8 Tips to Make Your Stir-Fry More Exciting
- Nuts and seeds. Peanuts might already be regular stir-fry toppers, but it’s time to expand your nutty horizons.
- Fresh ginger. Ginger will add some serious zing to your stir-fry.
- Put an egg on it.
- Marinate your protein.
- Skip the rice.
- Vinegar.
- Seaweed.
- Fresh herbs.
What are three important steps to a good stir-fry?
What are three important steps to a good stir fry?
- Make sure your wok is super-hot! Stir fry gets its flavors from that high-heat.
- Cook the meat first. Make sure it comes to room temperature first so it cooks evenly.
- Remove the meat before cooking the vegetables. This keeps you from getting chewy, overcooked meat.
What should I put in my stir-fry?
Good vegetables for stir-frying include bell peppers, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, yellow or white onions, green onions, pea pods, cabbage, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, and leafy Asian greens in the “choy” family, such as bok choy and yu choy. In a hurry? You can use a 16-ounce bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables.
What do I add first to stir-fry?
Stir-fry onions first, then add hard vegetables such as carrot and broccoli. Quick-cooking vegetables, such as snow peas, leafy greens and bean sprouts, should be added towards the end of cooking. If using vegies that have a combination of both textures, such as gai laan, add the stems first and the leaves later.
How can I add flavor to stir-fry?
Instead of a salty sauce, flavour your stir-fry with:
- Herbs: basil, oregano, cilantro.
- Spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom.
- Reduced sodium or no sodium added broth.
- Fresh lemongrass, garlic or ginger.
- 100% fruit juice.
- Citrus zest.
- Lower sodium soy sauces (<600 mg sodium per tablespoon)
What makes stir-fry taste so good?
Sauce is essential to a good stir-fry because it adds sweet, tangy and salty flavors to the dish. You can use a store-bought sauce or make your own from oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch and broth. Aim for about 2 to 3 tablespoons per person. (Start with these Asian sauces you need to know.)
What herbs are good in stir-fry?
Fresh herbs.
Cilantro, mint and basil make for great late additions to a stir fry, or try them as a flavor-adding garnish just prior to serving.
What are the seven common ingredients in a stir-fry?
The main ingredients to a stir-fry are: Proteins – chicken, beef, pork, seafood, tofu, tempeh, seitan. Aromatics – garlic, green onions, shallots, ginger. Vegetables – pretty much anything goes for this category.
What liquid goes in stir-fry?
Soy sauce, sesame oil, a bit of vinegar, or store-bought stir-fry sauces are easy to add to the dish and most stir-fry recipes will include a suggested mixture of liquid. If you don’t really have a sauce planned, a bit of bottled soy sauce and some diced garlic or ginger will make a nice basic stir-fry sauce.
Can you put egg in a stir fry?
Generally speaking, the key to cooking eggs in a Chinese kitchen is well-beaten eggs, high heat, and a good amount of oil. The eggs will puff up into a light and airy scramble—done in just a minute or two. This is the method we use for stir fries like these, and to cook eggs for fried rice.
Do you add stir fry sauce before or after?
Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking. A proper sauce for stir-fries combines something salty—soy sauce, usually, though fish sauce also works—with something a little bit sweet.
Do you add meat or veggies first for stir fry?
Meat first, then vegetables – If you want meat or seafood in your stir fry, cook it first then scoop it out onto a separate plate before cooking the vegetables. You’ll add the meat back in at the end. 5. Don’t crowd the pan – If you have too much in your pan, the vegetables will steam instead of staying crisp.
What is the secret to a great stir-fry?
4 Tips for Stir-Frying
- Use a wok. A wok is ideal because the heat is centralized at the bottom of the wok, so it sears stir-fry ingredients quickly.
- Avoid overloading your wok. The key to stir-frying is to constantly stir.
- Add water.
- Thicken your stir-fry sauce.
What spices go well with soy sauce?
The following combinations make good start points: Add ginger, garlic and onion to soy sauce and marinate diced beef for an Asian stir-fry. Mix cumin, coriander, paprika and lemon juice to create a Middle Eastern-inspired marinade for white fish or salmon.
What can I add to it for flavor?
5 Ways to Add Flavor Without Adding More Salt
- Stir in herbs and spices. The obvious way to enhance a dish’s flavor is to, well, give it more flavor.
- Add a splash of vinegar.
- Squeeze or zest citrus.
- Sprinkle in some cheese.
- Add aromatics like garlic, onions, and shallots.
What is important when stir-frying vegetables?
It is important that you cut the vegetables into uniform sizes before stir-frying. So if you are incorporating asparagus spears and red bell pepper, both vegetables should be sliced into pieces the same size as each other. And, due to density and moisture, some vegetables take longer to cook than others.
Should you stir-fry high heat?
The wok should be very hot and lightly smoking before you add the oil. This prevents food from sticking and is the best way to put wok hei into your food. More often than not, the entire stir-fry process should be on high heat. This is especially important at the step when all the ingredients come together.
What are the four main components of a stir-fry?
A great stir-fry typically consists of four important components: protein, vegetables, aromatics, and sauce.
- Set a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat and allow it to get screaming hot.
- Add your meat and cook until browned on each side (cooked thoroughly if using chicken or pork).
What are two disadvantages stir-frying?
However, there are also certain disadvantages to stir frying. Stir frying requires a certain amount of skill to toss the food inside the hot wok, and if not done properly, it might lead to the food getting burnt or unevenly cooked.
What are the top five herbs used in cooking?
Top 10 Herbs for Your Kitchen
- Basil.
- Cilantro.
- Dill.
- Mint.
- Oregano.
- Parsley (Italian)
- Parsley (Curly)
- Rosemary.
What is hoisin sauce used for?
Hoisin sauce is a condiment most often used in Chinese and Vietnamese cooking. While many people associate hoisin sauce with Peking duck, you can also use it with Vietnamese rolls or as a dipping sauce for other dishes. We make hoisin sauce from red miso, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and spices.