Whats the secret to a good stirfry?

[annsam]

I have chicken, I have vege and I have rice.:D

I am making a stirfry for the first time in ages because they always taste so bland so whats the secret ingredient to a tasty one?

[cheezelkat]

For my stirfry, I make sure the wok is really hot and stirfry the meat in a little bit of vegetable oil.

I then take the meat out, stirfry the vegies until done. I then add the meat and sauces.

My sauce of choice is a couple of tablespoons of soy sauce, one crumbled chicken stock cube, 1/2 cup water blended with a tablespoon of cornflour and a good 2 tablespoons of honey. I adore the sweetness of the honey in the stirfry, its so yummy.

Oh and spices are also important. Garlic and ginger are a must, and a little bit of fresh chilli is awesome if you want to give it a kick.

[annsam]

Ohhh yum. I have all of that. I'll give it a go! Thanks!:hugs:

[Pixie]

I do exactly what she does up there :D

[SilverStarfish]

I agree with Cheezelkat! The sauce is the important bit! You can get some really nice ready made ones at the supermarket too if you are short on time - or creativity as I often am :)

[ikis84]

I use seseme oil instead of vegetable oil... really makes it taste great! Some hoisin (sp) sauce is great in it with some soy and fish sauce ... and lots of fresh garlic (not the stuff in the jar!). ... and you must not overcook the meat or vegies... I cook the meat then take it out and add it through at the end, so it doesn't go tough.

mmmm.... foood!

[annsam]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I tried cheezelkats recipe and it was yummo! Other than DH took over cooking while I was busy with DS and he overcooked the vege. :rolleyes: Still it was yummy so thanks!

[cheezelkat]

I'm glad it turned out well :chef:

[An2net]

I do all that...plus, I roast a handful of cashews in a dry pan for a minute or two, then put them in just before serving!!! YUMMO.

[M O P]

Can't wait to try these great suggestions.
My tip is to cook your meat in batches. Have the wok really hot then put a small amount of meat in cook it then take it out the wok and get the wok really hot again before putting in the next batch of meat.

[mama hen]

My neverfail recipe

Steam the veges in a seperate saucepan (to avoid overcooking) at the same time as cooking the meat in seaseme or peanut oil with garlic in a hot wok. (don't add the oil until the wok is hot as the oil will burn).

Add the veges and sauce (bit of soy sauce and honey) to the wok. Stir-fry for a couple of mins then serve.

Yummo :chef:

[pookiesossige]

Very hot wok and cook meat very fast so that it stir-frys- not stews and becomes tough and chewy. I like mine just a little pink in the middle Mmmmmmm....

Sesame oil instead of olive/veg oil with some garlic and ginger together to start it off before throwing in the meat.

I always have a jar of minced ginger and one of minced garlic in the fridge for this- it's as close to fresh as you can get without having to mush and crush it yourself. And lasts a while (well, not in this household anyway :D )

I lOVE snowpeas and bok choy in my stirfrys and I always consciously aim to under-cook the vegies because while waiting for it to get served up and eaten it kind of continues to cook iykwim.

[Karizma]

I am a ketup manis lover. I never heard of it until my Indian suggested it. I wont ever make a stir fry now without it. It is just the best taste and not salty like some soy sauses. I love it :D

[Sarie]

It's all in the sauce, and not over cooking your veggies.
My fav sauce is Soy, Oyster sauce a splash of honey and two teaspoons of cornflour mixed in half a cup of cold water... yummy!

[lj1977]

Hi there
We LOVE stirfrys in this house! I have a few standards that we have regularly. One is an easy satay. basically cook your meat then vegies add together with some SWEET SOY SAUCE (its in a large bottle and its really thick) with some oyster sauce and a few tablespoons of peanut butter. YUMMO! Just expeirment with how much oyster and sweet soy you need - you will work it out by consistency etc but just make sure you use more soy than oyster.

Another one we have a lot is a yummy basic with regular soy and sweet chilli sauce with some oyster sauce.
Remembering that the garlic and ginger are a must for alll stir frys!

Lisa