Stir-fry

This term is usually associated with Chinese cookery. A method of cooking favoured by the Chinese, in which finely chopped ingredients are quickly stirred and tossed in a little oil or lard over high heat. Generally, shallow, steel woks are used as the rounded shape distributes the heat evenly and a lot of food can be fried in very little fat. Ingredients which take longest to cook are added first and those which require very little cooking time (such as bean shoots) are added last. The food must be cut small, and be of uniform size to aid quick, even cooking. Food is usually cooked in small batches and stirred continuously which keeps the vegetables bright and crunchy.