Fast and easy, stir-fry is a quick and healthy weeknight meal. Quick cooking, one-dish meals — or side dishes — are a great way to preserve lots of the nutrients and vitamins in the ingredients. Stir-frying is the cooking method most associated with Asian cuisine. It basically means cooking small, or bite-sized, pieces of food in a small amount of oil over high heat while continuing to stir the ingredients. Most stir frys use one protein and one vegetable.
The more often you stir fry, the faster and more efficient you will get at the preparation of the ingredients and cooking. Once you get the basics of stir-frying, you can adapt recipes for the tastes of your family, and improvise with what you have on hand and want to use up.
Basic Stir Fry Formula = 1 Protein + 1-2 Vegetables + Sauce + Garnish
Tips for Successful Stir-frying:
- Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you turn on the burner; measure, chop, or cut up any ingredients you will need.
- Most recipes will indicate this, but make sure your ingredients are cut to about the same size so they cook evenly.
- Get the wok hot before adding the oil, and then spread the oil around the surface of the wok. Make sure the oil is hot before adding any ingredients (the oil should be almost smoking). Having a hot wok first will heat the oil quickly and also help prevent food from sticking.
- Since the heat of the wok or skillet is so important for stir-frys, take the time to cook in batches if you are making large amounts. For example, only cook enough chicken or meat to cover the lower portion of the wok in one layer (usually no more than 12-16 oz) . If you have more, cook them in two batches.
- Invest in a long-handled spoon or metal spatula so you can easily stir the ingredients without getting hurt.
- When you add meats or chicken to stir-fry, let them sit for a minute on the surface so they get a nice sear, and then begin to move them around to complete cooking.
Plan, Buy, Prep, Cook – The Basics:
- Prepare a marinade for the protein. Marinating the protein makes a big difference in the final flavor of the dish, and most stir-fry marinades are quick; usually about 15 minutes of marinading will do.
- Cut up your protein into equal bite-size pieces, if necessary, and begin to marinade.
- Meanwhile, prepare and gather the rest of your ingredients: cut up vegetables into bite-size pieces; chop or mince aromatics like onion, garlic, and ginger; have any extra plates or utensils on hand.
- Mix the flavoring sauce and set aside.
- Heat the wok or skillet so it is almost smoking. Add oil and sauté protein, cooking in batches if necessary, then transfer to a clean plate or bowl.
- Return the wok or skillet to almost smoking. Add oil, and then quickly sauté any aromatics. Add the vegetables and cook through until tender-crisp. Then return protein to the wok or skillet.
- Stir in the flavoring sauce and coat all the ingredients.
Recipes:
- Lynn Rosetta Kasper, host of The Splendid Table radio show interviewed Grace Young and shared a recipe: Chinese Broccoli with Ginger Sauce
- PCC Natural Markets has a Recipe for Garlicky Green Beans and Shrimp that is FREE of gluten, corn, dairy, egg, peanut, wheat, soy, and tree nuts – wow, that should have it covered!
- Uwajimaya Asian Grocery and Gift Store, a Seattle-area institution for almost 100 years, has a website with a wealth of recipes and a glossary of Asian food terms.
- Super speedy: If you have a limited time to prepare the vegetables for a stir-fry, stop by the salad bar at your store and get pre-cut veggies. Many stores also have pre-cut vegetables packaged for stir-fry in the produce section.
- Variation: Most stir-fry recipes can be adapted for special dietary needs: both reduced sodium and gluten-free soy sauce (made from rice instead of wheat) are readily available.
Turn up the heat!
