Ideally, healthy vegetables should remain half raw, bright in color, and slightly crunchy. Meat, seafood, or tofu should be fully cooked.
Spices, sauces, nuts, other superfoods, and condiments are optional. In winter, you should not hesitate to use frozen vegetables. Because it's better to eat a cooked, defrosted serving of vitamins and fiber than not eating vegetables at all.
How to Make Stir-fry: All Our Trick
The same story is with stir-fry. Even though the dish is quite simple and understandable while cooking, there are also numerous issues to pay attention to in order to achieve the perfect taste. It is essential to keep the right balance of textures, flavors, and presentation. Thus, you will get the perfect dish just like out of the restaurant.
Perhaps, you already know some of these tips from other recipes or from your experience. In this article, we’ve tried to gather all of them together so that you could get all the necessary information in one place and understand how to stir fry in a wok. Everything related to stir-fry is simple and you can try most recipes right away without the long preparation time.
We’ll add a recipe to each section so that you can see how many options of stir-fry exist and how you can change the ingredients to create something new. If you don’t like anything in the recipes, think about what other products you can use to make it to your liking.
Stir-fry can be vegetarian or vegan, you can arrange it to any preferences or restrictions. This is a perfect dish for lunch or dinner, you can take it to the office in the lunch box or heat it the next day in the microwave oven for breakfast. Overall, it is definitely a must-try!
Let’s start with a quick and simple recipe:
Vegetable stir-fry
Ingredients:
- broccoli - 1 small head of cabbage
- cabbage - 200 g
- corn in grains - 100 g
- vegetable broth - 50 ml
- soy sauce - 1 tbsp
- sugar - 1 tsplemon juice - 1 tbsp
- vegetable oil for frying - 2-3 tbsp.
In a bowl, combine the broth, soy sauce, sugar, and lemon juice, whisk until the sugar dissolves. Disassemble the broccoli into inflorescences, finely chop the cabbage. If using frozen kale, defrost it. If canned, drain off excess juice.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok. Once the oil is well heated, add the broccoli blossoms and fry, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 minutes. Then add the cabbage to the broccoli, followed by the corn. Fry the vegetables until tender. At the very end, pour the sauce into the wok and stir all the ingredients. Serve hot.

Ingredients for a Stir-fry
1. Protein
2. Aromatic component
3. Vegetables
4. Sauce
- Stir-fry base sauce: 3 cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tbsp. vinegar, 1 tsp. sugar or honey, 1 tsp. starch and 1/2 cup water.
- Curry sauce: 1.5 tablespoons of curry paste, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, 1 tsp. sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tsp. starch.
- Orange-ginger sauce: juice of 1 orange, 1.5 inches of ginger root, 3 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. vinegar, 2 tsp. starch.
5. Extra
Get Cooking – How to Stir Fry in a Wok
Stir fry with tofu
- 100 g tofu
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp water
- olive oil
- ½ small onion
- 120 g green beans (can be frozen)
- 1 bell pepper
- another 1-2 types of vegetables according to the season or as desired - zucchini, pumpkin, tomato, etc.
- 30g peanuts (optional)
- scallions, fresh or dry chili, ginger (spices are also optional)
- Remove the tofu from the packaging and dry with paper towels. Cut into cubes.
- In a large skillet or wok with very little oil, fry the tofu for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a little more oil into the pan, add the onion, and cook for a minute. Then add finely chopped ginger and chili (you can add dry spices at the end of cooking). Then add all the other chopped vegetables. Cook for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in soy sauce, some honey, and water. Mix quickly for 30 seconds. Serve hot, adding chopped scallions, nuts, or greens on the top.
More Ideas
- chicken fillet + carrots + celery stalks + frozen corn cobs + frozen peas + base sauce + lemon juice + chili
- any fish fillet (tilapia) + zucchini + carrots + corn + base sauce + lemon juice + dry chili + scallions
- shrimp + onion + sweet pepper + eggplant + base sauce + curry paste + fresh basil
- zucchini + fennel + garlic + spinach + tofu with sesame seeds and sesame oil
- beef slices + teriyaki sauce + green beans + cherry tomatoes + bell peppers + carrots
- purple onion + broccoli + carrots + cashews + chicken + Thai sweet and sour sauce
- zucchini + pepper + onion + garlic + shrimp + curry paste
Supplies
In order for a stir-fry dish to turn out to be successful, several rules must be followed.
1. Dishes
2. Fire
3. Oil
4. Products
5. Order of adding products
6. Stirring
These are the basic rules of cooking a stir-fry and you should follow them in order to achieve the best results and get a tasty dish just like from the restaurant.
Let’s have a look at these steps on the example of this recipe:
Chinese spicy stir-fry
Ingredients:
- chicken fillet - 500 g
- broccoli - 250 g
- sweet pepper - 1 pc
- ginger (root) - 1 inch
- garlic - 2-3 cloves
- onion - 1 pc.
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp
- kimchi sauce - 1 tbsp
- dry sherry - 50 mlg
- round black pepper - to taste
- salt to taste
- vegetable oil for frying - 2-3 tbsp.
Cut the chicken fillet into strips and beat off. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, mix well, and set aside for 15-20 minutes. Chop ginger and garlic, cut onion into half rings, bell pepper into strips. Pour vegetable oil into a wok and put on high heat. As soon as the oil is hot, put the ginger, garlic, and onion in it, fry, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add chicken, sauté, then add broccoli and bell peppers. Cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and kimchi sauce to the sherry, stir and pour into the wok. Serve hot.
Stir fry wok pan
You also need an open fire to cook stir-fry as you won’t be able to achieve the necessary heat on an electric stove. Even though you can try cooking without a special pan and fire, most likely, you won’t get the desired results.
In other words, if you love stir-fry and want to experiment with it in your kitchen, our advice is to purchase a wok. Moreover, it is not the only dish you can cook there and soon you’ll notice how useful this pan is in your kitchen.
Using High Smoke Point Oils
When choosing an oil, you should pay attention to the smoke point characteristics. Smoke point is the temperature at which your oil begins to smoke in the pan, that is, it actively oxidizes with the release of carcinogens, toxins, and other highly undesirable compounds. Refined oil is generally more resistant to heat.
The best choice is avocado, canola, or refined olive oil. Let’s have a closer look at their characteristics:
1. Avocado oil
2. Canola oil
3. Olive oil
Stir fry with eggplant and leek
Ingredients:
- eggplant - 1 kg,leeks (only the white part) - 2 pcs.,
- chili pepper - 1 pc.,
- garlic - 2-3 cloves,
- chicken broth - 70 ml,
- soy sauce - 2 tbsp,
- rice vinegar - 1 tsp,
- corn starch - 1 tsp,
- sugar - 1 tsp,
- salt to taste,
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste,
- vegetable oil for frying,
- cilantro or basil for serving.
Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, then cut each half into thin slices. Cut the white part of the leek into rings. Cut the chili pepper in half, scrape the core with the seeds with a knife, and chop the pepper. In a bowl, combine chicken stock, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, and cornstarch. Whisk until sugar dissolves. You should get a smooth, homogeneous sauce without lumps.
Put the wok on high heat, pour 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil (it is a great possibility to try one of the mentioned oils) and tilt the wok so that the oil spills onto the walls. Once the oil has warmed up, place the eggplants in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Fry the eggplant on both sides, then transfer to a plate. Pour some more oil into the wok and fry the next batch of eggplants. Once the eggplants are done, quickly sauté the leeks, chili, and garlic. Return the sautéed eggplants to the wok, add the sauce, and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 1-2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped herbs.
Choosing the Right Sauce
Of course, you can buy ready-made sauces or use soy sauce. However, this will make the taste of your dish simpler in the latter case and less healthy in the former one. Moreover, it is simple and interesting to make your own sauces and continue experimenting with the dish (it seems that cooking stir-fry once a week wouldn’t be enough to try out all the options).
Here are several simple recipes you can start with in order to cook stir-fry in a wok.
1. Mildly hot sauce
- Sugar - 2 tbsp
- Cornstarch - 2 tbsp
- Rice vinegar - 2 tbsp
- Soy sauce - 60 ml
- Chicken broth - 1 cup (or vegetable)
- Ground ginger - 0.5 tsp
- Chili paste - 0.5 tsp
- Garlic - 1 clove
2. Chinese-style sauce
- Light soy sauce,
- 1/4 cup / 65 mlSoy sauce,
- 1/4 cup / 65 mlOyster sauce,
- 1/2 cup / 125 mlChinese wine (or dry sherry),
- 1/4 cup / 65 mlCorn flour / starch,
- 1/4 cup / 65 mlSugar,
- 1 tbsp.Sesame oil, 2 tbsp.
- Ground white pepper, 1-2 tsp
Combine all ingredients in a jar and mix well. Store in the refrigerator and shake well before use.
3. Orange sauce
100 ml orange juice3 tbsp of soy sauce1 tsp of apple cider or grape vinegar2 tsp starch
As you can see, there are numerous options and ingredients you can use. You can also change the amount of each ingredient in a recipe to get a hotter taste, for example. Don’t be afraid to experiment and change the original recipes to your liking by adding your favorite ingredients or mixing new tastes.
Here is the recipe with another sauce option.
Pork stir-fry with noodles in teriyaki sauce
Ingredients:
- pork (tenderloin) - 500 g,
- rice noodles - 100 g,
- green onions - 2 pcs.
- green beans - 100 g,
- ginger (root) - 1 inch,
- garlic - 1-2 cloves,
- corn starch - 1-2 tbsp,
- teriyaki sauce - 2-3 tbsp,
- soy sauce - 1 tbsp,salt to taste,
- freshly ground black pepper - to taste,
- vegetable oil for frying - 2-3 tbsp.
Boil the noodles as directed on the package. Rinse with cold water, transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside. Cut the pork into thin slices, add salt and pepper, and roll in starch. Chop the green onion, chop the garlic and ginger. If the green beans are frozen, unfroze them.
Put the wok on high heat, pour in 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil and heat it. Place the pork in a wok and fry until tender, stirring constantly. Transfer the meat to a plate. Add a little more oil to the wok, quickly sauté the ginger and garlic, then add the green beans and onions. Fry the beans until tender. Return the meat and noodles to the wok and add the teriyaki sauce and soy sauce. Continue to fry, in 1-2 minutes the dish will be ready. One more recipe of Teriyaki noodles is provided by Yosukata on Youtube.
Stir-fry Execution – How to Cook Stir-fry in a Wok
Two main things you need to remember are speed and heat. These are the basic things to make stir-fry correctly. In order to do everything fast, you should read the recipe a couple of times before starting cooking. This will help you remember the steps and understand what you will need to do.
If you don’t have a recipe but want to make your own dish, make a plan in mind in advance. Imagine the steps you’ll need to follow and the whole process in your head. Prepare all the ingredients, marinate the meat, cut the vegetables, and have the spices next to you. Everything should be visible and easily approachable.
Even if you’ve cooked stir-fry several times already, you might forget about an ingredient or two. In that way, everything should be prepared in advance and placed within eyesight, especially when it comes to ingredients that should be added at the end.
The best way to eat stir-fry is just after it is made. When it’s fresh, juicy, and especially delicious! However, it is completely up to you if you want to leave a portion for tomorrow.
Fish stir fry
Ingredients:
- fillet of white fish - 500 g,
- bell pepper - 2 pcs.
- ginger (root) - 1 inch,
- tomatoes - 1-2 pcs.,
- soy sauce to taste,starch - 1-2 tbsp.,
- vegetable oil for frying - 3-4 tbsp.
Cut the fish fillet into strips 1 inch thick, dip each strip in starch. Cut the bell peppers into strips, the tomatoes into thin slices, chop the ginger. Heat the oil in a wok, transfer the fish and fry it, stirring constantly. Put the cooked fish on a plate. Add oil to the wok if necessary, quickly fry the chopped ginger and bell pepper. After 1-2 minutes add the tomatoes to the wok and continue to fry, stirring occasionally. Return the fish to the wok, add the soy sauce, cook for another 1-2 minutes, and serve immediately.
How to Cook Stir-Fry Vegetables
- Use a little oil. 1 tablespoon will be just enough. Heat the oil on medium heat only.
- When the wok becomes hot, you can add the vegetables and start cooking them by constantly stirring. Use a wooden or silicone spatula to not ruin their shapes. Fry till the vegetables become crisp-tender. You also should add vegetables in batches because otherwise they will become too soft and there will be too much fluid from them.
- When each batch is ready, you should remove vegetables from the stir-fry wok.
- When all the vegetables are fried, you can add them to the wok again to reheat if necessary.
Vegetable Stir-fry
- Onion - 1 pc.
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Ginger - 1 slice
- Chili pepper (optional) - 1 pc.
- Bell pepper - 1 pcCarrot - 1 pc.
- Cabbage - 200 g
- Vegetable oil - 2-3 tbsp
- Peas (can be frozen) - 100 g
- Sichuan pepper (optional) - 1/2 tsp
- Soy sauce - 2 tbsp
- Sesame oil - 1-2 tsp
Before frying, you need to prepare and chop all the vegetables, because you will need to add them pretty quickly. Cut onions into half rings, garlic, ginger, green onions, and chili into small pieces. Cut the pepper and carrots into thin strips. Chop cabbage.
In a wok, heat the oil very well. Place onions, ginger, chili, and garlic. Fry quickly, stirring occasionally, no more than for a minute. Add carrots to the pan. And with an interval of half a minute, add pepper, green onions, cabbage, and peas. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Crush the Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar, sprinkle over the vegetables. Finally, add soy sauce and sesame oil. Serve immediately.
In Conclusion
Just don’t forget about our tips, they will help you to do everything correctly. Prepare all the ingredients in advance, think about all the steps you’ll need to make, and the result will be perfect.
Be careful when using a hot wok and don’t be afraid to experiment. Soon you’ll create a masterpiece! Enjoy your meal!