How to Stir Fry!

Stir frying is something I do quite often in my kitchen. For one thing, Asian stir fries, with traditional ingredients, are simple and delicious. Secondly, they’re quite healthy, because of the lovely balance of meat or seafood and vegetables. They’re also a good use for leftover meat and vegetables, and mostly, I love them because no recipe is required.

It does help to be familiar with Asian ingredients. My stir fries are more on the Chinese side, but add some fish sauce and you’ve got yourself a Thai stir fry! As I have said before, you can certainly follow recipes, but I often cook the inspired way. That is, being familiar with the traditional ingredients of a cuisine, and using those in your dish. It may not be a perfect stir fry according to Chinese chefs and grandmothers, but no Chinese food police are coming to my kitchen to arrest me any time soon!

First, it’s important to have the basics – onion, garlic, and ginger. These can be part of the stir fry, or used in a marinade. If I do marinate meat before a stir fry, I only use a little peanut oil or olive oil – enough to blend the aromatics. Liquid additions are wonderful, but then the meat has to be patted dry before cooking. An oily marinade is just easier.

The seasonings for stir fries are easy to find, fortunately. Soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sherry, sesame seed oil, chile paste, hot sauce, and hoisin sauce. Other optional ingredients include fermented bean paste, shrimp paste, plum sauce (which I don’t care for) and oyster sauce.

One Chinese seasoning is called Chinese 5-Spice, which, obviously, is a mixture of spices – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, star anise, and pepper. I’ve noticed that some also contain fennel. As with most spice and herb mixtures, I hesitate to use them. Just like using a purchased curry powder, every dish you make will end up tasting the same. For this dish today, I just want the meat, vegetables, and seasonings to shine. But use the spice mixture if you like it!

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The protein used in a stir fry has to be good quality and quick cooking. For example, I wouldn’t use beef or pork that requires 4-6 hours of cooking. I’m talking beef and pork tenderloin, chicken thighs and breast, scallops and shrimp. There’s no braising here.

When it comes to vegetables, anything goes, unless you are expecting the Chinese food police to show up. Of course there’s traditional bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Chinese eggplants, snow peas, and so forth, plus ingredients that play a minor role like bean sprouts, dried mushrooms, chile peppers, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and cilantro. But if you want to use carrots and broccoli, you can make a delicious stir fry as well. Or spinach and tomatoes!

The only requirement of a stir fry is that all the different components are cooked properly at the very end when all of they are all tossed together. So if you’re using carrots and broccoli, steam-cook them first until almost completely tender, then add them to the cooked meat at the end. Perfection! Spinach and tomatoes wouldn’t require any pre-cooking. It’s all about common sense.

Here is the stir fry that I made using what was in my refrigerator one night. Enjoy, and make sure to customize it to your tastes and ingredients!

Beef and Vegetable Stir Fry

1 1/2 pounds cubed or thinly sliced beef tenderloin
1/2 cup olive or peanut oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1 – 1 1/2″ piece fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound sugar snap peas or snow peas
1/3 cup soy sauce
3/8 cup mirin
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sesame seed oil
2 medium onions
2 medium red bell peppers
Fresh cilantro, chives, or chile pepper slices

Drain the beef well on paper towels, then place the cubed beef in a large bowl or re-sealable bag. I used the ends of a whole beef tenderloin, from which I had cut filet mignon slices, which is why the “cubes” are different shapes. The volumetric uniformity of the cubes is what’s important in a stir fry. Mine are on the large size, but uniformity is what’s critical.

Add the oil, garlic, ginger, and salt to a jar of a small food processor.

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Process until smooth, then pour over the meat.

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Toss the meat, or bounce it around in the bag to make sure the beef is uniformly coated with the flavorful oil. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Bring the meat to almost rooom temperature at least an hour before beginning the stir fry.

When you’re ready, begin by trimming the peas, if necessary, and steam them just until crisp-tender. For me, this was 5 minutes of steaming. Snow peas are thinner and would require less cooking time. However, cooking time also depends on how crisp you like your vegetables.

Let the peas cool. If you think you have overcooked the peas, or any vegetable for that matter, toss a cup full of ice over the vegetables in a colander. This will cool them off faster, and the melted ice will drain away. Set the peas aside.

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In a measuring cup, measure out the soy sauce, mirin, hoisin sauce, and sesame see oil. Whisk the mixture, and set aside.

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If you’re not familiar with hoisin sauce, I’d suggest buying some. You don’t need much for fabulous flavor. It’s just a soy bean paste. There are different qualities and brands. This is the one I can find locally, but when I have the opportunity to visit an Asian market, I buy more “authentic” brands.
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Slice the onions and peppers to your liking. I like more of a wedge look. Have these in a bowl nearby.

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Have everything you’re going to use in your stir fry near the stove. A lot about Chinese cooking, much like all cooking, is to have everything on hand during the cooking process. It’s mise en place on crack, because things can move quickly.

To begin, heat a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of oil* and just when it begins to smoke (have your ventilation system on) add a handful of cubed beef. Let them sit for a minute, before tossing around, then leave them alone for another minute or two. Get the cubes to the point where all sides show browning, but don’t allow any further cooking. Remember, there will be a little cooking boost at the end.

Remove the beef with a slotted spoon, then continue with the remaining beef.

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When you are done with the browned beef, lower the heat on the stove by about half. Add the onions and peppers, and saute them, tossing them around occasionally to create some caramelization.

If you want them cooked softer, you can put a lid on the skillet/wok for about a minute.

when you’re happy with the “cook” of the onions and peppers, add the peas and toss gently.

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Then add the beef cubes and any juices that might have accumulated in the bowl.

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Immediately pour in the seasoning mixture, and combine it gently. Stir occasionally, to make sure the beef cooks through to your liking. Mine, of course, will end up medium-rare.

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If the stir fry seems like it has too much liquid, remove the beef and vegetables, using a spider sieve, and place in a large serving bowl. Then reduce the liquid in the skillet/wok.

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Pour the reduced liquid over the stir fry, toss gently, and serve.

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Most people enjoy rice with their stir fries, but I prefer it as is.

Serve the stir fry with chile paste or sriracha or even cayenne pepper flakes for those who want a boost in heat. I’ve also included dried chile pepper slices, and you can always serve black or white sesame seeds for a pretty topping.

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* You may not need any extra oil if you have enough extra oily marinade. Make sure to use all of the marinade in the stir fry for extra flavor.

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note: Some recipes call for cornstarch to thicken the final sauce for a stir fry, but I don’t bother. If you’re not careful, the sauce will become gloppy, which reminds me of bad Chinese American restaurant food.

By Published On: January 16th, 201533 Comments on How to Stir Fry!

About the Author: Chef Mimi

As a self-taught home cook, with many years in the culinary profession, I am passionate about all things food-related. Especially eating!

33 Comments

  1. Heather @ Sweet Precision January 16, 2015 at 8:15 AM - Reply

    This looks 100 times more appetizing than Chinese takeout! Wonderful tutorial that makes the entire process seem very doable for a weeknight dinner! I will admit to having the Pensey’s Chinese 5 spice powder ;)

    • chef mimi January 16, 2015 at 5:34 PM - Reply

      I’ve used it before, it’s just that I don’t always. Once I might just use a little star anise and white pepper, and the next time a little cinnamon and some fennel, but I just don’t like everything to taste the same. I used to be really really down on spice and herb mixtures. I’ve relaxed….

  2. flippenblog January 16, 2015 at 8:41 AM - Reply

    I am teaching my daughter via skype and blogs how and what to cook al the way over in Korea where they have beautiful and foreign ingredients. This post of yours will help her a lot! Thanks and all the very best for 2015 to you.

    • chef mimi January 16, 2015 at 5:33 PM - Reply

      Oh, that’s so nice! Thanks, and Happy New Year!!!

  3. Peter - The Roaming GastroGnome January 16, 2015 at 9:35 AM - Reply

    Love doing stir fry’s…especially when I forget to plan a weeknight dinner!

  4. Butter, Basil and Breadcrumbs January 16, 2015 at 1:10 PM - Reply

    That looks so delicious, Mimi. I still have my brand new wok that I have to season. Maybe I’ll work on that this weekend, so that I can try your recipe on Sunday! I love this post… <3

  5. Anna Buckley January 16, 2015 at 1:48 PM - Reply

    Yum…cheaper and faster than takeout. Have also started to use my much hotter out door grill for dishes like Char Kwuey Tao and Pad Thai. Found my stove top just wasn’t hot enough to impart that smokey ‘breath of the wok’ flavor needed for these noodle dishes. Love your empty the fridge concept.

  6. lulu January 16, 2015 at 2:48 PM - Reply

    I love stir frying because it’s quick and easy and the result is always satisfying.

  7. dianeskitchentable January 16, 2015 at 4:33 PM - Reply

    I love stir fry and this one really looks great, especially the marinated beef. You know I’m the one afraid of some of those ingredients – I think I’ve mentioned being afraid of some things that I haven’t tried myself. But I’m going to be adventurous and we’ll see how long it takes for my husband to call from the market…”Diane, what’s Mirin and where do I find it?”.

  8. Conor Bofin January 17, 2015 at 2:05 AM - Reply

    Elegant stir frying Mimi.

    • chef mimi January 17, 2015 at 11:41 AM - Reply

      Well thank you! By the way, next May I’m going to visit Stephane again, as you saw, but this time with a girlfriend. Last year my time was limited because of my daughter’s job. I’m excited to be staying longer and traveling out of Libourne more. So excited!

      • Conor Bofin January 17, 2015 at 5:50 PM

        Planning to go back down that way this year too. Very excited too. Can’t wait to hook up with Stéphane again.

      • chef mimi January 17, 2015 at 5:55 PM

        how exciting! I think I remember you saying it was your favorite part of France!!!

      • Conor Bofin January 17, 2015 at 5:57 PM

        It certainly is. There are so many geographies within a couple of hours drive. Each with it’s own culture, agriculture and cuisine. A great place. Lovely people, in the main, too.

      • chef mimi January 17, 2015 at 5:58 PM

        why are you up so late?!! yes, i can’t wait to travel out of Libourne more!

      • Conor Bofin January 17, 2015 at 6:02 PM

        I am about to lie down now. A great rugby game this evening followed by too much food and far too much wine. Now, time for sleep.
        Good night Mimi.

      • chef mimi January 17, 2015 at 6:03 PM

        I know the feeling! good night!!!

  9. anotherfoodieblogger January 17, 2015 at 12:41 PM - Reply

    Beautiful stir fry Mimi!

  10. chefceaser January 18, 2015 at 7:53 AM - Reply

    Reblogged this on Chef Ceaser.

  11. StefanGourmet January 18, 2015 at 8:58 AM - Reply

    Nice post on stir frying, Mimi. This is indeed a good way to use tenderloin tips. (PS I suspect there is a typo in the amount of ginger.)

    • chef mimi January 18, 2015 at 3:01 PM - Reply

      ooops, that would be quite a little speck, now wouldn’t it?!! Thanks!

  12. Choc Chip Uru January 19, 2015 at 5:19 AM - Reply

    What a gorgeous stir fry with some great tips :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  13. charmbutterfly19 March 10, 2015 at 11:36 AM - Reply

    You’ve made it look so easy! Will definitely try this! Thank you!

  14. mamabatesmotel September 25, 2017 at 7:58 PM - Reply

    Reblogged this on mamabatesmotel.

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