sliced somewhat thinly on the diagonal, is good and
certainly inexpensive. I stirfry it at the beginning, along with the
onions. Minced beef in a stirfry doesn't appeal to me - rather, thinly
sliced chicken breast. You don't need much meat.

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:33:14 -0400, George wrote:

> Mr. Bill wrote:
>> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
>> > wrote:
>>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
>>> would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>>> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>>
>> One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
>> crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
>> and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
>> really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
>> ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.
>>
>
> Broccoli stems are without a doubt the best part. It has been next to
> impossible to find broccoli with attached stems in the past year or two.

how odd. around here (md), usually you can buy just crowns or stems and
crowns together.

your pal,
blake

On Apr 2, 5:37*am, ChattyCathy > wrote:
> Andy wrote:
> > john aston said...
>
> >> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people.
> >> But
> >> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. *I know pimento
> >> (bell pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be
> >> expensive in London. (U.K.).
>
> Snow peas (mange-toute pea/sugar pea) are good - and not too expensive
> here in South Africa, as are Chinese baby corn. Not sure what they cost
> and how readily available they are in the UK though... Thin strips of
> carrot and shredded cabbage are a few other things that lend themselves
> to stir-frying too. (I'll pass on the cabbage myself tho' <laugh> hate
> the stuff).
>
>
>
> >> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything
> >> else
> >> that would work well in a low cost combination? * *also for
> >> non-vegetarians I thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is
> >> that a good idea?
>
> > There's an enigma if ever there was one!
>
> I just can't imagine stir-frying minced (aka ground) beef - but then who
> am I to say? Dunno, maybe some of our Asian or Asian-American folks
> could comment about this. Strips of beef, pork or chicken are more what
> I'm used too. Or shrimp (prawns).

I've had some spicy stir-fried Thai plates that contained ground beef
and/or ground lamb

STRATEGY


>
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy

George wrote:

>
> Broccoli stems are without a doubt the best part. It has been next to
> impossible to find broccoli with attached stems in the past year or two.

About five years ago our grocery store began to sell
"broccoli crowns", the tops with a very short stem attached,
at a premium price. They still sold the long-stemmed style
also.

Then they stopped selling the long-stems but still charged a
premium for the crowns. Now little by little the stems have
grown longer on the crowns but they are still a premium price.

"That's how they getcha!"

gloria p

On Apr 2, 8:01*am, "john aston" > wrote:
> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. *But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. *I know pimento (bell
> pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
> London. (U.K.).
>
> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
> would work well in a low cost combination? * *also for non-vegetarians I
> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?

Besides looking for items that are currently inexpensive and/or on
sale, do you have a "reduced section" in your produce aisles? They
have items that are about to get too old to sell, so they sell them
for a fraction of their normal cost You can often find interesting
things (there was a recent thread about his) and the price is right.

Just an idea,
Kris

P.S. - Whatever you make, serve with lots of rice - a very cheap way
to fill out the meal

On Apr 2, 6:59*am, Andy > wrote:
> Andy said...
>
> > There's an enigma if ever there was one!
>
> Now that I've thought about it... <brief light bulb flash>...
>
> For added flavor, maybe finish stir fry servings with a spoonful of diluted
> beef or chicken bullion and top with grated cheese.
>
> Andy

CHEESE?????????????? Whadda you, NUTZ?
Lynn in Fargo

On Apr 2, 4:01*am, "john aston" > wrote:
> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. *But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. *I know pimento (bell
> pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
> London. (U.K.).
>
The vegetables that can be stir-fried in delicious combinations vastly
outnumber those that cannot. Let your taste and your pocketbook be
your guide. Consider making a light sauce of soy sauce, possibly
oyster sauce, rice wine or dry sherry, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch
dissolved in cold water.

If by "masses" you mean you're contemplating really large quatities
then you will need to remember not to overload your wok. Never add so
much that the temperature drops below very hot. The essence of the
process is a hot, searing fry, not a mild steaming action. This can
be a benefit, as you can create different combinations of vegetables
for successive stir-fries. (Don't forget to look to see if your
budget permits canned bamboo shoots and water chestnuts and dried
shiitake mushrooms.)

Since you're going to do more than one dish, you can easily
accommodate both vegetarians and meat-eaters. I agree with other
posters that sliced meats are more typical than mince. Marinate
briefly in the standard soy, wine, garlic, ginger mix. -aem




> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
> would work well in a low cost combination? * *also for non-vegetarians I
> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?

Lynn from Fargo Ografmorffig said...

> On Apr 2, 6:59*am, Andy > wrote:
>> Andy said...
>>
>> > There's an enigma if ever there was one!
>>
>> Now that I've thought about it... <brief light bulb flash>...
>>
>> For added flavor, maybe finish stir fry servings with a spoonful of
dilut
> ed
>> beef or chicken bullion and top with grated cheese.
>>
>> Andy
>
> CHEESE?????????????? Whadda you, NUTZ?
> Lynn in Fargo


Lynn in Fargo,

Maybe I overstated matters a bit! A few shakes of grated cheese?

God knows, I'll no-doubtedly ever get anything right. Dammit!!!

Watch me screw up cheese & crackers???

I'LL DO IT!!!!!!

Standback!

Andy

On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:29:58 -0700, Gul Dumar wrote:


> I've had some spicy stir-fried Thai plates that contained ground beef
> and/or ground lamb
>
> STRATEGY

Oh, I like Thai food. Care to share any recipes you may have for those
dishes you mentioned?

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

James Silverton wrote:

> ChattyCathy wrote on Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:37:53 +0200:

>
>> I just can't imagine stir-frying minced (aka ground) beef -
>> but then who am I to say? Dunno, maybe some of our Asian or
>> Asian-American folks could comment about this. Strips of beef,
>> pork or chicken are more what I'm used too. Or shrimp
>> (prawns).
>
> Minced chicken is often cheaper than unground and works in some Thai
> dishes so I don't see why it would not be possible in a stir fry tho
> I've never used it.

I've used minced chicken for Jade Soup (got a recipe from another poster
here) and it was really good. But I've never thought of using it in a
stir-fry.

Oh... another good veggie for stir-fries is asparagus, IMO. I prefer
green. But whether that would be within the OP's budget, I dunno.

--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy

blake murphy wrote:
> On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:33:14 -0400, George wrote:
>
>> Mr. Bill wrote:
>>> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
>>> > wrote:
>>>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
>>>> would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>>>> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>>> One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
>>> crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
>>> and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
>>> really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
>>> ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.
>>>
>> Broccoli stems are without a doubt the best part. It has been next to
>> impossible to find broccoli with attached stems in the past year or two.
>
> how odd. around here (md), usually you can buy just crowns or stems and
> crowns together.
>
> your pal,
> blake

I have never seen just stems for sale. I would definitely buy them. Most
of the markets gradually switched to just crowns. The large family owned
market was the last place that had crown with a nice length stem. They
no longer have them. I asked and they said there were no wholesale sources.

On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 09:59:49 -0700 (PDT), Lynn from Fargo Ografmorffig
wrote:

> On Apr 2, 6:59*am, Andy > wrote:
>> Andy said...
>>
>>> There's an enigma if ever there was one!
>>
>> Now that I've thought about it... <brief light bulb flash>...
>>
>> For added flavor, maybe finish stir fry servings with a spoonful of diluted
>> beef or chicken bullion and top with grated cheese.
>>
>> Andy
>
> CHEESE?????????????? Whadda you, NUTZ?
> Lynn in Fargo

my reaction as well.

your pal,
blake

On Fri, 03 Apr 2009 07:16:06 -0400, George wrote:

> blake murphy wrote:
>> On Thu, 02 Apr 2009 08:33:14 -0400, George wrote:
>>
>>> Mr. Bill wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
>>>> > wrote:
>>>>> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else that
>>>>> would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>>>>> thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>>>> One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
>>>> crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
>>>> and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
>>>> really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
>>>> ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.
>>>>
>>> Broccoli stems are without a doubt the best part. It has been next to
>>> impossible to find broccoli with attached stems in the past year or two.
>>
>> how odd. around here (md), usually you can buy just crowns or stems and
>> crowns together.
>>
>> your pal,
>> blake
>
> I have never seen just stems for sale. I would definitely buy them. Most
> of the markets gradually switched to just crowns. The large family owned
> market was the last place that had crown with a nice length stem. They
> no longer have them. I asked and they said there were no wholesale sources.

nope, not the stems alone, but as you say crowns still attached to a nice
length of stem. maybe i was a little unclear. stems alone i would buy
also, hopefully at a lower price.

your pal,
blake

"john aston" > wrote in message
...
> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento (bell
> pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
> London. (U.K.).
>
> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else
> that would work well in a low cost combination? also for
> non-vegetarians I thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that
> a good idea?
>

Onions and celery are relatively cheap.
You can get stuff at a big box store such as Costco(US) or some such.
Failing that, how about speaking with your local restaruant and asking if
you can put in an order from their wholesaler along with them?

"Mr. Bill" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 2 Apr 2009 13:01:36 +0100, "john aston"
> > wrote:
>>would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else
>>that
>>would work well in a low cost combination? also for non-vegetarians I
>>thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that a good idea?
>
> One item that most people discard are broccoli stems. I take the
> crown apart for cooking and then slice the stems on the bias. Blanch
> and then chill in ice water bath. I freeze them for later use. They
> really add a nice crunch and have to be a more moderately priced
> ingredient. We also enjoy carrots and celery in our stir frys.
>
Peeled broccoil stems are popular in fresh veggie platters w/a dip.

"john aston" > wrote in message
...
> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people. But
> need to keep the cost of the main ingredients down. I know pimento (bell
> pepper) and courgettes (zucchini) work well but tend to be expensive in
> London. (U.K.).
>
> would anyone know of a good combination of vegetables and anything else
> that would work well in a low cost combination? also for
> non-vegetarians I thought I could add some mince beef at the end, is that
> a good idea?
>

Even hard veggies such as carrots or parsnips can be stir fried-although
they may need a quick blanching.

"Kswck" ha scritto nel messaggio >
> "john aston" wrote in message
>> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people.
>
> Even hard veggies such as carrots or parsnips can be stir fried-although >
> they may need a quick blanching.

Actually, what works better is to cut, slice or shred things to the size
they need to be to cook in the same amount of time. A mondolin is great for
that, but a vegetable peeler can do it too. You might slice off thin strips
with it and then use a knife to reduce them to the shreds a mandoline will
make.

Most vegetables except potatoes (IMO) work in stir fries, but it's a big
mistake to start your thinking with veg that are out of season, like
zucchine and red peppers at this time of year in the UK. Late winter and
early spring are for cabbages, spinach and other greens, stored root veg,
and sprouts or shoots.

I've had lots of Asian dishes that included minced meat. Szechuan dry fried
green beans for one, and a great spicy-sweet eggplant dish which name I
don't recall.

On Sat, 4 Apr 2009 14:24:04 +0200, Giusi wrote:

> "Kswck" ha scritto nel messaggio >
>> "john aston" wrote in message
>>> We have large wok and want to cook a stir fry for masses of people.
>>
>> Even hard veggies such as carrots or parsnips can be stir fried-although >
>> they may need a quick blanching.
>
> Actually, what works better is to cut, slice or shred things to the size
> they need to be to cook in the same amount of time. A mondolin is great for
> that, but a vegetable peeler can do it too. You might slice off thin strips
> with it and then use a knife to reduce them to the shreds a mandoline will
> make.
>
> Most vegetables except potatoes (IMO) work in stir fries, but it's a big
> mistake to start your thinking with veg that are out of season, like
> zucchine and red peppers at this time of year in the UK. Late winter and
> early spring are for cabbages, spinach and other greens, stored root veg,
> and sprouts or shoots.
>
> I've had lots of Asian dishes that included minced meat. Szechuan dry fried
> green beans for one, and a great spicy-sweet eggplant dish which name I
> don't recall.

yep, but that's usually ground pork, not beef, as (i think) was originally
suggested.

the only asian things i can think of with ground beef are the szechuan
lion's heads meatballs or vietnamese meatballs, and both of those are most
often mixed with ground pork as well, and not ususally what one would think
of as stir-fries. but i am only a grasshopper in these matters.

your pal,
blake