Tips for stir-fry?

[RuneGuardian]

Please bear in mind I'm sort of domestically retarded - I can't cook to save my life. Last night I attempted to make a very simple vegetable stir-fry, which consisted of broccoli and onion fried in Chinese stir-fry sauce (yes, that's what it was called) over rice. The sauce wasn't all that good, and I'm wondering if it would taste better if I got rid of the sauce (or added chicken or something).

Note, I'm not too big of a fan of vegetables like peppers and carrots. Has anyone ever just eaten stir-fry without seasoning? Or anyone have any suggestions for possible seasoning?

[housewife2k]

When I make a stir-fry I tailor my sauce to what I am using. If I were just using some broccoli and onions, with no protiens, I would fry tham in some olive or peanut oil with a little garlic and soy, black or white pepper, and some salt to help sweat out the onions. If you are adding meats I;ve found that OL, ginger powder, pepper and soy or teriaki are a good sauce for beef-thickened with a little cornstarch after it's been cooked. Lemon goes well with chicken.  I tend not to use pre-bottled sauces, as the seasonings in them never taste right to me.
You can also just stir-fry the food plain, serve over rice, then season as you want after it's cooked.
Hope this helped!

[Bethalize]

Please bear in mind I'm sort of domestically retarded - I can't cook to save my life. Last night I attempted to make a very simple vegetable stir-fry, which consisted of broccoli and onion fried in Chinese stir-fry sauce (yes, that's what it was called) over rice. The sauce wasn't all that good, and I'm wondering if it would taste better if I got rid of the sauce (or added chicken or something).

Note, I'm not too big of a fan of vegetables like peppers and carrots. Has anyone ever just eaten stir-fry without seasoning? Or anyone have any suggestions for possible seasoning?

Stir-frying veggies and not adding any seasoning? You might as well steam them in the microwave.

I favour the 'add and heat up' sauces that you don't need to cook. Do the stir fry contents until nearly done, then add the sauce and heat up. Blue Dragon is a brand I like.

'Chinese Stir-Fry Sauces' sounds a bit like 'Cooking Sherry'. Try getting a black bean sauce, an oyster sauce, a hoi-sin sauce, a sweet and sour sauce, a yellow bean sauce, a teriyaki sauce - anything a little bit more specific.

[scooter2071]

I use teriaky sauce. You can get snow peas and broccoli all washed and bagged in the 'gourmet' section of the produce aisle. If you like beef, they have special cuts all prepared in the meats section called 'stir fry meat', chicken in chunks would do as well. I fry the meat in olive oil and sauce, then add the veggies and put the lid on to soften them up, I also throw in a can of water chestnuts. Put it over rice, add madarin organge segments sometimes or the crunchy chowmein noodles. Yum! I also dump some soy sauce on, but I like things super salty.

[twinkletoes]

I will cut up the veggies I want to use and marinate them in soy sauce over night.  Dump it in your skillet or wok, and cook for about 5-10 minutes.  When the veggies get dark, they're done.  Just be careful not to overcook everything - I think overcooked veggies taste disgusting. 

If you want to cook chicken, beef, tofu, etc. - marinate it in a separate container in the sauce you'd like to use.  Cook it in a separate skillet, and when it's finished, cook it with the veggies for a few minutes.  Add some peanuts (if you're not allergic, of course), and I like to crush up some garlic cloves and add it to the soy sauce.  If you use soy sauce, keep in mind that a little bit goes a long way.  A few sprinkles should do it. 

Try experimenting with the veggies you do like - I've cut up asparagus, zucchini, snow peas, beans, sprouts, and any number of other veggies. 

Good rice can really make the difference.  If you have a Trader Joe's near you, try their jasmine rice.  Very easy to prepare, and it tastes very good.  I haven't tried their naan (I've used the one from Whole Foods), but that might be a nice change of pace from always using rice as well. 

Just try to have fun with it!  Stir-fry is a really good, nutritious meal - and it's cheap!

[Bijou]

My opinion is that the best stir fry is seasoned with chopped fresh ginger and garlic with a little toasted sesame oil.  Oh, boy. 
Add a few fermented black beans and you're in business...
Add a few hot pepper flakes if you like it hot. 
I would let people add their own soy sauce. 
You can rinse, mash and add a T of fermented black beans to garlic and ginger and stir fry it in oil.  It's great with asparagas or string beans.
Blanch or steam the long cooking veggies before stir frying to cut the time in the wok, making sure you  blot them dry, though to prevent spattering). 
If you put too many veggies in the wok they will steam instead of stir fry. 
If you cook onion, slice it into 1/4 inch wedges and fry it first, alone, then remove from the wok and later add to the finished dish.  If you are doing meat, do the onion first, then the meat, add the ginger and garlic to that, remove from pan, cook the rest of the veggies and then put all together and don't forget the sesame oil.

[Sefie]

Mr Sefie doesn't like Asian food much, but he likes a simple stir fry of broccoli and snow peas and oyster sauce.

The key idea with stir fries is to chop all the vegies to bite-sized pieces (yes, this takes time).  I pre-steam the broccoli by putting the chopped pieces in a microwavable bowl, cover them with boiling water, cover with cling wrap, and microwave for five minutes.  Then get the wok *really* hot - the oil should "sing" when you pour it in.  Sorry, there isn't really a better way of describing the sound, it just sort of sizzles with a soft metallic "bong" sound.

If you're having onions, fry them until slightly translucent.  Drain the broccoli, add the snow peas and toss them about a bit.  Slop on whatever sauce you're using, about a quarter-cup is a very light covering if you don't like strong tastes.  Toss it about again until heated through and the snow peas are bright green, then serve.

About 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil to 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil gives a really nice aroma to the stir fry as well.

(Rough measurements given for a whole head of broccoli and a big handful of snow peas)

[GlindaBunny]

Sometimes I add a little honey and crushed red pepper flakes to the teriyaki I use in stir fry.  Life benefits from being a little sweeter and hotter every once in awhile. 

[RuneGuardian]

I tried doing stir-fry earlier today and seasoned it with garlic powder, salt, pepper, parsley, and a small amount of soy sauce (a couple spoonfuls). It tasted a little better - loads better than that blasted sauce I bought.

Thanks for all your suggestions! I'm definitely going to try using ginger sometime - I know it's a spice used frequently in Chinese dishes and I'm a big fan of Chinese cuisine.

[twinkletoes]

Next time, try some crushed garlic cloves.  It's unbelieveably better than the powdered stuff.