Ginger Stir Fry & Rice with Carrot Ginger Salad

As the blog post title indicates, ginger was the inspiration for tonight's dish. The impetus, however, was actually a craving for that famous carrot ginger dressing served at most Japanese restaurants; after that I built the meal around that flavor combination. I used wild rice, which is so much more healthy than white rice...in fact I simply can not remember the last time I ate, or even cooked, white rice. I flavored the rice with a bit of ginger root. Similarly, I flavored the stir fry with both ginger root and ginger oil, and of course the dressing featured ginger root as well. Good thing I caught on to the idea of peeling and freezing ginger root, it lasts a lot longer and is much easier to grate when frozen. This is particularly helpful because most grocery stores sell a 'hand' of ginger in a Paul Bunyan size that rivals the needs of even a commercial kitchen!

Ginger Stir Fry & Rice

2 T ginger oil (I have olive oil infused with ginger, but regular olive oil would work fine; additionally you could flavor your own oil first by adding ginger root to olive oil and cooking over low heat)

1 medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2" piece of ginger root, peeled

1 cup tri-color peppers, sliced

1 cup broccoli, chopped, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup carrots, sliced into small sticks

1 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into wide, thin strips (I used a vegetable peeler)
1 T teriyaki marinade + 1 T water to dilute (see tips here)


Ginger Rice
1 cup wild rice
1 T olive oil
1/2" piece ginger root, peeled
1 3/4 cups water


Start the rice first, it will take about 30 minutes or so. Heat a medium pot over high heat and add the olive oil and rice, stir to combine and toast the rice for a few minutes being careful not to burn it. Grate in the ginger root right before adding the water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low and simmer until cooked. Using a bit less water than the typical 2:1 ratio for cooking rice will yield a more fluffy (less sticky) rice. 


Meanwhile, heat the ginger oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sautee a few minutes, then add in the ginger and garlic by grating them into the skillet; stir well. Add in the peppers, broccoli and zucchini and stir to combine. Drizzle the teriyaki mixture over the stir fry and toss to combine. Remove from heat and serve with ginger rice and a ginger-carrot salad (recipe follows). You could easily add chicken to this stir fry, or mushrooms, peas/beans ... anything you like really.


Carrot-Ginger Dressing
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1/2" piece ginger root, peeled
1 T rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
3-4 T olive oil


In a food processor, add the carrot and shallot, grate in the ginger root, add the rice wine vinegar and sesame oil. Turn the processor on and slowly drizzle in the olive oil just until the dressing comes together. In a large bowl, toss together the dressing with the salad greens of your choice. The dressing is plenty to dress 4 salads.