Chinese Recipes
 

Stir Fry Tips and Techniques

Prepare ahead of time

This is the most commonly used cooking method in Chinese cooking. Preparation is the key to good Chinese cooking, and this is particularly true of stir fry. Because the frying time in Chinese cooking is very quick, it is important to prepare the food ahead of time. Not doing this can result in overcooked food. Cut and prepare your food before you begin to stir-fry. Keep your ingredients - be it meat or vegetables - on separate plates or bowls, ready chopped or sliced and prepared before you even heat the wok. In Chinese cooking, it is often the preparation that takes longer than the actual cooking process itself. Always make sure you dry out ingredients before frying at the high heat required in stir-fry as this will prevent oil splatter and ensure the ingredients flavour tastes as they should without being impaired. Cut the food evenly to ensure even cooking time.

The heat before the fry

High heat is crucial in most stir-fry cooking methods. Always pre-heat the wok before even adding oil. Once the wok is smoking hot, add the oil and swirl it round to make sure the surface is coated evenly not just on the bottom but also on the sides. Pre-heating before adding oil can sometimes damage the surface of non-stick pans or woks, so if you are using this type, and not a seasoned wok, then you maybe wish to skip this and add the oil first before heating.

How to season a wok

The wok is by far the most important tool that you will need in Chinese cooking. There are many types available such as cast iron and stainless steel - but the most traditionally used in Chinese cooking is the carbon steel wok. With proper seasoning and care, a carbon steel wok can last a lifetime. Even when its surface has become damaged, it can still be scrubbed down and recovered again.

Non-stick woks tend not to be tough enough for the heat required in real Chinese cooking methods, so it best to either buy a carbon steel wok and season it properly, or buy one already pre-seasoned. In time you well end up with a surface that is almost non-stick and that is extremely difficult to damage even on the highest heat. A fully seasoned carbon steel wok also imparts a smoky flavour that comes with the seasoning process that you don't get from other materials. The following method is one of the most commonly used in seasoning carbon steel woks.

1. Wash the wok in warm water with only a little washing liquid . This takes off the protective surface oil that most carbon steel woks come with from the factory as a protection against rust.
2. Rinse the wok well and dry thoroughly. Place it on high heat and tilt it on various sides. Gradually it will begin to yellow and smoke will rise. Don't worry about this as it is part of the seasoning process.
3. The next stage is to coat the surface with a small amount of oil. Use either peanut or ground nut oil for this, although you can use vegetable oil if these are not available to you. Traditionally pork fat was used in Chinese cooking for this, but this is not always easy to get hold of.
4. Coat the wok with oil by rubbing it in with a paper towel or by using a basting brush. Make sure you coat the entire surface.
5. Now leave the wok to cool to room temperature, before repeating the above process again.
6. Once the process of heating, applying oil and cooling has been done 3 or 4 times - your wok should have taken on a burnt in black colour and there will be no residue coming off its surface onto the paper towel as you apply the oil.
7. Your wok is ready to use at this point.

The more you use the wok, the more the seasoning process will kick in and in time it will develop a deep, black, almost non – stick surface that needs little maintenance . Until you reach this point though, continue the above process of seasoning every now and then. This way, you will continue to build up the wok's resistant, tough surface. Once you finish cooking with your wok, clean its surface using a non – abrasive cloth. Abrasive cloths can damage the surface you have worked to attain. Try and use warm water only, but a little soap can be used for anything on the wok’s surface that proves stubborn to remove.

The seasoning method described here is just one of many. There are many more described in a fantastic book called The Breath of a Wok that covers wok seasoning and cooking extensively.

Below left : Wok at the start of seasoning process. Below right: Wok midway through seasoning process. Bottom: The same Wok, fully seasoned.