Most stir-fries use similar techniques, while varying the ingredients. Once aspiring cooks become practiced at one stir-fry recipe, the rest will come easily, and they will be able to experiment with creative combinations on their own.
Chinese Seasoning Basics
Having a few essential Chinese ingredients in the pantry will make cooking Chinese food faster and easier. Most stir-fries are seasoned with the basic Chinese condiments:
- oyster sauce
- soy sauce
- garlic
- ginger
- sugar
- salt
- toasted sesame oil
- white wine vinegar
- cornstarch
- green onions
Having these close at hand will make cooking Chinese food much less intimidating.
Chinese Cooking Equipment
Home cooks need a minimum of equipment that includes:
- a wok with lid (a large frying pan will also work, but you may lose some pieces of food as they flip over the side)
- a good sharp chef’s knife
- a shovel-shaped stir-fry spatula with a bent head
- a hot stove.
Principles of Vegetable Stir-Fries
The simplest kind of stir fry includes only vegetables, whether a mix of different vegetables or just one kind of green leafy vegetable. When stir-frying vegetables, keep in mind the different cooking times, and be careful not to overcook anything.
For leafy greens (bok choy, Napa cabbage, choi sum, gai lan, etc…), remove tough thick stems before cooking (or stir-fry them separately to ensure the leaves don’t get overcooked). Wash and drain them. In the wok, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over high heat, drizzling it over the sides of the wok and then swirling to cover the wok’s surface. Add some chopped garlic and cook until aromatic. Add the leafy greens. The water clinging to the greens will make a satisfying sizzle.
Put the lid on the wok and let the greens wilt in the steam from the residual water, stirring and tossing occasionally. When greens are just wilted but stems are still crisp, salt to taste and serve. If desired, drizzle with toasted sesame oil.
For additional flavor, you can make a quick sauce out of a tablespoon or two of oyster sauce, a teaspoon of cornstarch, and two tablespoons of water. Mix the sauce ingredients together, making sure cornstarch is dissolved. Drizzle over the vegetables and toss together. The sauce should thicken almost immediately. Remove vegetables from wok and serve.
For other vegetables such as bell peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli, snow peas, tomatoes, and bean sprouts, just stir-fry them according to how long they take to cook. For instance, onions and carrots should be added near the beginning of the stir-fry because they take longer to become tender, whereas bean sprouts can be added within the last 30 seconds of stir-frying.
Sliced firm tofu can be added along with the faster-cooking vegetables to make a heartier vegetarian meal. Cook just a few minutes until tofu is heated through.
Of course, stir-frying vegetables is just the first step to mastering Chinese stir-fries. Continue reading for Meat and Vegetable Stir-Fries.
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