Back when I was in college, I tried cooking a little stir-fry cooking. After years of other cares, I forgot all about it. Recently I have gotten back into it and have nearly punched myself in the noggin for forgetting about this!

There really is no need to explain to you ingredient by ingredient on how to cook stir-fry. If you enjoy vegetables with meat, then your own recipe will suffice. I will get you started on my general technique.

The three things you must know about stir-fry are preparation, preparation, preparation. This method of cooking is fast paced and must be tended to constantly. You will not have time to chop an onion when your recipe is cooking. Before hand, make sure everything that needs to be prepared before you cook is ready. Vegetables should be cut into large chunks, not minced, except for garlic.

I usually pick up two different types of peppers to start with, for example, a green and a yellow. These flavors go well with stir-fry.

Myself, I like white onions better than yellow, but that is a taste issue. Whether it is yellow or white, get a large onion.

You can use one clove, or fifty cloves of garlic. It depends on your taste.

Snow peas in opinion are a must for any stir-fry. I think it is because it is the only dish I enjoy them in. 🙂

Fresh mushrooms are perfect for almost any stir-fry recipe.

You can use certain fruits (like pineapple), but I rarely do. Many people like to make sweet & sour dishes so some fruit may be required.

Almost any meat or seafood can be used. I usually use either chicken, pork, or cubed beef. Cut into bite size pieces.

There are many stir-fry oils you can buy in the stores, myself, I just use olive oil. Many people like sesame seed oil.

There are many stir-fry sauces you can buy pre made, or find their recipes on the net. Many people just use soy sauce. I find a hoison sauce and soy sauce combination works great.

Ideally, you want to put your stir-fry ON something, like rice or egg noodles. Prepare this before you start cooking your stir-fry.

A Wok is the ideal pan to cook in. If you are like me and have an electric stove, see if you can find a flat bottomed one. If you just do not have a Wok, use a large sauce pan, it will work in a pinch.

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan and heat to high.

As soon as the oil is hot, add half of your garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the vegetables in the order in which the ones that take the longest to cook (i.e. peppers and snow peas), first and steadily add the rest of the vegetables. You want to keep stirring the ingredients, and never let them sit longer than 30 seconds. The pan is very hot and you do not want to burn the vegetables.

When the vegetables are soft, remove from the pan. Add some more oil to the pan and the remaining garlic. Add the meat and cook like the vegetables, until 95% done. If you were using a fatty meat, you may want to drain your stir-fry now.

Add your stir-fry sauce and mix well so that all the meat is coated. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the vegetables. Stir for another minute and turn the heat off. As the wok cools down, continue to mix everything up and your finished!

Pretty easy huh?

Experiment! There are many vegetables you can use. Try scallops, shrimp, etc., and you will not be disappointed!