Perfect Stir fry

I was listening to Lynne Rosetto Kasper’s radio show, The Splendid Table, the other day (per usual) and lucky for me she did an interview on how to make perfect stir fry. It was perfect timing because my boyfriend and I had planned to make stir fry for dinner that same night. I was sort of dreading it though because every time I make it, it come out a little off- the veggies are soggy, or the flavors aren’t quite right. I don’t know what it is, but I never seem to get it right. So, I was delighted to hear, from an expert, the technique to making perfect stir fry. Lynne is a Chinese food pro so I knew it would would be great!

Here’s the technique:

First, get your wok HOT! It needs to be practically smoking hot! Second, use peanut oil (b/c it has a higher burn temp than evoo). Put in a few tblsps of peanut oil in to the hot wok. Third, cook the proteins first! So, that means tofu, chicken, beef, etc…I used tofu. Cube the tofu and put it into the hot oil, season with salt and pepper (and hot pepper flakes if you want) and let brown on each side. Brown one side completely and then flip.


After the protein is cooked, take it out of the wok and wipe down the wok with a rag or paper towl. This is the fourth step. Fifth, reheat the wok and add more peanut oil to get ready to cook veggies. But, before adding your veggies, dry them off with a paper towel. Basically you want to get extra moisture off of the veggies so they cook up crisp. So, roll them in a paper towel and pressing the moisture off. Sixth, add veggies to the wok and cook. You can use any veggies you like. I used red pepper, broccoli, sugar snap peas and mushrooms.


Seventh, once veggies are just heated, add your liquids/sauce. I make a simple sauce of reduced sodium soy, a few squeezes of siracha sauce (which is HOT!) and chunks of garlic. Add this to the veggies and toss until veggies are cooked down a bit.

Lastly, add the protein back in and toss with veggies and liquid until heated through. Serve over long grain brown rice. It’s definitely the best stir fry I’ve ever made!

Other posts you may enjoy:

1. Another stir fry.. it’s love
2. Orange Shrimp Stir fry
3. Chicken & Veggie Stir Fry
4. Thai stir fry
5. Another stir fry!