If you add too many ingredients at once, they will overlap and steam, rather than sauté, making them rubbery or soggy. "Cook each ingredient separately," advises Martinez. Not only does this ensure that you won't pile too much in the pan at once, but it will also account for different cooking times.
Why is my stir-fry so watery? Damp vegetables drop the temperature of your wok or skillet and can turn your stir-fry into a soupy braise. Pat vegetables dry or run leafy greens through a salad spinner until dry to the touch.
Time to Wok and Roll
Heat the pan over high heat. No medium-high heat here; it's the high heat that gives you quickly cooked veggies that are crisp, tender and bright.
Do not overcrowd the skillet. If there are too many vegetables in the pan at once, they will steam and become mushy instead of searing and retaining their crunch. If you have to cook a large amount of veg at once, do it in two batches (or use two skillets).
Usually, you should use a medium temperature for cooking, so that you do not burn your food. But for stir-frying, you will need to cook ingredients relatively quickly using high heat. To begin, preheat your pan over a medium-high or high burner (depending on whether they are gas or electric).
Stir-frying is a fast way to cook small pieces of food in a hot skillet or wok. In addition to being quick and easy, stir-frying is also healthy. It results in tender-crisp vegetables that retain more nutrients than if they were boiled.
Vegetables with high water content tend to become mushy and bland if they aren't rid of excess moisture before cooking. To do that, you need two things: salt and time. Salting these watery vegetables draws out extra water and flavor molecules.
Vegetables get mushy when cooked because the cell walls burst. There's no way to restore that cellular structure that by cooking more. You might be able to dry them out by cooking for longer but you will never restore their turgidity.
Moisture in the fridge is what causes most fruit and veggies to lose their crisp texture and start to soften and go bad. By lining your fridge's veggie drawer, you'll absorb excess moisture and keep fresh produce crunchy for an extended period of time.
Add in almonds, cashews, or sesame seeds for crunch and richness. If you add the nuts into your wok with all of the other ingredients, they'll soften as they absorb the sauce, which can be nice.
Use dry vegetables
Stir fry is cooked quickly over high heat, and the vegetable should still have some snap left in after they are cooked. The wetness of a freshly washed and not dry vegetable could run the risk of having a sloppy or mushy stir fry.
Aromatic ingredients like garlic, ginger, green onions, chilies and spices. These ingredients are typically added to the oil first to infuse it with flavor. You won't need much; a few teaspoons to a tablespoon of total aromatic ingredients per person adds a serious amount of flavor.
Yes, I recommend you start stir frying in the deepest frying pan you have before buying to a wok. If you are worried about the oil splattering out of the frying pan, you can use a lid to shield yourself. But don't completely cover the frying pan with the lid because you want the steam to escape.
Most vegetables, like carrots, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage and celery should be stored in a plastic bag or container in the crisper of your fridge. Mushrooms are best stored in a paper bag. Vegetables should be stored in a different part of the fridge than fruit.
What is this? Middle – Medium-dense vegetables go here so they cook through, but don't get mushy: Celery, fennel, carrots, green beans, bell peppers – and sometimes onions (although onions are usually sauteed first for more flavor)
Water-soluble vitamins can leach out or be destroyed during storage and preparation. Vitamin C and members of the vitamin B group are water-soluble, and while nutrient loss may be minimal when soaking raw vegetables, soaking will reduce the quantity of these essential vitamins.
Glass of Water
This method works for celery, carrots, broccoli, and asparagus. Just trim the bottoms of the vegetables and place them upright in a tall glass of water until crisp (usually around 30 min). This method works great with herbs, too. Just change the water often to prevent the stalks from going mouldy.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, then fry the chilli and garlic for 1 min. Add the veg and toss to coat in the oil. Fry for 2-3 mins, then add the soy and chilli sauce, mixing well. Cook for 2-3 mins more until the veg are tender.
Extra virgin olive oil has a fairly low smoke point which makes it a poor choice for stir fry. You can however use light olive oil, which is a more refined product that has a very high smoke point.
Many home cooks make mistakes when they stir-fry, resulting in drab, overcooked dishes that rob fresh vegetables of their flavor and texture.