How to Stir-Fry in 8 Steps

Stir-frying requires prep time, but the cook time is relatively quick. Follow this step-by-step
guide for an easy stir-fry recipe:

1. 1. Make a stir-fry sauce. You can buy pre-made stir-fry sauce or you can make your
own with a mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, and garlic. You can use
the stir-fry sauce as a marinade for the protein.
2. 2. Marinate your protein. Marinate the meat or any protein you are using to
tenderize it and imbue it with additional flavor. To marinate, you can use salt and
pepper, stir-fry sauce or soy sauce, plus any other spices.
3. 3. Have your mise en place ready. Stir-frying is fast, so it is important to prepare all
of your ingredients before you turn on your wok. Cut your veggies, protein, and
aromatics such as onions, fresh ginger, and garlic to uniform size. Have stir-fry sauce
ready in a small bowl.
4. 4. Heat your wok. Heat a wok or a large skillet over medium high heat. When the
pan is hot, add a tablespoon of oil and let it coat the bottom of the pan.
5. 5. Start with the protein. Sear your meat or vegetarian protein, such as tofu, first.
Cook, stirring frequently, until it is crisp-tender.
6. 6. Add aromatics. Add your aromatics to the wok, stirring them for a minute until
they’re fragrant.
7. 7. Cook the vegetables. Add the harder vegetables that need more time to cook, such
as broccoli or mushrooms. Stir them around until browned. Then add quick-cooking
vegetables, such as bok choy or bean sprouts, cooking them for an additional minute.
8. 8. Coat with sauce. Add the stir-fry sauce, letting it coat the meat or tofu and the
veggies.
9. 9. Remove from the heat. You can serve the stir-fry as a side dish or as a main dish
white rice or brown rice.

4 Tips for Stir-Frying

Follow the tips below to achieve a perfect stir-fry:

1. 1. Use a wok. A wok is ideal because the heat is centralized at the bottom of the wok,
so it sears stir-fry ingredients quickly. When you stir-fry in a wok, you can push any
ingredients that need to be on low-heat up the sides of the wok.
2. 2. Avoid overloading your wok. The key to stir-frying is to constantly stir. Your
veggies must have enough room to move around in the wok. A -crowded wok will
lead to veggies that are soggy instead of crunchy. If your wok is getting too full, cook
your meat and then veggies in batches. Limit the total ingredients in your stir-fry to
three to five items with different colors and textures.
3. 3. Add water. If your meat and veggies are starting to stick to the pan or wok, add
some water to loosen them up. You can also add a splash of chicken stock or
vegetable broth for additional flavor—especially if you are not using a heavy stir-fry
sauce.
4. 4. Thicken your stir-fry sauce. Sometimes the stir-fry sauce can end up being watery
after you add it to the meat and veggies. To thicken the stir-fry sauce, make a
cornstarch slurry by dissolving a tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl of water.
Then add the slurry to the stir-fry, stirring it until the stir-fry sauce is thick.