Many home cooks make mistakes when they stir-fry, resulting in drab, overcooked dishes that rob fresh vegetables of their flavor and texture.
The heat will activate the cornstarch, which acts as a thickener, and the sauce will start to darken and bubble. That's when you know your stir-fry is about done.
The key to making a really good stir-fry is using a very high cooking temperature so the food will cook quickly. Since stir-frying involves high heat, it's important to choose an oil that has a high smoke point. If you don't, the oil will burn and the whole dish will be ruined.
If you add too many ingredients at once, they will overlap and steam, rather than sauté, making them rubbery or soggy.
Stir-frying should be done over a high heat and the food in the pan should be sizzling at all times. Keep ingredients moving constantly by stirring with a wooden spoon and shaking the pan.
Stir-fry vegetables according to density, with the densest vegetables being stir-fried first and for the longest time. Denser vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, and eggplant require more cooking time than green leafy vegetables such as bok choy.
A good stir-fry offers layered textures. Combine something soft like noodles or tofu with something naturally sweet and crunchy like carrots, scallions, or bok choy, and finally, something with an umami savoriness, like meat or mushrooms.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, then fry the chilli and garlic for 1 min. Add the veg and toss to coat in the oil. Fry for 2-3 mins, then add the soy and chilli sauce, mixing well. Cook for 2-3 mins more until the veg are tender.
A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Not all vegetables cook at the same rate, and getting two vegetables to hit that cusp between tender and crisp at the exact same time is pretty much impossible.
All foods give off some steam when cooking, so it's important to leave the lid off the pan during frying so the steam evaporates rather than collecting on the lid and dripping back into the hot oil.
Always serve the stir-fried dish immediately, since the bite-sized pieces cool down quickly. I always cook rice when I'm making stir fry, because it complements the meal and gives your veggies and meat a nice bed to sit on. But, if you have no rice available, you will be just fine without it.
Cut Thin Slices
The thinner the beef, the more tender it will taste and the less chewy it will be. Thicker strips require longer cooking times, which usually means the outside is overcooked by the time the inside is cooked.
Eating a stir fry may be a healthy option, but cooking it could be bad for your health because it shoots microscopic particles of fat into the air, which could be hazardous if inhaled, scientists have warned.
Why is my stir-fry so watery? Damp vegetables drop the temperature of your wok or skillet and can turn your stir-fry into a soupy braise. Pat vegetables dry or run leafy greens through a salad spinner until dry to the touch. Otherwise, they will steam and braise in the pan and lose their crispness.
For a basic stir fry, you'll want about 3 tablespoons of sauce. Most of the liquid will cook off, leaving you with just the flavors. If you'll be serving the stir fry over rice or other grains, you'll want about 1/3 cup of sauce and may want to thicken it up with a bit of cornstarch or flour.
You have to keep the food constantly moving by stirring and tossing it, so that it doesn't burn from the high heat. Constantly, though, doesn't mean non-stop. You stir about every 30 seconds or so, once things are going. In Chinese restaurants, they will also move the wok about while frying.
Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.
What are those crunchy things in your stir-fry? They're water chestnuts, and they're surprisingly good for you! You probably already know a few things about water chestnuts. They're white and crunchy, and you'll find them in a ton of Asian-style stir fry dishes.
Regular frying temperature is 350F. Stir frying temperature is at least 450F — it can be higher but that's the minimum. If you stir fry using oil with a smoking point below 450F, not only will the food taste bad, it will also be a health hazard.
The best oils for stir frys are the oils with the higher smoke points. These tend to be the “thinner” oils such as peanut, grapeseed or canola.
Start with the hard vegetables like carrots and broccoli. Stir and scoop vegetables to the side to make room for more. Then add the softer vegetables, like sliced mushrooms and zucchini. Pour in some stock or water and always keep the veggies moving in the pan.