Make Amazing Stir Fries Every Time (With These 6 Tips )
Stir fries are the ultimate quick and healthy weekday meal, they are a way to clean out your fridge and get creative in the kitchen. Everyone loves a stir fry!
However, for a such simple dish, it can be easy to make a mistake or feel bored by making a similar version each time. Don’t get stuck in a stir-fry rut. Here I want to share some of my favourite tips and toppings for getting your stir fries perfect every time and one of my favourite recipes at the end.
1) Elevate your stir-fry with these amazing toppings
Change up the toppings now and again, so you don’t get bored and make interesting flavours by keeping the following ingredients in stock. Here are some of my favourites and how to use them:
Fresh Herbs
Chives: They look nice, and you can get them from anywhere — you can use chives in so many dishes like soup, curry, and stir fries! I always have chives in my kitchen, to the point my husband teases me for putting chives on everything.
Shiso leaves: These special traditional Japanese leaves are in season during the summer and are incredibly beautiful in their natural state. They go so well in summer dishes and add a beautiful aroma and distinct flavour. They are easy to grow, similar to basil, so my mum puts them on everything. I personally also love to make pesto with them, putting them in sushi rolls or on top of stir fry as they are both beautiful and aromatic, like coriander.
Sesame seeds: A classic topping, make sure always to use roasted sesame seeds. You can choose black, white or a mix of the two — white sesame adds aroma and the black sesame adds a nutty intense flavour.
Sesame oil: The smoking point of sesame oil is low meaning it burns easy so you should never use it for cooking but rather flavouring. For cooking, it is best to choose rapeseed oil, sunflower oil, rice bran, or avocado oil for cooking and then add the sesame oil at the end as a dressing for aroma and flavour.
Fried onions: You can buy these ready-fried at most supermarkets and Asian supermarkets. They are perfect for adding flavour and crunch.
Aonori: Also known as seaweed powder, you can this for umami flavour and fragrance; it will add a little colour to your dish and is very healthy.
Japanese seven spice: Also known as shichimi togarashi which is a blend of ingredients that will add umami flavour and a little kick, you can buy it at supermarkets or make your own (learn how to in this article).
Bonito flakes: These are fish flakes, so they are not suitable for vegetarians but they will add a very nice umami flavour if you sprinkle them on at the end.
2) Prepare everything ahead of time. Cut vegetables to a uniform size
Once you start frying, you will be surprised by how quickly everything moves. Preparing as you go will only end in chaos and burnt food so make sure to have everything chopped and laid out ready.
It is also important to make your vegetables and protein as uniform a size as possible, so they cook evenly. You should also have your chosen sauces mixed and ready to pour in at the end.
3) Use a heavy pan or wok
Stir fry cooks fast and hot so make sure you are using your heaviest frying pan or wok and are stirring continuously.
Don’t overload your wok as the ingredients will become soggy. You can cook things in batches if necessary, for example, you can cook the protein first and set it aside to add back in later.
Yuki’s Tip: You can also marinate your protein ahead of time for extra flavour! Don’t forget to press your tofu to make sure there is as little liquid present as possible.
4) Choose your oil wisely
Choosing the right oil is important. Many people use sesame oil for cooking, but this is a bad idea because it has a high smoke point so is better used as a dressing.
I love rice bran oil as it is very clean and good with high heat and also avocado oil which is also very good but can be expensive. You can also use vegetable or rapeseed oil for cheaper alternatives.
5) Get the timing right
Japanese and Chinese frying styles are different. Japanese style is slower to fry than Chinese, so you have a little more time to incorporate aromatic flavours. I always start with ginger and garlic for aroma, these should be cooked low and slow at the start.
Then it’s time to add your hard vegetables and once they are softer than you can your soft and leafy vegetables in the very last minutes.
Make your sauce first ready to go and pour at the end because it’s easy to burn. Pour in and turn off the heat. That way it’s not soggy or burned.
6) Cook your carbohydrate separately and add them later
Typically people choose either noodles or rice for their stir fries but whatever carb you are planning to incorporate make sure to cook it separately and combine it with the vegetables and protein right at the end.
Make your own delicious stir fry
This is one of my personal favourite ways to make stir fry — it’s very important to be soft and crunchy, so I love to add water chestnuts for the crunch as well as carrots and bean sprouts.
You just want to clean out your fridge though; if you have leftover spinach and cabbage that will always be delicious. I never really shop for stir fry — I just clear out my fridge!
Enjoy this stir fry recipe and add all your favourite toppings for a truly professional flavour!
Quick Stir Fried Soba Noodles With Vegetables
Ingredients
- 300g cooked soba noodles or any noodles you like.
- 160g baby sugar snaps, sliced lengthways
- 1tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 1tbsp vegetable oil
- 2-3cm piece fresh root ginger, cut into matchsticks
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 3 salad onions, cut into 2cm lengths
- 70g water chestnuts
- 1⁄2 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
- 200g Chicken thigh or Super firm Tofu
- Oil for cooking
- 1-2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Chives
- Sesame Seeds
- Sesame Oil
- Shiso Leaves
- Bonito Flakes (fish flakes)
- Aonori
- Fried onions
- 2 tbsp Red Miso
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp dark brown soft sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 11⁄2 tbsp sake or water
Method
- To make the stir fry sauce firstly mix the miso, mirin, sugar, sake or water, soy sauce, and oyster sauce in a small bowl and then set aside.
- Place the noodles and sugar snaps in a colander and pour over a kettle of just boiled water to quickly blanch them. Drain, then transfer to a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together (it also gives them a great aroma).
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok set over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, and salad onions and sauté for a minute, and add water chestnuts, your protein, and red pepper and stir fry for a further 3-5 minutes.
- Stir the noodles, sugar snaps, and stir fry sauce into the pan, and then reduce the heat and cook for a minute or so until warmed through. Drizzle the sesame oil mix over lightly.
- Divide between 2 bowls and scatter with sesame seeds and coriander or chives to serve.
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