Stir Fry

Do you make it?

What all do you put in your stir fry?

Do you use a wok, or saute pan on the stove, or?

What should be used for oil? I usually use extra virgin olive oil but I suspect I need something with a higher heat point for stir fry?

If you have chicken or beef with the vegetables in the stir fry do you cook the meat separate or in with the whole mess?

Thanks

EVOO is a NO NO in stirfry or most any high heat preparation/application. You'll burn/waste it.
I use a copper SF bowl.
Has a base ring to hold it over the gas range. Home-home on the.....but I digress.
Use an hydrogenated cooking oil and you only need a couple TBS depending on the size of the bowl.
Add the tougher veggies first then the meat to finish.

I use virgin olive oil without a problem. But then, I don't turn it to high, but slightly below that.
If I have time, I'll start the oil at low heat and add some chopped garlic and onions. This flavors the oil. Then I'll turn up the heat and add the meat (there's an old, ribald song title in that somewhere).
I cook the meat first, especially pork, to ensure it's thoroughly cooked.
If I cut fresh veggies, I cut them at the classic slant of oriental cooking.
If I'm in a hurry, I just add a bag of frozen veggies.
But fresh veggies are best. Slice them somewhat thin, to ensure they cook well.
Yet, you still want them crunchy, so don't overdo the cooking.
Among the veggies you can add:
Celery
Carrots
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Green onions
Green peppers
Hot peppers (in moderation, if you're so inclined)
Peas
Pea pods
Cabbage (chopped)
Chinese cabbage
Bean sprouts
Water chestnuts
Baby corn
Bamboo shoots
Garlic, minced (if you didn't add it to the oil)

And a host of other vegetables that catch your fancy.

Meats include:
Pork
Chicken
Beef
Shrimp
Crab


For flavor, add soy sauce to the veggies shortly before they're done.
You may also add those crunchy Chinese noodles, or Chinese "angel hair" noodles that you boil, just before serving. Or serve the stir-fry over these noodles or steamed rice.

A lightly whipped egg added to the veggies just before they're done will add flavor and give a nice texture. It's also a cheap way to stretch the meal if you don't have a lot of ingredients.

It adds atmosphere if you serve the stir fry in bowls or on plates with an oriental pattern. These are often available inexpensively in Chinese markets. The cheaper ones are made of plastic and will work fine, if you're on a budget.

I don't put a lot of spices in my stir-fry, preferring to let the flavor of the veggies and meat come through. I never use monosodium glutamate (MSG), like the restaurants use to keep the veggies looking bright and fresh. MSG tastes "off" to me, and it's been known to give people headaches.

Serve with a pot of hot green tea. Since you're in the Smith & Wesson site, you may wish to purchase Chinese Gunpowder tea, so named for the tiny kernels that resemble black powder.
Or, try Jasmine tea or black tea. You'll find a good selection at any oriental market, or perhaps in the Chinese section of your supermarket.

Don't forget to put a bottle of Soy Sauce on the table, for those who like a little extra salt.
Buy a box of fortune cookies as a surprise after the meal and friends will think you're a real gor-may! LOL Everyone's fortune around the table starts fun conversations, too.

Search the net for other ideas, but this will give you a good start.
I'm sure I've missed some ingredient. I'm thinking off the top of my head, and there's very little hair there anymore to keep my thoughts from evaporating.

My GF and I make vegan stir fry (since she's vegan...) very often using Morning Star (I think) "Chicken Strip" meal starters. Those strips are very good.

Usually we'll just use a stir fry veggie mix from the frozen section, or fresh stuff from my garden. We just toss the veggies in a pan and fry em up, toss in some sauce which we either make or buy, add the "chicken" and serve over rice.

Anything with garlic, onions, and peppers in it will be good. Olive oil works fine, as long as you don't get it TOO hot. But sesame oil will make it taste better.

I use frozen stir fry veggies (onions,peppers,broccoli,peas etc) stir fry oil (has ginger and other Chinese spices in it) and some good sauce i.e. Saigon spicy etc ask and I'll list the brand I use,you can get it at Wal-Mart.

One trick I've learned-BOIL the meat,let me explain:

Take your meat of choice,place in a pot of water add some Chinese five spice (about a teaspoon) and soy sauce,approx enough to darken the water,then boil it til the meat is done drain and then add to the stir fry.

And when you add a stir fry sauce add it when the meat and veggies are just about done (the last minute or so) just stir it in and sit for a minute or two and take it off.

Add rice and chow down

Most Chinese restaurants use peanut oil for stir frying, because it has absolutely no flavor. I have a traditional wok but use a Joyce Chen No Stick Wok. You have to have to have a lotta heat for sucessful stir frying.

- Jim

+1 on high heat for stir-frying, also I find plain ol' veg. oil works fine. Gatofeo has the ingredients down pat but don't forget to marinate the meat in a little sauce of oil, dry sherry, soy sauce and corn starch (just a TBL. or so) and whip up a finishing sauce with the same ingredients plus some oyster sauce or hoisin sauce or even ketchup, and chicken broth. Nuts such as cashews, peanuts, and slivered almonds are also tasty and should be "fry-roasted" in a TBL. of oil before everything else is prepared and then added at the end.
That said, it's gonna be cashew chicken tonight!

Thanks for the replies. My stove is electric so I don't think one of those ring thingies that elevates the wok over the burner would work to well. Is there any reason I can't just set a flat bottomed wok right on the electric element? Wouldn't that be the same principle that the electric woks work under, I assume that only the flat bottom part in those has the heating element?

Secret ingredients for a stir fry

If you have an oriental grocery nearby, look in the frozen food section for "sweet sausages" they are about 3-4" long and about 45 cal. Have a high fat content. Slice thin and cook in wok and do not remove the oil. It adds a nice "oriental" flavor to the veggies/meat.

If you like things spiced up a bit, get a large bottle of soy sauce and a half dozen or more Jalapenos and a head of garlic. Slice the jalapenos and peel the garlic. Place in a tupperware container and cover with soy sauce. Refrigerate and use as needed, peppers with beef, soy sauce on the stir fried veggies, etc. This stuff keeps forever in the fridge. As needed, add more soy sauce, peppers, or garlic.

Wayne02 said:

Thanks for the replies. My stove is electric so I don't think one of those ring thingies that elevates the wok over the burner would work to well. Is there any reason I can't just set a flat bottomed wok right on the electric element? Wouldn't that be the same principle that the electric woks work under, I assume that only the flat bottom part in those has the heating element?

Click to expand...

Yes what you are proposing works, but just not as well? as gas and a wok!

We use the electric stove now as you are saying, but it was better and faster for stir fry when we had the gas stove and a wok.

Similar to the fact that 'chefs' prefer the gas for cooking and the more BTU the better.

Remember, hot wok and cold oil = no stick. This is according to Yan can cook.

I have a heavy cast iron flat bottom wok that I use on an electric stove and it works fine with high heat. I use regular cooking oil for my stir frys.