Stir-frys!? AHHHH

[tntsmom]

Hi, I'm trying to get into a healthier more veggie lifestyle........My last three stirfry's have been a disaster. The first one was way under cooked but looked good. The next one had a burnt taste that made it inedible, the third wasn't bad, kinda soggy, limp and not at all crunchy, BUT was tasty.......My poor husband just shrugs and eat, but the kids, they're far from enjoying it.

SO, any input would be helpful, truly. What am I doing wrong, should they be lightly steamed before hand? Is my wok to hot? or not hot enough? How should the veggies be cut up? AHHHHHH, help!

Thanx in advance.

 

[Caine]

Exactly what are you stirfrying?

What kind of oil are you using?

Are you allowing the wok to get SCREAMING HOT first, then adding the oil and allowing that to get right to the smoke point before adding whatever you are stirfrying?

Do you keep your stirfry moving at all times?

Remember to stirfry in the reverse order of hardness: Onions and bell peppers frist, then brocolli, carrots, water chestnuts etc, pea pods, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts next, then garlic, and mushrooms go last.

I almost forgot, be sure to stirfry in small batches. Every time you ad something to the wok, the oil temperature drops, and water is released from the vegetables, so if your wok is overcrowded, you are steaming, not stirfrying.

 

[tntsmom]

Ahhhh!

Thank you so much! I've been overcrowding, and putting everything in the wrong order.

I use peanut oil, I've heard it has a higher smoking point? I've also heard that about canola, but have mainly stuck with peanut.

What about when I put on the sauce? Say Teriyaki, or oyster sauce, fish sauce? That's where I get into more trouble........

Anyway will be trying again tonight. Thanx again.

 

[Mylegsbig]

Peanut oil is good. I use almond oil. Make sure your wok is cast iron or stainless steel so it gets good and hot. nonstick woks are garbage. also, make sure heat is on HIGH and you constantly move the food around, shaking it around, flipping it around, and don't overcrowd the pot.

tntsmom, for my basic go to stir fry sauce, i use this

1 Part Soy Sauce
1 Part Rice Wine Vinegar
1/2 Part Fish Sauce
Some Lemon Juice

what i do is cook the meat, set aside.

then cook the veggies.

then throw in your sauce, and throw the meat back in, and stir it all around for about a minute.

tnts, here are a couple pics of a stir fry i did recently. Called it a triple Delight.

 

[tntsmom]

Wow

it's all I Hope to aspire to!

Thank you so much for the incredible photos as well!

Will let you know how it goes.

 

[vyapti]

I haven't used a wok since I was 20 and though I had to. I stir fry in a big saute pan over medium high heat with no troubles. It may take some practice to know when to put in which veggies, i usually do it in 3 batches--onions and meat (and remove), than hard veggies (caulifour, carrots, etc), then soft veggies and onions and meat.

You can play with different sauces too. My staples are soy sauce, fish sauce, sometimes mirin and either brown sugar or cornstarch to thicken. Don't forget the fish sauce, it really makes a difference (and doesn't taste anything like fish).

 

[Barb L.]

Now Iam hungry for stirfry, after seeing those pics - great job, and thanks for sharing.

 

[Mylegsbig]

glad you enjoyed them guys, cheers

 

[mudbug]

legs, I can't understand why you keep asking for advice here when you obviously know how to cook brilliantly already. These photos are fantastic!

 

[Mylegsbig]

mudbug i try to learn something new every day, i've only been cooking for 2 years, thank you for the kind words, cheers

 

[Corey123]

Yes!!

I've been cooking since I was 11.

And stir frying IS a very healthy way to cook Asian-style dishes! Those pics are now making me want to stir fry a meal this week!!

 

[urmaniac13]

MLB, I see you have used shiitake mushrooms. That's a real nice addition, gives the whole dish an exquisite flavour. If you can't find them fresh, dried version works, too, after soaking them for about half an hour. You can reserve the water to utilise it for risotto etc.

Personally my carrots go in first along with onions. They are pretty resistant to heat and takes a lot to get them to cook, so they also need to be sliced very, very thin with an extra sharp knife. (if your knife is short of extra sharp, they will fly all over the place!)

Broccoli are also tricky, I don't like them overcooked mush, nor semi-raw crunch. They need to be just at the right consistency. So I usually steam them first and add them at the last minute, just to coat the flavours.

 

[tntsmom]

WOW, everyone has been a huge help Thank you! My stir fry was a huge success, no leftovers for lunch even! It looked great, tasted even better! The meat wasn't dry and tough and the vegs, well they were perfect, crunchie, but still hot!

A huge thanx to everyone, will post my favorite stir-fry as I get better!

PS. They even ate ALL the rice!