Stir-Frying
Stir-frying requires the highest heat your hob can produce and complete preparation before you begin. Ingredients are cooked in a very hot wok or pan in a small amount of oil, moving constantly, for a very short time. The result - vegetables that are tender-crisp with charred edges and a savoury, smoky flavour (called 'wok hei') - is impossible to achieve over low heat.
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Why It Matters
True stir-frying creates char and caramelisation on vegetables that low-heat cooking cannot replicate - the difference between a takeaway-quality noodle dish and a pale imitation.
Step-by-Step: Stir-Frying
- Prepare everything before you start: slice all vegetables, mix your sauce in a small bowl, measure any aromatics. Once the wok is hot, there's no time to pause.
- Heat your wok over maximum heat for 2 - 3 minutes until it's smoking - truly smoking, not just warm.
- Add oil with a high smoke point (rapeseed, groundnut, sunflower) and swirl to coat.
- Add aromatics (garlic, ginger, white spring onion) and move constantly for 15 - 20 seconds.
- Add the densest vegetables first (broccoli, carrot), then medium-density (pepper, courgette), then quick-cooking ones last (leafy greens, bean sprouts).
- Add sauce in the last 30 seconds and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Chef's Tips
- A domestic hob will never reach restaurant wok heat - compensate by cooking in smaller batches (400 - 500g max per round).
- Dry your vegetables thoroughly before they go in - water creates steam and prevents browning.
- 'Velveting' tofu or seitan in cornflour and rice wine before frying gives it a silky, restaurant-quality texture.
Related Techniques
Watch this technique on video
In our Cook Like A Pro course, chefs Rupert Worden and Lisa Hinze teaches vegan cooking techniques like stir-frying with step-by-step video demonstrations tailored for British home cooks.
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