FabulousFusionFood's Stir-fry Recipes Home Page
Noodles quickly stir fried in a wok using the bao technique.
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Stir-fry-based Recipes Page — Stir frying (Chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) s a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West. It is similar to sautéing in Western cooking techniques. Wok frying may have been used as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) for drying grain, not for cooking. It was not until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil. However, there is research indicating that metal woks and stir-frying of dishes were already popular in the Song dynasty (960–1279), and stir-frying as a cooking technique is mentioned in the 6th-century CE Qimin Yaoshu. The English-language term 'stir-fry' was coined and introduced in Buwei Yang Chao, How to Cook and Eat in Chinese (1945) to translate the Chinese term chǎo 炒. Although using 'stir-fry' as a noun is commonplace in English, in Chinese, chǎo is used as a verb or adjective only.
Broadly speaking, there are two primary techniques: chao and bao. Both techniques use high heat, but chao adds a liquid and the ingredients are softer, whereas bao stir fries are more crispy because of the Maillard reaction. The chao (炒) technique is similar to the Western technique of sautéing. There are regional variations in the amount and type of oil, the ratio of oil to other liquids, the combinations of ingredients, the use of hot peppers, and such, but the same basic procedure is followed in all parts of the country. First the wok is heated to a high temperature, and just as or before it smokes, a small amount of cooking oil is added down the side of the wok (a traditional expression is 热锅冷油 "hot wok, cold oil") followed by dry seasonings such as ginger, garlic, scallions, or shallots. The seasonings are tossed with a spatula until they are fragrant, then other ingredients are added, beginning with the ones taking the longest to cook, such as meat or tofu. When the meat and vegetables are nearly cooked, combinations of soy sauce, vinegar, wine, salt, or sugar may be added, along with thickeners such as cornflour, water chestnut flour, or arrowroot. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the bao technique (Chinese: 爆; pinyin: bào; lit. 'pop', 'explosion') of stir-frying on a high flame was typical of cuisine from the northern Chinese province of Shandong. The wok is first heated to a dull red glow over a high fire. The oil, seasonings, and meats are then added in rapid succession. The food is continually tossed, stopping only to add other ingredients such as broths, vegetables, or more seasonings. The purpose of bao is to highlight natural tastes, so minimal seasoning is added. Because of the high heat, bao is ideal for small amounts of food that cook quickly, so the juices do not flow out of the items.[28] Meat is coated with egg white or starch in order to contain the juices. When the food is cooked it is poured and ladled out of the wok. The wok must then be quickly rinsed to prevent food residues from charring and burning to the wok bottom because of residual heat.
The alphabetical list of all the stir fry recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 55 recipes in total:
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