Posted in Cooking

5 Easy Steps to Stir Fry


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Date October 24th, 2011 Comment Comments Off

Stir fry method of cooking is very healthy. It uses less oil and leaves the food crisp and not overly cooked, and thus not stripping out all the nutrients
and vitamins from raw food especially vegetables. Stir frying only takes a matter of minutes if you follow these few easy steps.
1. Well equipped
Firstly, a wok is a must, not pan, a big round wok. A round-based one works well using gas burner while a flat based one works well on electric stoves.
A good wok is heavy usually made of cast iron or carbonated steel, easily available is departmental store and Asian hardware shops. Teflon based
just doesn’t give you the same rich flavor. When first purchased, the iron wok must be seasoned, heat the wok until smoke start rises from the wok,
and then pour in a table spoon of peanut oil. Wipe the oil around the wok surface and throw away excessive oil. This way, all dirt will be removed from
the wok surface. Secondly, a ladle is a must. Choose one with strong handle.
2. Prepare your ingredients
All raw meat and vegetable must be cut uniformly in thickness and size in advance. This is to ensure the food is evenly cooked. Once the wok is
heated, there is not enough time to cut anymore. Rice and noodles need to be pre-cook, rice to be steamed while noodles to be boiled to soft.
3. Seasoning a must.
Before cooking the main ingredients, Asian usually put in chopped garlic or shallots to enhance the taste of stir fry dishes. When the wok is heated, oil
is put in, then garlic or shallots are put in to fry until golden brown. Only then the main ingredients are put in.
4. Meat first, vegetables second
For stir frying, this is can be considered the golden rule. Always cook meat first, vegetables second. Meat is harder to cook compared to vegetables. If
both are cook together, the vegetables tend to overcook. Meat or seafood must be marinated with a pinch of salt first. Always toss the ingredients for
even cooking. When stir frying rice or noodles, the goldren rule still applies, always meat first.
5. Sauce and seasoning
Lastly, add sauce to your stir fry dish. Sauces, such as oyster sauce, or sweet and sour, thin and thick black soy sauce are added into the wok to
complete the stir fry dish. Oyster sauce, thin and soya sauce is the most common, packaged in bottles and easily bought from the supermarket
shelves. Sweet and sour is popular unique but it’s just simply tomato sauce and sugar. Simply put in the sauce after the meat and vegetables are cook
in the wok, sauté for a while, and the dish is ready to serve.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com
About the Author
Amy guan loves to cook and shares her authentic Malaysian food in her blog www.malaysianfoodrecipe.blogspot.com. She shows how tasty exotic
Malaysian dishes can be prepared in less than 30 minutes

Posted in Holiday Fun

Ideas For Your Baby’s First Christmas


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Date December 15th, 2010 Comment Comments Off

If this is your baby’s first Christmas, there are many wonderful ways to make it Memorable. The most obvious of course is to take many movies and
still pictures of baby. Under the tree, in their Christmas outfit, sitting with Grandma and Grandpa, visiting Santa Claus and sitting with cousins among
the Christmas wrapping paper and ribbon.
The baby may be oblivious to the Holiday but you can’t let it pass by without buying wonderful things for your baby’s first Christmas. One Christmas
gift that my son received on his first Christmas now is the proud possession of his one-year-old daughter. Furniture is a wonderful way to preserve the
memory of the first Christmas.
Books always make great gifts for babies. A few of the books recommended are:
Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt
Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
Any book by Dr. Seuss, children love the singsong rhythm of his books.
Many greeting card companies also make special ornaments for baby’s first Christmas. It’s a nice tradition to start a collection of ornaments for your
child when he is a baby, and add one each Christmas. What a special memento for that child when he sets up his first Christmas Tree and has all of
his personal ornaments to put on it.
Another favorite is a stuffed animal. It could play music or just be a comfortable toy for the child to hold on to. This first present could become a
beloved companion for your baby.
You also might consider buying a special outfit with Baby’s First Christmas printed on it. Save it for the day that they have their own special first baby
Christmas.
There are so many things that can be personalized now for Baby’s first Christmas. You can personalize baby blankets, clothes, and even clocks can
be personalized with your baby’s name and the year of their first Christmas.
How about a personalized Christmas stocking for your baby? This is something that could become a treasured possession for years to come and can
be passed down from one generation to another.
When buying Christmas gifts for your baby consider spending a little more and getting something that will last through the years. A baby’s first train or
doll that will remain with your child for years to come is a wonderful reminder of baby’s first Christmas.
Source: http://www.articlecircle.com
About the Author
Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get baby
gifts at http://www.babygiftbasketsdelivered.com