Next Steps Stir Fry

Claire Wright

Featuring:

Effort:

Complexity:

Cost:

In season now

Ingredients:

Meat/veggie alternative, tofu or prawns, if using

Noodles/rice (1 nest for each adult/bigger kids, 1/2 for younger kids)

Jar or packet of sauce (or try a healthier and cheaper simple mix (for 4) of: 3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium), 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp honey, 1 garlic clove (minced or grated), 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger)

Bag of fresh or frozen stir fry veg, or a handful per person of 1-2 veg (see suggestions in recipe)

We suggest you do this in stages, slowly, and go as far as works for your family, here’s how your final recipe might come together…

Method:

Cook the meat/veggie alternative according to package instructions if using (usually this is just frying in a little oil until lightly golden, cooked through and piping hot). Set aside while you fry any veg you are using quickly over a high heat in a little oil. Make sure you slice/dice any veg thinly/small so it cooks quickly, but you generally want a little more crunch in a stir fry so cook it just for a couple of mins. A bag of stir fry veg is your best bet here, but if you want to choose your own veg to suit tastes more, try fresh veg like: sliced peppers, carrot strips (use a veg peeler to get thin strips), sliced/chopped tenderstem broccoli, baby sweetcorn, beansprouts, sliced spring onions, sliced mushrooms, sugar snap peas or mangetout, asparagus or shredded cabbage. You can get bags of frozen stir fry mix, or use frozen/tinned sweetcorn or sliced peppers/mushrooms, but these will be a lot softer so for a crunchier stir fry stick to fresh veg.
Cook the noodles/rice according to packet instructions. Stir through the meat and/or veg and the sauce (to make a healthier sauce that is far cheaper in the long run, try our suggested mix of ingredients and just whisk together and pour over, or Google a simple stir fry recipe – most are just a case of whisking a few ingredients together!).

Engaging Kids

Kids who engage regularly with veg through veg-themed activities, such as arts and crafts, sensory experiences, growing and cooking are shown to be more likely to eat the veg they engage with. Encouraging kids to engage and play with veg is the handy first step to them developing a good relationship with veg and life-long healthy eating. Find out more here.

Kids in the kitchen

Get younger kids mixing up the sauce and chucking a couple of handfuls of your chosen veg into the pan. They could also help you serve up the meal, maybe sprinkling over some toasted cashews or peanuts or sesame seeds, or a handful of chopped spring onions and roughly chopped fresh coriander.

Older kids might be ready to learn how to chop some fresh veg to add in, stir everything together in the pan, and make a stir fry sauce with your help!

Master these skills:

Cleaning vegetables, Tasting, Bridge chopping, Claw chopping

More about Kitchen Ninja Skills

Activities

Use arts & crafts as a stepping stone to interacting with the veg themselves. While you make your stir fry, why not set a child up with:

Sweetcorn Face Mask

Sweetcorn Veg Crown

Cut Out ‘n’ Colour Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn Secret Code puzzle

So Corny wordsearch

Find more arts & crafts and puzzles & games on our website.

Sensory

Why not start with a couple of slices of mushroom and get them to describe what they see – does it remind them of anything? Maybe it looks like a strange mini face or a tiny grey pumpkin. See if they want to chuck some into the stir fry after having engaged with them.

Head to our Sensory page for more games, videos, tips and ideas.

Serving

Why not let your child be in charge of some fun stir fry toppings? Let them choose from a few options such as: roughly chopped fresh herbs, chopped nuts, sliced spring onions, thinly sliced red onions “pickled” for a few mins in red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt and sugar, shredded lettuce or red cabbage, grated carrots or thinly sliced cucumber. Make sure to praise them for their choices as you tuck into your stir fry, it may encourage them to try some of theirs!

Get more ideas over on our Roles for Kids page.

Claire Wright

Editor: After leaving Exeter University with a degree in English Literature, Claire worked in various fields ranging from youth work and charities to publishing, before starting up a food-focused website when her first child was born. After being asked to project manage the publication of Veg Power's Crowdfunder book, Claire came on board as a fully-fledged team member in 2018 to take on the role of Communications Manager, then Editor, looking after Veg Power's website, content, recipes and social media platforms.

addsomeveg.com/

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