Stir-Fry

Appears in

Published 1993

About

A wonderful Oriental method of cooking foods quickly in hot oil. The theory is simple: foods are stirred and tossed constantly in a little hot oil in a wok or large frying-pan over a high heat, until patched with brown. When cooked, vegetables should be tender but still retain a small amount of crunchiness. However, there are certain guidelines to be followed:

Vegetables and meat should be cut into small pieces, all of much the same dimensions, so that they cook quickly and evenly.
All ingredients must be prepared, measured and assembled before you start cooking.
If possible, use a wok, but failing that a large, high-sided frying-pan.
The secret of stir-frying is to keep the heat very high throughout the cooking period (unless the recipe says otherwise), and to keep all the ingredients constantly on the move so that they never have a chance to burn. This means that the wok/pan gets very hot indeed, so take great care not to burn yourself.

Part of

Glossary of Basic Techniques