How to make good stir-fries

Stir-fries are the ideal weekday dinners; they’re colourful and tasty, plus they can be prepared quickly. They are also the “fridge cleaner” meals par excellence since you can easily swap out the ingredients according to what you have on hand. Here are some basics to learn to make the best stir-fries.

What is a stir-fry?

A stir-fry is traditionally prepared in a wok or pan with a high rim, at a very high temperature, for a short time. Very popular in several Asian countries, many recipes are inspired by these flavours. You can use meat, a vegetable protein, vegetables and a sauce that coats everything. It can be served with rice or Asian-style noodles.

The choice of protein

Stir-fries are versatile and full of possibilities. Since the protein element is at the heart of the stir-fry and will absorb the flavour of the sauce, don’t choose cuts of meat that are too fancy. Turn to cuts like top beef sirloin, pork chops or chicken breasts. Tofu is also a good candidate. On the seafood side, shrimp will cook in just a few minutes, but avoid fish since it breaks apart too easily. You do not have to marinate the proteins since they will be coated with sauce.

Crunchy vegetables

One of the basic rules of stir-frying vegetables is texture. You want the vegetables to still be crispy and the dish to not be soft and bland. Choose vegetables that already have crunch, like broccoli, carrots or celery. If one of the chosen vegetables is very hard, such as a carrot, for example, start cooking it at the same time as the meat to prevent some vegetables from being more cooked than others.

vegetables

An equal cut

In order for the elements to cook even faster, be sure to cut the meat into fairly thin strips. The pieces should be similar in size so that everything is cooked evenly. It is the same for the cutting of vegetables—we want them to be uniform.

A finger-licking sauce

The sauce plays a key role in stir-fries since it binds all the ingredients. We want it to coat the ingredients and even be syrupy. In terms of taste, it should be a combination of sweet and sour with a binding agent and acidity—like a salad dressing. To succeed, be sure to reduce the liquid so that the sauce thickens. You can also add a thickener, such as cornstarch, or start with a rich base, such as hoisin sauce, peanut butter or tomato paste.

Prepare a stir-fry in 6 steps

Regardless of the ingredients used, the preparation of a stir-fry involves the same steps. Here’s how to make your stir-fries without following a recipe (or almost).

Step 1

Mix all the sauce ingredients before you start cooking.

Step 2

If desired, cook noodles or rice according to the instructions on the package.

Step 3

Brown the meat until it’s well coloured. Avoid overloading the pan so that the meat or vegetable protein does not boil.

Step 4

Add the vegetables to the meat. If you use vegetables that do not require much cooking (peas, bok choy, snow peas, etc.), add them at the last minute.