Stir-Frying

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Published 2025

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As is mentioned in Chapter 15, the technique of stir-frying, used for many Asian dishes, is similar in many ways to sautéing. A detailed procedure for stir-frying is given below. Several recipes in this chapter as well as in Chapters 19 and 21 illustrate how this procedure is put into practice.

Basic Procedure for Stir-Frying

Heat a wok or sauté pan over high heat until very hot.
Add a small quantity of oil and let it heat.
Add seasonings for flavoring the oil—one or more of the following: salt, garlic, ginger root, scallions.
If meat, poultry, or seafood items are part of the dish, add them at this point. As when sautéing, do not overload the pan. Leave the food pieces untouched for a few moments so they begin to brown properly. Then stir and toss them with a spatula so they sear and cook evenly.
If any liquid seasoning for the meat, such as soy sauce, is used, add it now, but only in small quantities, so the meat continues to fry and does not start to simmer or stew.
Remove the meat from the pan or leave it in, depending on the recipe. If a small quantity of quick-cooking vegetables is used, the meat can sometimes be left in the pan and the vegetables cooked with it. Otherwise, remove the meat when it is almost done and keep it on the side while cooking the vegetables.
Repeat steps 2 and 3 if necessary.
Add the vegetables to the pan and stir-fry. If more than one vegetable is used, add the longer-cooking ones first and the quicker-cooking ones last.
Some dishes are dry-fried, meaning prepared without liquid or sauce. In this case, simply return the meat item, if any, to the pan to reheat with the vegetables, then serve. Otherwise, proceed to the next step.
Add liquid ingredients, such as stock or water, and continue to cook and stir until the vegetables are almost cooked.
Add the meat item, which was removed in step 6, to the pan to reheat.
Optional but widely used step: Add a mixture of cornstarch and water to the pan and cook until lightly thickened.
Serve at once.