Hot and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry

• Rinse the rice.

In a small sauce pot, combine the rice and 1¼ cups (2¼ cups)water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, 15 to 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, cover, and keep warm. Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the meal.

• In a small bowl, stir together the fermented black soybean paste, 2 tablespoons (¼ cup) water, and as much cayenne pepper sauce as you like. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the meal.
• Cut the broccoli into 1-inch florets; trim any coarse stems.
• Remove the stem, ribs, and seeds from the bell pepper; cut the pepper into ½-inch-wide strips.
• Peel and cut enough onion into ½-inch-thick slices to measure 1 cup (2 cups).
• Scrub or peel the carrot and trim the ends; thinly slice the carrot on the diagonal.

In a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 2 teaspoons oil until hot but not smoking. Working in batches if needed, add the broccoli, mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and carrot, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add more oil between batches if needed. Wipe out the pan. While the vegetables are cooking, prepare your protein.

• Chicken, steak, or pork strips: Cut a small corner from the packaging and drain off any excess liquid. Transfer the meat to a plate; pat dry with a paper towel. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Shrimp or scallops: Rinse and drain the shrimp or scallops. Pat dry on a paper-towel-lined plate. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Tofu: Pat the tofu dry with paper towels; cut into ½-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Plant-based chicken: Pat the plant-based chicken dry with a paper towel; season with salt and pepper.

In the same pan used for the vegetables, warm 1 to 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add your protein and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and just cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes for regular shrimp; 4 to 6 minutes for jumbo shrimp, scallops, steak, pork, tofu, or plant-based chicken; and 6 to 8 minutes for chicken.

Stir in the vegetables and black soybean paste mixture and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are heated through and the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the rice to individual bowls, top with the stir-fry, and serve.