How can I prepare left over Stir Fry for the fridge?
I like making Stir Fry and I've tried several times to make two meal's worth so I can refrigerate half and take it to work, but so far every attempt has been sub-bar. It's veggie stir fry and I use a variety of sauces (most of which involve soy sauce) and a little vegetable oil.
The problem is mostly the sauce; I can't seem to drain it out, so it builds up at the bottom and gets nasty, or at the least it smells very strongly by the next day. I can't strain out the liquid from the bottom of my Wok very well and even after separating out the portion to be refrigerated I can't quite strain it; the sauce is there but just thick enough to not drain off.
Is there anything I can do to properly drain out the excess sauce or is there some method I can use to make sure the extra portion is edible, at least for a day? I know it's not going to be half as good, but it's completely inedible after a night in the fridge.
Best Answer
I make stir fry all the time and do the same thing as you. I would make extra, enough for 2 - 3 meals.
The thing I do to prevent the vegetables from getting too mushy in the refrigerator is by cooking the stirfry about 75%(I make sure if I am doing this that the meat is fully cooked first) and then take out the portion that I intend to refrigerate. This allows me to either finish cooking it in the microwave if I am taking it to work or reheat it up in the stove if I am staying home.
Also since I am taking the portions from the upper part of the stirfry, there is less sauce that the vegetables will be steeping in so that should solve your problem of too much sauce.
Another thing you should remember is that the types of vegetables you use makes a big difference. If you choose all vegetables that turns really soft when cooked(onion, squash, peppers) then reheated stirfry using those vegetables will be not as unpalatable. The trick is to use a variety of textured vegetables.
Also I dont want to state the obvious but if your problem is your sauce, have you ever tried using a different(lighter) sauce recipe?
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Quick Answer about "How can I prepare left over Stir Fry for the fridge?"
The only rule for this “makeover” is to add ingredients that will compliment the leftover. With a leftover stir fry, generally you can do no wrong in adding fresh garlic, chilli, sesame oil, white pepper, concentrated stock and soy sauce in sprucing up the leftover.Can you put leftover stir fry in the fridge?
Yes, reheating stir fry is perfectly safe. Just be sure to store your leftover stir fry in the fridge or freezer until you're ready to reheat it, as stir fry left sitting out at room temperature is unlikely to be safe for consumption.How do you reheat leftover stir fry?
The stove is another great option for reheating a stir-fry dish or any saut\xe9ed veggies. Add an oil and reheat the food on low to medium heat to avoid overcooking. You'll definitely want to stir frequently for even heating.Can you prepare a stir-fry in advance?
Yes! You can prep all of the ingredients ahead of time so this stir fry can literally comes together in minutes: Whisk the sauce ingredients together and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.Can you eat leftover stir fry?
A pasta bake or chicken stir-fry dinner can make a great next-day lunch, but how long does it take for leftovers to become unsafe to eat? As a general rule, food should be eaten within two to three days of cooking.How To: Make Stir Fry from Fridge Leftovers!!!
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Answer 2
I'm beginning to use a Wok for cooking and also notice excess moisture after the first cooking. It's possible you're adding to much oil and Soy sauce at the beginning. Also, if you have cooked rice that hasn't been added to the Wok during the initial cooking, you could try adding the cooked rice to the to-go dish the morning of. The rice will absorb some of the excess moisture and flavor (as long as the flavor is still desirable the next day).
Answer 3
The answer likely depends on how you're going to be reheating the stir-fry.
In a 'take to work' situation, odds are, it's going to be a microwave. For that case, I just put down a bed of rice in the container first, then the stir-fry on top of it.
The sauce will soak into the rice, helping to dry out the vegetables some, which in turn slows down their heating in the microwave.
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