Ken Hom

Completing Dry-Fried Vegetables

Appears in
Chinese Technique
Chinese Technique

By Ken Hom

Published 1981

  • About
Fragile, high-moisture vegetables, such as bok choy and zucchini, and leafy vegetables like spinach cook very quickly and can be “dry-fried”—stir-fried without the addition of more liquid. They should be cooked over high heat, which seals in juices. Low heat steams the vegetables and extracts moisture.
  1. Continue to stir-fry over high heat.

  2. Test by tasting a piece, removed from the wok with long chopsticks. Add water, stock, or rice wine if the vegetables seem too dry and need a little moisture to keep from burning. Since the vegetables continue to cook a little longer in their own heat, remove them from the wok when they are slightly crunchier than you actually want.