By The four-hundredth week. The blog has been running for almost eight years. I am thirty-four and the blog began when I was twenty-six and on the kitchen floor and the blog has been the rope. The rope did not know it was a rope. The rope thought it was a recipe blog. The rope was both. Most ropes are.
Thanksgiving week. Joseph arrived Wednesday night. The Mountain View kitchen was at full operating tempo. The American Thanksgiving was Thursday at Angela's — eight people, including Joseph. The Filipino Community gathering was Saturday — three hundred and forty-eight people. The lumpia gone in eighteen minutes. The pancit refilled three times. The lechon kawali eaten with hands.
Lourdes presided over the table of grandmothers. Joseph was in the corner with three other Santos cousins, eating lechon kawali with his hands, the brother home from the boat doing what brothers home from the boat do. Mia, almost three, ran through the gym holding lumpia in each hand. Auntie Norma came by my station and squeezed my arm and said, "You have done well, anak." Anak is "child." The squeeze is a benediction.
Carmen called on Friday. She and Mark were watching from San Diego. Carmen said, "Tell Lourdes the lechon kawali looked perfect." I told Lourdes. Lourdes nodded as if this were obvious. The community is the family I did not have to ask permission to be part of. The community is mine because the community is here. Here is enough.
The lechon kawali was gone before I remembered to eat any myself — that is what it means to cook for the community, and I would not trade it. On the Sunday after, with the gym folded back into quiet and Mia finally still, I wanted heat in a pan and something fast and full of intention. This stir-fry is what I reach for when I need to feel the momentum of a big table distilled into a single wok: loud oil, good fire, and the kind of bold flavor that makes everyone lean in the way they leaned in on Saturday.
Sizzlin’ Spicy Szechuan Stir-Fry
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or firm tofu, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 2 teaspoons Szechuan chili paste or sambal oelek
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil (such as avocado or canola), divided
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
- 3 green onions, sliced, for garnish
- Sesame seeds, for garnish
- Steamed white rice, for serving
Instructions
- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, chili paste, sesame oil, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
- Prep the protein. Pat chicken or tofu dry with paper towels. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and a dash of the sauce mixture; toss to coat.
- Heat the wok. Place a wok or large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat.
- Sear the protein. Add chicken or tofu in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then toss and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
- Stir-fry the vegetables. Add remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok. Add broccoli and bell pepper; stir-fry over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes until just tender-crisp with a little char on the edges.
- Add aromatics. Push the vegetables to the side. Add garlic, ginger, and crushed Szechuan peppercorns to the center of the wok; stir constantly for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Combine and sauce. Return the protein to the wok. Pour the sauce over everything and toss vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats all ingredients.
- Serve. Plate over steamed rice and top with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately while sizzling.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 27g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 680mg