|
Stir Frying Basics:
Want
to enjoy the tantalizing taste of Asian food at home? Invest in a
wok! Stir-frying is one of the easiest ways to create a delicious,
healthy dinner in minutes. Learn to prepare meals the Asian way:
light on meat, heavy on the vegetables, and quick-cooked on high
heat to retain vitamins and flavors. A few basics is all you need
to get cooking!
Purchase your wok. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on
state-of-the-art cookware. A standard, stainless-steel wok,
purchased for less than $50, will serve its purpose well. The
heavier the wok, the better it will retain heat. This is important
because you must cook at a high temperature to avoid stewing or
steaming your ingredients.
Season your wok. Before you use your wok for the first time, you
must season it. Seasoning the wok is a way to "break it in" to
ensure even heat-distribution during stir-frying, and helps lock
in the flavors of the food as it's cooking. When you remove your
wok from its packaging, you may notice a greasy film on the
surface. Wipe this film away, and wash your wok in warm, soapy
water. To season your wok, put it on the stove over medium-high
heat for a few minutes. Add a drop or two of oil, and swirl it
around to coat the surface evenly. Remove from the stovetop to let
cool for a bit, and then use a paper towel to wipe out the oily
residue. You may want to season your wok once more before you
begin cooking with it.
Gather your utensils. Professional chefs use a mesh ladel to toss
meat and vegetables around in the wok, but if you don't have one
of these, a wooden spoon will do just fine. Place several large,
clean bowls and plates on the counter next to your wok so you can
set your cooked items aside as you prepare them in batches. Other
items you'll need: a chef's knife, cutting board, and several
bowls of different sizes to store liquid mixtures and chopped
herbs and vegetables.
Cut and dry food prep. The most time-consuming part of stir-frying
is preparing the ingredients. You'll want everything portioned out
and cleaned, chopped, sliced and diced in advance. The actual
stir-frying is fast and furious (you've probably heard those pans
rattling like mad while waiting for your Chinese takeout!) so
meat, vegetables, noodles, spices and oils should be ready and
within reaching distance so you can grab and get on with it. Chop
everything into bite-sized chunks to ensure quick and thorough
cooking. Make sure there's no extra water or other liquid in your
wok while stir-frying meat and vegetables. As mentioned earlier,
liquid in the wok will cause your meal to stew instead of lightly
fry.
Stir-fry in batches. Properly stir-fried food retains its crisp,
firm exterior and tender, juicy inside by cooking small portions
at a time. Heat the wok, drizzle in enough oil to coat the
surface, and add enough small cuts of beef, pork or chicken to
just cover the bottom. Fry on medium-high heat, tossing the entire
time. When your first batch of meat is thoroughly cooked, remove
from the wok and drain on paper towels. Fry the second batch in a
little more oil, and then set aside. Oil the pan once more, toss
in a few cloves of crushed garlic and/or ginger, and stir-fry the
vegetables, adding the thicker ingredients like potatoes and
carrots first, and then tossing in quicker-cooking ingredients
like scallions and mushrooms at the end. When the vegetables are
done, return the meat to the pot with the vegetables, and finish
with your liquid sauces and seasonings. Give everything a quick
toss, simmer for a few minutes and then remove from heat.
Learn the flavors. Thai cooking is immensely popular right now;
similar to Chinese, but with its own exotic spices and flavorings,
some of which take their cue from Indian cuisine. Malaysian,
Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean fare all boast their signature
recipes as well. With practice, you'll learn which spices and
sauces go with what and how to identify their flavors. You can buy
most of what you need at an Asian specialty store.
Always have some Asian cooking staples on hand: soy sauce, oyster
sauce, hoisin sauce, fish sauce. Fresh ginger, garlic, chillies,
galangal, Asian shallots, scallions, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro
and lemongrass. Green or red curry paste, shrimp paste. Noodles
and rice. And of course... plenty of fresh meat, fish, tofu and
vegetables. Pork, chicken, beef, shrimp, prawns, scallops. Onions,
carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bok choi (Chinese cabbage),
mushrooms (regular, oyster mushrooms, shitake mushrooms).
There really is no limit to what you can do with a wok, an
assortment of meats, vegetables, spices and sauces. If you're the
creative chef, feel free to experiment. If you're a "by the book"
cook, go out and purchase a stir-fry cookbook which will explain
each technique in detail as well as familiarize you with the
exotic ingredients. Above all: know that stir-frying is a healthy
way to prepare and enjoy the foods you love in the comfort of
home.
|
