<p>But my first attempts at stir fry have been disappointing. Last night it was flank steak thinly sliced and frozen stir fry veggies from Costco. Results are kind of soggy. </p>
<p>Any advice out there? I want to be a stir fry star!</p>
<p>I’ve found that the secret to crunchy, but cooked, vegetables is to cook them hot and fast. If you’ve ever been to a Japanese Hibatchi restaurant, you’ll know what I mean. I generally cook the protein first, take it out, cook the veggies and then add the protein back in to warm it up and serve. This link shows the standard technique - [Basic</a> Stir-Fry Instruction](<a href=“http://www.familywok.com/stirfry.htm]Basic”>Basic Stir-Fry Instruction)</p>
<p>I use frozen veggies but you do have to cook them quickly and over-cooking is easier to do.</p>
<p>If you have a Trader Joe’s near you they sell fresh cut “Asian stir fry” vegetables in the fresh vegetable section - the container is priced about $4 - at least in my area. Cook hot and fast and I do use a small amount of sauce for flavor and do the protein first like someone above pointed out.</p>
<p>My wife has the traditional old-style cast-iron style (might have been pounded, I’m not sure) so food stays on the sides if you want it there, instead of falling to the bottom as on a smooth surface.</p>
<p>I agree with others ditch the frozen veggies. </p>
<p>Find a good bottled stir fry sauce you love, use sparingly.
Don’t stir fry too long with sauce- sogginess happens.</p>
<p>Shredded cabbage as veggie, adds nice crunch and texture, as does cooking authentic Soba or Chinese noodles, and adding some to the stir fry.
It’s taken me many attempts. Don’t give up.</p>
<p>I have several old cast iron woks that I use all the time, and I’m dubious about stainless steel.</p>
<p>Definitely, no frozen vegetables! </p>
<p>I would suggest getting Barbara Tropp’s book The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking. She’ll teach you the basic techniques for really good stir-fries.</p>
<p>Adding vegetables in order is crucial. Get oil hot, throw in chopped garlic to season the oil. Then the hardest vegetables, carrots, broccoli, green beans. Add flavorings while on hottest heat, sparingly. Then cabbage, onions, mushroom, adding flavor as you go. I use a lot of oyster sauce, with some sugar, and sesame oil at the end to finish things. I cook marinated meat first, with onions and garlic, add back in at the end.</p>
<p>Also, in most Asian dishes, there are just a few ingredients, say cabbage and mushrooms and pork, rather than the whole kitchen sink approach to adding vegetables as Americans tend to try. </p>
<p>My basic stir fry, is broccoli, onions, mushrooms, garlic with marinated chicken or pork. Oyster sauce, a little hot sauce, cooking sherry, brown sugar, sesame oil and sometime a little added broth make up the sauce.</p>
<p>I like to use fresh (stringless) sugar snap peas, julienne carrots, cut-up red pepper, onions, and mushrooms in my wok. Try using Pasilla Peppers intead of green bell peppers. They are not as bitter and have a lot more flavor. I like to use meat somewhat sparingly, and if it slightly frozen still it is much easier to cut. I use a non-stick wok that I purchased at 99 Ranch Market in CA for under $20. Using the right kind of oil with a higher flash point than Olive Oil is important. You do NOT need to spend a ton of money on a wok, but you do need to know how to season and clean it properly. For example, soap is the enemy. If there’s a Williams Sonoma store in your area, sign up for their free cooking classes-- they’re great!</p>
<p>What GreatLakesMom (and others) said. Order matters. Also (I didn’t see this mentioned), make sure that the meat is dry. Pat with paper towels if necessary. For me, meat is often the (almost) last item to go in.</p>
<p>Sauce items get added last and stir just enough to coat everything and get all hot. Don’t cook for too long.</p>
<p>Just as great lakes mom said, you need to stir fry the meat and vegetables separately. I do the meat first,when that is done,take it out of the wok into another bowl, then vegetables (drain away any liquid). After the vegetables are done, a la dente, then put the meat back in and stir fry together for a minute.</p>
<p>You have to have the wok smoking hot. Cook the meat first, no more than half a pound at a time. Remove it to a bowl when nearly done. Then, get the wok smoking hot again and put in the veggies. I doubt that frozen veggies will ever be “crisp” when stir fried. At the end, put the meat back in with veggies, add the sauce, and toss to coat everything.</p>
<p>Try Chinese food markets for good oyster sauce, soy sauce - don’t quite trust supermarkets to get it right. You can get alot of the more authentic veggies fresher there too - although Whole Foods is good too. “Lee Kum Kee” is a good overall brand - and usually their labels have both english and chinese (making it easier!)</p>
<p>Best NOT to use frozen veggies. Follow what other posters have said and you will be fine. I stir-fry all the time but do not use a wok. I have some large pans that work just fine.</p>
<p>Suggestion: if you use sesame oil, use it very sparingly. A little goes a long way. Another suggestion: Buy a little bit of cornstrach to use and put on at the end, it will help thicken up the sauce and give it flavor too.</p>
<p>Like what was said above, stir fry in samll batches at a pretty high temperature, quickly. Can’t go wrong!</p>
<p>If you use steak, I think Sirloin works best for stir frying, to keep the juices and flavor inside. Some cuts of meat are not good for stir frying-ask at your store.</p>
<p>I have Jaden Hair’s book, the Steamy Kitchen Cookbook. Great for simple and healthy Asian cooking and meals that you would make often. She says that if you are most comfortable working with a non-stick wok, at least go with a top quality one such as All-clad, Circulon or Calphalon, which do not require pre-seasoning and are easy to clean and maintain. However, she also says that you won’t get the same results as with the traditional Chinese cast iron or carbon steel woks. I have made some good meals with your wok, but it’s still not quite the same, IMO. Eventually, I will probably get one of the light weight cast irons, too.</p>
<p>A non-stick wok is useless. If you get it hot enough to stir fry, the coating will be ruined. A wok is something that you just have to accept will turn black from being overheated and seasoned. It’s not going to ever be shiny clean.</p>
<p>I’m not joking. You literally want to heat the dry wok until it is smoking. Then, put in a little oil, your garlic, and be prepared to move fast adding the ingredents. You defintely have to have everything staged and ready to go. Most home ranges are not capable of enough heat, so you have to compensate by cooking small amounts at at a time in the wok.</p>