Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Prepare the ingredients
• Method 2 of 4: Choosing a sauce
• Method 3 of 4: Stir-fry it
• Method 4 of 4: Playing with texture and flavor
• Necessities
• Tips
• Warnings

Stir-frying or stir-frying is a quick way to make a well-balanced, tasty meal. If you have a frying pan or wok and the right oil, you can experiment with any combination of vegetables. Add tofu, chicken, beef, or any other protein you like to complete the meal. Finally, to flavor the stir-fry meal, add a sauce or a combination of herbs. If you want to know how you can make a good crunchy wok meal yourself, go to step 1.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Prepare the ingredients

1. Select the vegetables you want to use. Almost any combination of vegetables can be used for a stir-fry meal. Try to provide a diversity of color and texture and one or more particularly tasty ingredients. Both fresh and frozen vegetables can be used for a stir-fry meal. Avoid canned vegetables as these will make the stir-fry meal too soft. Try to serve one and a half cups of fresh vegetables per person. Try the ingredients listed here and add the vegetables you love:
   • Paprika
   • Sugar snaps (sugar peas)
   • Root
   • Water chestnuts
   • Green or red cabbage
   • Broccoli or rapini
   • Eggplant
   • Onions
   • Shiitake mushrooms
2. Wash the vegetables. Dry them with kitchen paper or a tea towel to keep them crispy. Wet vegetables will steam instead of baking, which makes them soggy.
   • Frozen vegetables do not need to be thawed if they have already been cut into small pieces or are small by themselves. However, it is a good idea to rinse off the ice crystals and pat the vegetables dry afterwards so that they can be stir-fried dry.
3. Cut the vegetables into thin slices. Stir-frying is all about cooking all the ingredients quickly and evenly so that all the vegetables are ready at the same time. The size and thickness of the vegetables determine whether each piece is cooked properly and not too weak. In general, the vegetables will cook evenly and quickly when cut into thin slices.
   • Keep slow cooking vegetables separate from those that cook quickly. You don't put them all in the wok at the same time, but separately.
   • Vegetables that take a long time to cook can also be cut into slightly smaller pieces so that they are not too hard when the rest is already done. Potatoes, carrots and other starchy vegetables take longer to cook than, for example, mushrooms and eggplant.
4. Prepare the seasonings for the stir-fry meal. Garlic, ginger, chilies and spring onions add depth and flavor to the stir-fry meal. Only a little of these ingredients are needed to give the whole dish a delicious taste.
   • Chop the ingredients as small as possible so that the flavor can be well distributed over all vegetables.
   • For a meal for two people, use 1 clove of garlic, 1-2 finely chopped spring onions, 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger and 1 small chopped fresh or dried chili pepper.
5. Select a source of protein. Stir-fried vegetables taste great on their own, but if you want to add protein to the meal, you can add tofu, chicken, beef, pork or any other type of meat. This is the preparation you can make regarding the protein:
   • Cut the meat into thin, bite-sized pieces. Thick pieces of meat do not cook quickly enough and it is important that the meat is well cooked during the stir-frying.
   • Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. Choose firm tofu that can withstand stir-frying and won't immediately fall apart. Silken (silk) tofu falls apart easily and is not resistant to stir-frying.

Method 2 of 4: Choosing a sauce

1. Buy a bottle of teriyaki sauce or make your own. This spicy sweet sauce is often used to flavor a stir-fry dish. The recipe below is enough for a stir-fry meal for two people:
   • Mix 1/2 cup of soy sauce, 1/4 cup of water, 1 tbsp. rice wine and 2 tbsp. brown sugar in a saucepan.
   • Heat the mixture and let it simmer until it starts to thicken and the sugar is completely dissolved.
   • Add salt and red chili flakes to taste.
2. Mix white wine and soy sauce together. This is a simple and easy sauce that makes the stir-fry really tasty. All you need is white wine and soy sauce. A few tablespoons of each makes for a simple yet delicious taste. You can also use dry (not sweet) sherry instead of white wine. Add salt and red chili flakes to taste.
3. Make your own satay sauce. Satay sauce provides a very different taste than most traditional sauces. It is often served in restaurants and you will be amazed how easy it is to make it yourself. To make your own satay sauce, do the following:
   • Put 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter, 2 tbsp. water, 1 tbsp. lime juice, 1 tbsp. soy sauce and 1 tbsp. brown sugar together.
   • Add 1 clove of chopped garlic and a few splashes of sesame oil or some red chili flakes to flavor the sauce more.
   • Let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight so that the flavors have time to form a whole and loosen up properly.
4. Use stock to flavor the stir-fry meal. Vegetable, chicken or beef stock provides a mild flavor. You can mix the stock with soy sauce and make it as strong as you like. You can then further flavor the sauce with savory herbs and spices.
   • Mix 1 tsp. sugar and 1 tsp. rice wine vinegar to create a more traditional flavor.
   • Mix equal parts lemon juice and stock if you like a tart taste.

Method 3 of 4: Stir-fry it

1. Heat the wok or frying pan over a high heat and do not add the oil yet. If you don't have a wok, it's best to use a frying pan with a high edge. This type of skillet can keep the vegetables warm while you stir without it falling out.
   • Don't let the wok get too hot as it could start a fire when you add the oil. The wok is ready when a drop of water evaporates within 2 seconds.
   • Open a window or turn on the extractor hood if you have one. Stir-frying can cause a lot of smoke and heat.
2. Add 2 or 3 tbsp. oil. It is best to add oil that you can heat at a high temperature without smoking. Coconut, peanut, canola, sunflower, corn, and rice oils are all fine. It is better not to use olive oil, sesame oil or butter because they will smoke too quickly during the heat of the stir-frying.
   • Hold the wok by the handle and turn the wok around so that the oil covers the entire surface. The oil should break into droplets and slide quickly over the bottom of the wok.
   • If the oil moves slowly over the surface, the wok is probably not hot enough. Heat the wok until the oil drips well before adding the ingredients. Otherwise, you run the risk of the meal getting soggy.
3. When the oil begins to glitter, stir in the seasonings just before smoking. The shimmer indicates that the time has come to add the first ingredients. If you don't see the shimmer, you can add the ingredients when the oil starts to smoke a little. Now add the garlic, ginger, spring onions and chili peppers. These flavor the oil before adding the vegetables and proteins.
   • Use a wooden spatula or tongs to quickly put the ingredients in the pan or throw them in without spilling if you can.
   • Fry the seasonings for about half a minute before continuing with the vegetables and proteins. Don't wait too long because garlic and other ingredients burn quickly in a hot wok.
4. First add the ingredients that take a long time to cook. In addition to proteins such as tofu or meat, you can now add hard, firm vegetables such as potato, broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin and string beans.
   • To prevent the stir-fry meal from becoming soggy or undercooked, it is best not to fry too many vegetables in the wok at once. It is best to stir as much as will fit on the bottom of the pan. Since stir-frying only takes a few minutes, you can fry the vegetables in several batches and let the wok with the oil heat up in between.
   • If the ingredients are in danger of overcooking, it is best to stir vigorously instead of lowering the heat. This way you keep the vegetables hot and dry, which results in a good stir-fry meal.
   • Fry the meat and firm vegetables until the meat is almost cooked and the vegetables have become clear and slightly tender. This should take about 3-10 minutes depending on the ingredients.
5. Now add the vegetables that are cooked quickly. Keep stirring vigorously while adding the remaining vegetables.
   • Vegetables that you can now add are bok choy, bell pepper and mushrooms.
   • Ingredients that need even less time are zucchini, sliced ​​cabbage, sugar snap peas and leafy greens. You can add these at the same time to keep it simple or wait until the other vegetables are almost ready.
6. When the vegetables are cooked you can add a few tablespoons of the sauce. Pour in so that all other ingredients are covered and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
   • Pour the sauce as a stripe down the side of the wok, not onto the bottom, so that the bottom of the wok stays hot.
   • Don't use too much sauce: it can make the vegetables too wet.
7. Serve the stir-fry immediately. The texture is optimal when the vegetables have just come out of the wok. Once the sauce has poured onto the vegetables, you can turn off the heat and serve it right away. The stir-fry meal tastes wonderfully soft when it comes straight out of the wok, so make sure it doesn't get cold before you eat. Steamed rice (any kind) goes well with stir-fried vegetables and absorbs the sauce well, but you can also eat the stir-fry meal very well without rice.

Method 4 of 4: Playing with texture and flavor

1. Adjust the stir-frying time if you notice that a vegetable is getting too soggy or too hard. The size, type and freshness of the vegetable, in combination with your personal preference, determine how long a vegetable must be baked. If you have used your favorite vegetables for a stir-fry meal a number of times, you will find that it helps you develop a feeling for how long vegetables should be fried in the wok.
   • If you notice that a vegetable is still too hard after stir-frying, you can put it in earlier next time.
   • If a vegetable is too soft after stir-frying, you can add it at a later stage next time.
2. Blanch or cook hard vegetables that take too long to be cooked in the wok. Carrot, cauliflower and broccoli are common pitfalls because they are hard and difficult to cut into small pieces. If these or other hard vegetables take too long to cook, there are several options:
   • Blanch them before baking. When the vegetables are at least 1 cm thick, it is best to steam them to make them softer. Always pat them dry before baking.
   • You can also add a little water, stock or dry sherry while baking. Cover the wok for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables are soft, then continue to stir-fry as usual.
3. Soak dried mushrooms for 5-15 minutes or until soft in boiled or hot water before stir-frying. If you don't, your stir-fry will contain hard, chewy bits.
   • To soak dried mushrooms, first bring some water to a boil. Remove the water from the heat and add the mushrooms. Remove the mushrooms from the water after 3 to 5 minutes when they have thickened.
   • Dried shiitake are harder than most mushroom varieties, so they take a little longer, usually 15 minutes.
4. Experiment with the garnish. After the stir-fry has been removed from the heat, you can add a tasty decoration that does not require baking. For the perfect finish you can think of:
   • Sesame seeds or roasted nuts sprinkled over the dish provide a crunchy bite.
   • Parsley, basil or other fresh herbs look beautiful and provide a pleasant aroma and taste.
   • Sprinkle a few thin slices of raw vegetables over the dish to give it a bright color and texture.
5. Ready.

Necessities

• Wok (or a heavy frying pan with high edges)
• Paper towel
• Wooden spatula

Tips

• Oil that only starts smoking at a high temperature helps to prevent vegetables from burning. Give canola oil a try.
• Treat the wok appropriately if the food sticks or burns in the wok. A wok must be cleaned and maintained in a special way and not scrubbed clean like other pans. Read the instructions for the wok to find out how best to do this. Follow the instructions in this article on how to handle the fire and oil to avoid burning.
• If you add tofu or meat, you can marinate it briefly in the sauce before baking.

Warnings

• Peanut oil, often used in stir-fries, can cause health problems in people with a peanut allergy.