thread of stir-frying

ha yeah for 'simmer' read 'saute', i need coffee

i would say use groundnut oil or similar high smoke point oil. maybe a dash of sesame oil if you like the taste of sesame oil.

Yes, sesame oil is a nice touch.

isn't it. another four or five minutes and we will probably have exhausted all that i know about cooking

my super lazy postpub thing would be: don't worry about aromatics, just put your vegetables and whatever in oil (say, canola with a lil' sesame) at high temp, stir it around. towards the very end throw in something like this http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSSO2Az1cRQm2M_8u5ZeSaQ6SF9ZnmLR8UMNjtZFihRfhr49FmF or some other sauce recommended upthread. then add some good soy sauce. that's it. the chili garlic paste + sesame oil + good ol' soy sauce is enough to make it good. i promise.

lazy "recipe" if you have more time: mince or grate some GINGER! maybe mince or press some fresh GARLIC! maybe even add some ONIONS (red are the best for this situation imo) or SCALLLIONS aka GREEN ONIONS. now, most ppl will recommend heating the aromatics on high heat very quickly while stirring and then add the other stuff...however, a common problem is that ppl end up burning the garlic, ginger, etc. my special technique involves heating up the oil at an extremely low temp, like just about as low as the burners will go w/o flickering out and filling up your home w/DEADLY GAS FUMES. place a little bit of ginger or garlic in the pan. when it finally starts sizzling a little, throw the rest in, stir it around for a few minutes on that very low temp. then when stuff seems to be getting translucent and you can imagine that it has delightfully flavored the oil, throw in the stuff you're going to cook, densest things first, and jack the heat way the h-e-double hockey stick up, and stir, baby, stir (via Sarah Palin!). then at the very end add yr sauce/paste whatever. and maybe some sesame seeds if you're feeling FANCY! then eat, rinse, and repeat. the end.

*btw, if you use green onions, they don't go in until towards the very end.

yeah, burning the garlic is a stir-frying tragedy

made nate's honey 'recipe', was excellent. raw spring onions added a good sharp tang, although will use a few less or fry half of them next time. was cautious with the sauce elements but after a few mouthfuls went back and added more - in total, half a lime, two generous teaspoons of honey, a few goodly shakes of the soy sauce bottle.

I wish I could take the credit but it's basically a Jamie Oliver recipe out of his (imo) essential 30 Minute Meals book & TV show. He does it with stir-fried rib-eye steak dressed with chilli and lime, and it's absolutely stunning.

Man now this is making me want to go buy a bunch of gai larn after work and make a stir fry of greens in mirin and soy over noodles for dinner.