Stir Fry Recipes

Stir-fry is the ultimate weeknight dish. It requires minimal effort to throw together, and you get a delicious dish within minutes. Whether you want to make an easy beef stir-fry or whip up a vegetable stir-fry, the steps for making a delicious stir-fry are the same. Here is a step-by-step guide for making a stir-fry:

Prep everything first: Stir-fries cook quickly, especially vegetarian dishes. You don't want to be preparing your sauce while your proteins overcook on the pan. If you get convenient meal kits with pre-cut ingredients, cooking everything will be super smooth.

Heat your wok: If you want your proteins to get a nice sear, heat up the wok before you start cooking. Only add vegetable or sesame oil when the wok is slightly smoking.

Velvet your protein: It is time to prep your protein by sautéing your chicken, pork or beef until it is lightly browned. If you are making plant-based mince & veggie stir-fry, you can make the mince beforehand to avoid overcooking the vegetables.

Make the stir-fry sauce: If you want to add flavour to your stir-fry, ensure you make a sauce before you start cooking. To make a delicious sauce, whisk together the chicken or beef broth alongside soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and cornstarch.

Add your ingredients: Cook the aromatics and add your ingredients in order of cooking time. Toss the ingredients as it cooks to add flavour. Add the sauce and give it a final toss before serving.

Most ingredients in stir-fries can be used in other recipes as side dishes, where they are sautéed. If you're wondering whether to sauté or stir-fry a dish, you need to know the key differences between these two cooking techniques.

When you sauté food, you use medium heat. That means you can use oils and fats with a slightly lower smoking point, like olive oil and butter. Stir-fries require high heat. That's why you heat up the wok for a few minutes before adding oil. You also use oils with a high smoking point, like vegetable oil.

Aside from the cooking temperature, the amount of active cooking involved differs with the type of cooking. For instance, when you sauté vegetable dishes, you only need to toss the dish a couple of times. When making Asian stir-fried tofu with garlic rice, the ingredients should be in constant motion while cooking.