Don’t sweat it: Master the art of the stir-fry, with tips from Swetha Sivakumar

It may be called a stir-fry, but there is really very little stirring involved in this traditional Chinese method of cooking. It takes more of a tossing or tumbling motion, to get that perfect texture across ingredients.

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The first step of a good stir-fry is ensuring one has the right wok. A carbon-steel one is ideal, because it holds on to heat better, but an iron or aluminium kadhai will work too. Non-stick cookware is not recommended, since Teflon starts to break down at 280 degrees Celsius, which is much below the temperatures needed for a good stir-fry.

Now, before one begins, it’s important to have every ingredient prepped and ready at hand. Things must move fast once the flame comes on.

Get the wok really hot (stir-frying works best at temperatures of about 315 degrees Celsius). A well-seasoned carbon steel or iron wok will already have a thin, polymerised layer of oil on the surface. Faint smoke emerging from this surface indicates that stir-fry temperatures have been reached.

What happens when a wok this hot meets oil, fresh ingredients, and a bit of the chef’s core strength? Move the pan in quick, wave-like motions and the food is tossed constantly, which keeps it from sweating. Sweating occurs when the liquid content in foods heats slowly. The tossing exposes each little cube, grain and julienne to extreme high temperatures in bursts, which cooks the food quickly but without breaking down the structure. This ensures that each ingredient either crisps up or retains its crunch, rather than softening, thus achieving a stir-fry’s perfect textures.

The rice, when it is added, should be room temperature and not clumpy. Hot rice has a lot of surface moisture, which causes the grains to stick to each other. Either cool freshly cooked rice by spreading it out or use day-old rice.

Always stir-fry in small batches. Large batches dilute the high heat, and the ingredients start to sweat and soften. I recommend two cups of cooked white Basmati rice at a time. For the prep, ready 4 tbsp of oil; four garlic cloves, minced; two green chillies, finely diced; one medium onion, finely chopped; one medium carrot, diced small; two eggs, cracked into a bowl; quarter cup peas, blanched and drained; 2 tsp soy sauce; salt and pepper.

Once the wok is hot, swirl 1 tbsp of the oil around. The oil should start to smoke. Quickly add the onion and carrot, and stir and toss for a minute. Set aside in a bowl.

Wipe the wok clean and swirl 2 tbsp of oil until it smokes. Quickly add the garlic and chillies and give them a quick stir. Now add the cooked rice. Toss and stir for three minutes on high heat until the grains turn pale brown.

Create a well in the centre of the wok. Add 1 tbsp of oil and the eggs. Start scrambling using a ladle; slowly mix into the rice. Keep tossing for another minute.

Drizzle soy sauce down the sides of the wok, so that it caramelises on its way down. Add the carrot and onion back in; mix in the peas, salt and pepper. Give it all a final few tosses, and serve.

You may be tempted to throw in some of the Chinese sauces in your refrigerator. Please refrain. Sauces add sogginess, and weigh a stir-fry down in flavour too. The reason restaurant-made fried rice tastes so good is precisely because it is simple.

(To reach Swetha Sivakumar with questions or feedback, email upgrademyfood@gmail.com)