Stir frying (Chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) is a Chinese
cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot
oil while being stirred in a wok. The technique originated in China and in
recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West.
Scholars think that wok (or pan)
frying may have been used as early as the Han dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A.D.) for
drying grain, not for cooking, but it was not until the Ming dynasty
(1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot
oil. Well into the 20th century, while restaurants and affluent families could
afford the oil and fuel needed for stir fry, the most widely used cooking
techniques remained boiling and steaming. Stir fry cooking came to predominate
over the course of the century as more people could afford oil and fuel, and in
the West spread beyond Chinese communities.
TERIYAKI
CHICKEN STIR-FRY
INGREDIENTS:
2 TB Oil
450 g Chicken Fillets
cut into strips ( 1 pound )
900 g Oriental-Style
Frozen Vegetables ( 2 pounds )
1/2 cup Teriyaki
Sauce
2 TB Soy Sauce
1 t Rice Vinegar
2 t Fresh Garlic
crushed
2 t Fresh Ginger
finely grated
1 TB Water
1 TB Cornflour (Cornstarch)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat the Oil in a wok
– stir-fry the Chicken until done – season with Salt and Black Pepper – remove
from wok and keep aside
Add the Frozen
Vegetables to the wok and stir-fry until soft but still a little crisp – add back
the cooked Chicken
In a small bowl
combine the Teriyaki Sauce, Soy Sauce, Vinegar, Garlic, Ginger and Water – stir
in the Cornflour (whisk lightly) until smooth – pour the sauce over the Chicken
and Vegetables in the wok and stir – cook until warmed through and the sauce
has thickened (about 3 – 5 minutes)