Content

• Steps
• What you need
• Advice
• Warning

Stir-frying is a quick way to create a delicious, well-balanced meal. As long as you have a deep pan and the right oil, you can stir-fry any vegetable. If you like, you can add tofu, chicken, beef or other meats. To taste your stir fry, you can use sauces or seasonings. Here is a guide on how to cook crispy and delicious vegetables:

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Prepare Ingredients

1. 

   Choose vegetables. You can stir-fry most vegetables. Choose from a variety of colorful and textured vegetables and some ingredients that taste good and smell good. Both fresh or frozen vegetables can be used for stir-frying. However, you should not use canned vegetables because they lose their texture when stir-frying. Prepare one and a half cup of any fresh vegetables per serving. Try stir-frying all the ingredients you like, for example:
   • Bell pepper
   • Peas
   • Carrot
   • Old horse teacher
   • Green or purple cabbage
   • Broccoli or broccoli buds
   • Eggplant
   • Onion
   • Mushrooms

2. 

   
   
   Wash the vegetables and pat dry. Fresh vegetables should be washed before processing, while canned vegetables should be drained. Use a clean paper towel or cloth to pat dry the water so that the vegetables are cooked well after processing. Leftover water will turn the dish into steamed vegetables instead of stir-frying, and cause the vegetables to stale.
   • There is no need to thaw frozen vegetables if they have been cut into small pieces. However, you should wash the ice thoroughly and then pat it dry to allow the stir fry to dry as much as possible.

3. 

   
   
   Cut the vegetables into thin pieces. When stir-frying, all the ingredients need to be stir-fried evenly and quickly so that each piece of vegetables is cooked at the same time. Therefore, the size and thickness of the vegetables will play an important role in ensuring that each piece of vegetables is fully cooked but not overcooked. Therefore, vegetables will cook evenly and quickly if they are cut thin.
   • When preparing ingredients, keep them separate. Since some vegetables ripen faster, you must stir-fry each one separately.
   • For slower-ripening vegetables, cut them into smaller pieces so that they won't go alive when the other vegetables are done. For example, potatoes, carrots, and starchy tubers usually ripen longer than mushrooms and eggplants.

4. 

   
   
   Prepare ingredients for the fragrance. Just add a little garlic, ginger, chili, and green onions, and you can create a richer flavor for stir-fries. Be sure to peel garlic, ginger or onions before adding them to stir fries.
   • Cut the aroma ingredients into small pieces so that their flavor can evenly blend into your stir fry.
   • For a stir-fry dish for 2 people, you can use 1 garlic clove, 1 or 2 chopped onion stalks, 1.5 cm of chopped fresh ginger and 1 minced chili.

5. 

   Prepare ingredients rich in protein. Stir-fried veggies aren't great either, but if you want the food to be extra protein, add tofu, chicken, beef, or any other type of meat. To prepare the ingredients, follow these steps:
   • Cut meat into thin slices to taste. Thick meat won't cook fast enough. If you add meat to your stir fry, make sure everything is cooked thoroughly after you cook it.
   • Cut the tofu into cubes to taste. You should choose firm tofu for stir-fries. Soft tofu will break and break easily when stir-fry.
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Part 2 of 4: Choosing Fever

1. 

   Buy or make your own Teriyaki sauce. This sweet, fragrant sauce is often used to season stir-fries. You can buy a bottle of teriyaki sauce or make your own. Here's how to prepare enough teriyaki sauce for a stir-fry dish for 2 people:
   • Mix 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon rice wine and 2 teaspoons brown sugar in a saucepan.
   • Heat the mixture and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture thickens.
   • Season with salt and dried red chili powder.

2. 

   Mix white wine with soy sauce. This is a simple and easy-to-make sauce that gives a rich flavor to stir-fries. Just mix a few tablespoons of white wine with soy sauce to create a simple and delicious sauce. Alternatively, you can use Sherry (not sweet) in place of white wine. Season with salt and dried red chili powder.

3. 

   Homemade peanut sauce. Peanut sauce gives a different flavor than traditional sauces. This is a popular sauce in restaurants and can also be made at home. Here's how to make peanut sauce:
   • Mix 1/2 cup fatty peanut butter, 2 teaspoons water, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon brown sugar.
   • Add 1 minced garlic clove, a little sesame oil or dried red chili powder for added flavor.
   • Refrigerate the mixture and let it sit overnight so that the ingredients blend together.

4. 

   Season your stir fry with the broth. If you like a mild stir fry, use vegetable, chicken or beef broth to season it. If you like the rich flavor, mix the broth with soy sauce and add more flavored herbs and spices.
   • Mix 1 teaspoon of sugar with 1 teaspoon of rice wine vinegar for a traditional flavor.
   • Mix the broth with lemon juice in a 1: 1 ratio for a sour taste.
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Part 3 of 4: Stir-fry Vegetables

1. 

   Heat the pan under high heat. You should only heat the pan, not the oil. If you don't have a deep pan, you can use a high-bottomed pan. This pan will keep the vegetables hot and you can stir the vegetables without spilling them.
   • Do not overheat the pan to avoid a fire when you add oil. The pan is hot enough when you put the water in and the water evaporates within 2 seconds.
   • Open a window or turn on the oven fan (if you have one) as cooking can create heat and smoke.

2. 

   Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan. It's best to use an oil that can be heated to very high temperatures before it starts to smoke, such as peanut oil, canola oil, corn oil, safflower seed oil, and rice bran oil. Don't use extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, or butter, as they smoke too quickly under high heat.
   • Hold the handle of the pan and rotate to let the oil evenly cover the surface of the pan. The oil should separate into a small chain of oil seeds and easily roll over the pan.
   • The oil that is difficult to spread may be the pan is not hot enough. Heat until the oil drips easily before adding the vegetables. If not, the stir fry will be stale.

3. 

   Add the aroma ingredients when the oil starts to shine. The oil will start to shine before smoking. That is a sign that you can add the first ingredients. If you don't see the oil shiny, you can add the ingredients when the oil starts to smoke a little. Add garlic, ginger, scallions, and chili peppers to flavor them before adding vegetables and meat or tofu.
   • Use a wooden spoon to stir the ingredients quickly or stir by pushing the pan if you can do it without spilling it.
   • Fry the fragrant ingredients for about 30 seconds before adding the vegetables and meat or tofu. Don't cook too long because the garlic and other ingredients are very flammable in a hot pan.

4. 

   Put the ingredients that need to be sautéed for a long time. In addition to protein-rich foods like tofu or meat, add hard, firm vegetables like potatoes, broccoli, pumpkin, and green beans first. Use a wooden spoon to stir ingredients quickly or use a forceps to flick and stir.
   • To prevent the stir fry from getting saggy and evenly cooked, stir fry just the right amount of ingredients in the pan. Since frying only takes a few minutes, you can cook it in batches, leaving the pan and oil hot between each batch.
   • If the ingredients seem overcooked, stir more vigorously instead of turning off the heat. This will make the ingredients hot and dry, creating a perfect stir-fry dish.
   • Continue to fry the hard meat and vegetables until the meat is almost done and the vegetables are light, slightly soft. This usually takes about 3-10 minutes, depending on the ingredients you use.

5. 

   For the vegetables, it takes less time to cook. Once the ingredients are almost done, place the vegetables that don't need to be stir-fried for too long in the pan and continue to stir.
   • Vegetables to include include bok choy, bell peppers and mushrooms.
   • Ingredients that need less time to cook include zucchini, shredded cabbage, peas and green leafy vegetables. If you don't want to be complicated, you can add them at the same time or you can wait until the other vegetables are nearly cooked.

6. 

   Once the vegetables are tender, pour in a few tablespoons of sauce. Sprinkle it with sauce to cover all of the ingredients, then cook for 1-2 minutes. The stir-fried vegetables will be nearly cooked in 1-2 minutes.
   • Pour the sauce into one sugar onto the side of the pan, not over the pan to keep the pan hot.
   • Don't use too much sauce to avoid making the vegetables too wet.

7. 

   Instant food. The texture of the hot fried vegetables when taken out of the pan is the best. As soon as the sauce has absorbed into the vegetables, turn off the heat and remove the vegetables on a plate. Stir-fried vegetables that are still hot will taste best and will be soft right away, so don't let them cool down before serving. Stir-fried vegetables can be eaten with steamed rice and dipped with sauce or are also very delicious if eaten separately. advertisement

Part 4 of 4: Variations of Texture and Flavor

1. 

   Adjust the cooking time if the vegetables are too thin or crunchy. You can change the cooking time depending on the size, type and age of the vegetables and personal preferences. Making a variety of stir-fries from your favorite vegetables will help you know how long each vegetable should be fried.
   • If you find a certain vegetable is too crunchy, add it to the fry sooner next time.
   • As for vegetables that are too soft or easily detachable, add them to stir fry later.

2. 

   Blanch or soak hard vegetables and take a long time to cook. Carrots, broccoli, and broccoli are for example because they are hard and difficult to cut into small pieces. For hard vegetables that need a lot of processing time, you can apply the following:
   • Blanch before frying. If the vegetable piece is at least 1.3 cm thick, quick blanching will make the vegetables softer faster. Be sure to always pat the poached vegetables dry before frying them.
   • Or you can add a small amount of water, broth or Sherry when sautéing vegetables. Cover for 1-2 minutes until the vegetables are tender, then continue to cook as usual.

3. 

   Soak dried mushrooms in hot water before preparing them. You need to soak the dried mushrooms for 5-10 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender, before you cook them. When still dry, mushrooms will be hard and difficult to chew.
   • To soak dried mushrooms, first boil a little boiling water. Then, turn off the heat and let the mushrooms soak in water. After 3-5 minutes, remove the mushrooms when the mushrooms are bulging.
   • Dried shiitakes are harder than other mushrooms, so you should soak them for about 10 minutes.

4. 

   Try decorating the stir fried vegetables. After the vegetables are done stir-fry, you can further decorate them with ingredients that don't need to be processed in the pan. Here are some decorating ingredients that suggest the perfect final step:
   • Sesame seeds or roasted seeds sprinkled on top will create a delicious crunch.
   • Parsley, cilantro or other herbs will add luscious aroma and flavor to stir-fries.
   • Sprinkle with thin slices of raw vegetables to create bright colors and unique textures.

5. 

   Finish. advertisement

What you need

• Deep pan (or heavy pan with high walls)
• Tissue
• Wooden spoon

Advice

• Apply the Season method to the pan (treat the pan before using it to create a protective layer) if food becomes sticky or burnt. Pans need a special treatment before use and should not be scrubbed like other dishes. Therefore, you need to apply the Season method to prepare the pan for next preparation.
• If you are using tofu or meat, you can use a sauce to quickly marinate before stir frying.
• Use oil with a high smoke point to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan. You can use canola oil and don't use olive oil or butter.
• If you are allergic to soybeans, you can use coconut sauce instead.

Warning

• Use firm tofu, not soft tofu. Soft tofu will easily crush when stir-fried.
• Peanut oil commonly used in stir-fries can cause serious harm to people allergic to peanuts.