How To Stir Fry?

[corazon]

I'll be making a stir fry this week but its been so long since I've made one that I have forgotten how I used to do it. Thought I would ask around, I'm sure there are so many different ways.

I have firm tofu that I would like to be crispy and I also have some trader joes soyaki.

I do remember your pan needs to be super hot but that's about it.
thanks!

 

[TATTRAT]

Super hot is right. have all you ingredients prepped and ready to roll, in the order you will be cooking them. Use the base of the pan for cooking, and the sides of the pans for parking things, work from the center out.

 

[Maverick2272]

Bingo! Hot hot hot. We also keep a handy supply of soy sauce, fish sauce, and several Chinese and Japanese flavoring sauces to use. It's fun sometimes to mix and match sauces and see what happens, LOL.

 

[BBQ Mikey]

Cook your protein or veggies in oil, remove all but 2 tablespoons. Scent your oil with aromatics, garlic, ginger, onions, what have you. Build a sauce with your fav. saucey ingredients. Incorperate your protein over high heat. Enjoy thoroughly.

 

[Maverick2272]

A neat experience we had was the Mongolian BBQ we went to out here. You get to pick everything (meat, veggies, oil, sauces, flavorings) and then watch them grill it up for you on a big round flat griddle.
It works best if you make up small bowls so you can try several different things while you are there.

 

[GrillingFool]

Try searching YouTube for stir fry. I watched a lady making Stir Fried Korean vegetables
yesterday, then watched another hour or so of cooking videos. It's all Tattrat's fault for
posting that link to the beatbox "cooking" video.
I should have been working, but noooooo.....

So when you say hot hot hot.... how long do you let your carbon steel wok heat?
Past the stage where it is smoking and darkening on the bottom? I have a gas stove,
and the thing seems to chill quickly....

 

[corazon]

now why does that pan need to be so hot? So the veggies won't stick?

I plan on using the soyaki for the sauce but when do I add it? And do I let it simmer to thicken the sauce? Should I also marinate the tofu in the soyaki?

 

[Jeekinz]

Ya know what's funny? They say don't sear with non-stick, yet they make non-stick woks.

That type of cooking is hot and fast so you still have the crunch and freshness from the veggies.

 

[GotGarlic]

Hi, Corazon. We had a thread on that recently (includes stir-frying tips and recipes): http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/stir-fry-crash-course-ingredients-41441.html HTH.

 

[YT2095]

and remember that if things DO stick a little add a bit of Water NOT more Oil!

 

[TATTRAT]

It's all Tattrat's fault for
posting that link to the beatbox "cooking" video.
I should have been working, but noooooo.....

LOL!!!! Sorry, my Bad!

 

[GrillingFool]

Add the soy at the end. You might want to thin it a bit with water or stock, maybe
add a bit of sugar. It might be too salty.
To thicken, best to use the cornstarch and water method... about a tablespoon
of cornstarch in 1/4 cup of cold water. Mix well, add to boiling liquid, stir constantly
till thickened.
Dunno about marinating the tofu, I don't eat the stuff.

 

[Caine]

Stir-fry the meat, or in your case the tofu, in about 2 tablespoons of peanut oil, then remove it from the wok. Add additional oil and stir fry all your vegetables together, starting with the hardest vegetable and working your way down to the softest vegetable. Once all vegetables are cooked, add the sauce and heat to boiling. Add the thickener and return to boiling until the sauce is the desired thickness. Reduce the heat and add the meat or tofu back into the wok and heat through. Remove from heat and it's ready to serve.

 

[gamecube10074]

Bingo! Hot hot hot. We also keep a handy supply of soy sauce, fish sauce, and several Chinese and Japanese flavoring sauces to use. It's fun sometimes to mix and match sauces and see what happens, LOL.

That post frightens me...
Don't mess with our flavors

 

[Maverick2272]

That post frightens me...
Don't mess with our flavors

LOL
As long as it doesn't get up and walk out of the Wok I am OK with it

walk out of the wok.. hehe

 

[PJP]

All you do is chop vegetables (zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, green beans, red bell peppers...) and stir fry with johnny's salt, blk pepper, and I also use finely ground red pepper powder for a kick. Don't forget to oil your pan.

 

[expatgirl]

HINT: you know if you're oil is hot enough (and I would suggest peanut oil as it has a high heating temp.) when you can put a wooden spoon in and it sizzles on the tip......start with some chopped garlic to season the oil and quickly add your densest veggies and work your way down..........meat comes about 1/4 of the way unless you want to do it separately.....add soy sauce and other seasonings to taste and at the end thicken with cornstarch and chinese brown sauce which makes the sauce a nice rich brown color.......

 

[sparrowgrass]

Don't put too much in the pan at once--if you do, stuff will steam and not sear.

(My own favorite mistake.)

 

[mbasiszta]

Odd. No one mentioned the eggs, which I believe is a staple of stir-fried rice.

That said, I whip 2 eggs up real well and then pour them into a warm
skillet. Cook them with a lid on. You should get a nice mostly flat
solid pan-shaped egg serving.

Pour the finished project onto a plate and cut nice rectangular
egg strips. I like about 4 times longer than across.

Stir them in the rest of your mixture close to the end of the total
cooking job, so as not to break the slices of egg.