Celebrate Chinese New Year on 28 January by grabbing a wok and mastering the art of the stir fry…
4. Keep it hot
Add a splash of flavourless oil to the pan – sunflower or groundnut are perfect – and get it really hot. You should almost be able to see a haze on top of the oil. Throw your meat, chicken or tofu (if you’re using fish or prawns add these later as they cook quicker) into the pan, leave for a few seconds, stir and leave again. This will help build up lots of colour and with that, flavour. Transfer to a plate once the meat is almost cooked.
5. Spice it up
Now add more oil to the pan, and then it’s time for your key flavour makers – chilli, garlic, ginger and onions. Cook for a minute, stirring, until the aromas have been released. Toss in your veg next and give a good stir to coat them in oil, pour in a splash of water or a mixture of water and soy sauce and you’ll get things cooking even faster. After a minute or two, add your cooked meat back to the pan (or add cubed fish or prawns now) and keep stirring for two to three minutes until everything is cooked through and piping hot. Season with ground white pepper, soy sauce and a splash of toasted sesame oil.
6. Experiment
There are literally millions of wok-friendly flavour combinations you can create, so play around with different spices, meat or fish combinations, vegetables and condiments. Just don’t forget to keep stirring and keep the heat cranked up!