Technically, this dish isn’t a true stir-fry, but the technique is the same. You can use chicken instead of ham, if you prefer, or make a vegan dish with cubes of firm tofu, but these have to be fried up first since they’re not pre-cooked like the ham.
PROTIP: To speed the sauce thickening, close the lid, but leave a tiny gap at the side so steam can escape. This will heat up the contents of the pan to a higher temperature and the water will boil off faster.
Ingredients: [‘olive oil’, ‘carrots’, ‘red onion’, ‘sweet bell peppers’, ‘cooked ham’, ‘pineapple chunks in juice’, ‘brown sugar’, ‘cider vinegar’, ‘mustard’, ‘cornstarch’]
Quantity of Ingredients: [“1 tablespoon olive oil or 1 tablespoon canola oil”,”3 large carrots, sliced into thin coins “,”1 red onion, chopped into 2cm squares “,”3 sweet bell peppers, chopped into 2 cm squares (multicoloured is prettiest!)”,”2 cups cubed chicken or 2 cups cubed firm tofu”,”1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks in juice or 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple slices, cut into bite-size pieces “,”2 tablespoons brown sugar, packed “,”1 tablespoon cider vinegar”,”1 tablespoon mustard (Dijon or yellow are fine)”,”1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch, as needed “]
Number of Servings: 4
Steps: [‘Chop all ingredients into bite-sized chunks.’, ‘Heat a large skillet with lid to medium-high.’, ‘To hot skillet, add oil.’, ‘If using chicken or tofu instead of ham, cook these first until chicken is not pink inside and tofu is starting to brown at the edges.’, ‘Add onions and carrots. Sautee until tender, about 5 minutes.’, ‘Add peppers and ham, stirring occasionally until they are heated through.’, ‘Drain pineapple juice into a cup, and add pineapple tidbits to skillet.’, ‘For the sauce, add brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar to the pineapple juice.’, ‘Stir in 1 Tbsp cornstarch, and mix well so there are no cornstarch chunks.’, ‘Add sauce to hot skillet. Stir.’, ‘Cover skillet with lid, leaving a small gap or vent. Simmer until sauce is thickened and glossy.’, “If sauce won’t thicken, add another 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch, mixing in well.”, ‘Serve over rice or quinoa.’]