Day 17 Pumpkin Challenge - Beef Stir-fry

It's funny how some vegetables are mainstream and can be found in pretty much every household whilst other are considered too much like peasant food to be used much these days, and other are too exotic and misunderstood to feature heavily in the average kitchen. I remember reading somewhere that swede is considered to be animal feed in most of the rest Europe so the British are viewed a bit odd for eating it. And then we have the avocado, once a rarely eaten vegetable and now one of the trendy must-haves. Who knows what will come into favour next.

I know there are some households these days that don't buy any fresh produce but in these those that do, it is fairly common to find carrots lurking in the fridge or cupboard. They are, after all, a very easy and versatile vegetable. I guess that pumpkins aren't quite so convenient but they can be used in many of the same ways that you can use carrots. They are a good addition to casseroles, stews, mince dishes and stir-fries. When I have a fresh pumpkin to hand I chop it up and throw it into pretty much any dish I'm having for dinner. And why shouldn't I? It works well - try it!

Beef Stir-fry (serves 2)

1 sirloin steak cut into strips
1 carrot, cut into juliennes
1 piece of celery, cut into small pieces
4 mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
A piece of root ginger, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Pumpkin, cut into juliennes
A fair dollop of oyster sauce
Same again of sweet chilli sauce
A little mushroom ketchup

Stir fry the steak and vegetables until cooked then add the sauces. Serve immediately with rice and prawn crackers.