Learning To Stir Fry Vegetables
Stir-frying is a favorite method of cooking is part of the Asian culture and has made its way into the homes and hearts of Europeans and Americans. Creativity can abound with special foods with many different tastes using the spices and garnishments introduced to us by the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans and others.
A wok is the utensil that is commonly used and is often self-contained so all of the cooking can be done away from the stove but there are stovetop varieties. Many department stores have woks in different prices ranges. This is due to the metal construction of the unit, some being made of light, Teflon coated material while others are a heavier grade.
If you have ever witnessed a wok being used in an authentic Chinese restaurant, you will see that they use large iron woks in their meal preparation. The heavier the construction, the better the taste.
Heating up your wok and basting all sides of the interior is what is referred to as seasoning the pot. Seasoning the pot will create an even surrounding for your food while cooking and help foods from sticking to the sides. Warm your wok and add a teaspoon or less of oil.
Swirl around, coating as much of the interior as you can. Next remove from the heat, let cool and finish treating the sides with the oil with a paper towel. Now your wok has been properly seasoned.
The preparation for stir-frying is much more important than using the wok itself. Having all ingredients laid out and measured in containers is a must because once you start cooking, there is no time to stop, chop and dice. Even your seasonings need to be ready to go at a moment's notice.
If you are using a recipe book, make sure that you have a good understanding of the order that your foods are to be added and for how long.
The marinated meat is always cooked first because it will require a higher temperature setting than vegetables in order to cook quickly and thoroughly, holding in the moisture and making for a crisp, seasoned outer coating.
You will also want to stir fry your meat in batches to make sure that each piece is cooked evenly. The meat is then removed and allowed to drain of any grease on paper towels. You may have to add a bit more oil for each batch.
The vegetables are next stir-fried and once they have been cooked but retaining crunchiness, the meat and seasonings are then added. Many different sauces can be prepared in advance to give your foods a rich, seasoned taste or you may want to experiment with your own designs of seasonings depending on your ingredients.
There are hundreds of recipes for trying out your stir-frying. Taste your seasonings to know the flavors so you know which foods they will enhance. There are many different combinations that will be fun to work with, creating your own special meals.
Some regular seasonings that you may want to purchase are soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoi son sauce and five-spice seasoning. Experimentation and practice is what brings life to stir-frying and is a great way to present new meals to your family.
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