Stories of Chinese Cuisine - 5 tips to master your next stir-fry

 

5 tips to master your next stir-fry!

Filled to the brim with fresh vegetables and packed with flavour, it’s easy to love a stir-fry!

But have you ever been left wondering why yours doesn’t quite look or taste like the one from your favourite Chinese restaurant? Let us reveal a few secrets for mastering your next home stir-fry!

 

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1. Say no to non-stick

As handy as non-stick frypans & woks can be, they don’t come close to the heat capacity of a cast iron or carbon steel wok. These types of woks heat up quickly and evenly, allowing for rapid sealing in of flavour and caramelization of sugars and amino acids. In short? It’s your ticket to tasty!

2. Size matter

For crisp, perfectly cooked vegetables and tender proteins, ensure your ingredients are chopped a similar size, and to maximise surface area. Lastly, to prevent steaming, try patting your veggies dry with paper towel before adding to the wok. 

3. This is not a fridge cleanout

We understand, it’s tempting to clean out the veggie crisper with a big batch stir-fry. For one that tastes professional and super delicious, try to choose 4-5 vegetables. Less is more, every time!

4. Plan for success

As the cooking process is so quick, be sure to chop all vegetables and protein, and measure sauces out before heating your wok.

Don’t forget to plan how you’ll add ingredients to the wok too! Start with thicker, firmer vegetables and add soft leafy ones at the end. For meats, seal them quickly in the wok first, transfer to a plate, cook the veggies, then add the meat back to the wok at the end when adding your sauces.

Pro tip – marinating your meat, even for 15 minutes before cooking is a quick easy way to add extra flavour to your stir-fry.

5. Know thy sauces

So now you know how to achieve the texture of a restaurant-worthy stir-fry, but how about the taste? It’s all in your sauces.

Strong, concentrated sauces with authentic Chinese flavour profiles are the secret to the stir-fry of your dreams. Be sure to keep Panda Brand Oyster Sauce and Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce on hand in your pantry. Even the greatest Chinese chefs in the world use our products, and you can too, just find them in your local supermarket or Chinese grocer.