The Art and Convenience of Simple Stir-frying

My first stir-fry experience came with my first job: I was a stir-fry cook for my university’s dining hall.

It was no glamorous gig; in fact, since I received nothing but a wok and a perforated plastic cooking spoon when I started and barely knew how to cook anything then, it was tough.

My first few stir-frys were guesses: I remember balancing soupy creations on students’ trays or giving them back a bowl of still-raw veggies with just a tad of teriyaki sauce. Though the students’ faces varied in degrees of revolt at the sight, each time one thing was certain: The pan scrubbers in the back were constantly mad at me for blackening their pans to the point of no return.

The job didn’t last long — about a month or so, when I decided that I was better suited behind a receptionist desk instead of a kitchen. I didn’t touch the wok for years, but later when I found myself out of college, with a hectic job in New York City and often no time to cook, the stir-fry became my savior.

The fastest dinner you can possibly make — aside from grilled cheese sandwiches and salads — is a stir-fry. With the freedom to vary the healthy ingredients each time, this simple dish never gets old. Here are my step-by-step directions for any beginner, with or without a fry-cook job:

Ingredients
Shrimp
Linguine
Onions
Tomatoes
Broccoli
Carrots
Mushrooms
Snow peas or green beans
Red peppers
Corn
Cilantro leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp stir-fry sauce
pinch of salt
pinch of garlic salt
pinch of pepper
hot sauce to taste

The How-to
Sometimes it’s not your add-ins that can make or break a dish, but the technique. Here is the best one I have discovered:

1. Heat pan in Medium to High heat for one minute.

2. Pour a tablespoon of oil — or more depending on your preference — for two more minutes. In the meantime, chop up all your vegetables.

3. Drop vegetables in the pan. The onions will release their wonderful aroma, but don’t get carried away by it: Keep stirring so your veggies don’t stick to the pan.

4. Sprinkle salt, garlic salt, and pepper.

5. After about four minutes, when veggies are soft, toss the noodles and the shrimp into the mix.

6. Add a tablespoon of stir-fry sauce (homemade or ready-made) and hot sauce to taste, stir for another two minutes, and you’re done.

Kikkoman's stir-fry sauce is low in fat and full of flavor.

I like to use Kikkoman’s stir-fry sauce, because unlike other too-fatty oils, this one only has 20 calories per tablespoon and no fat.

Most important, remember to enjoy this dish, and next time you make it, try different combinations of flavors, like adding tofu instead of shrimp or chicken, to find your favorite one.