Stir fry method of cooking is very healthy. It uses less oil and leaves the food crisp and not overly cooked, and thus not stripping out all the nutrients and vitamins from raw food especially vegetables. Stir frying only takes a matter of minutes if you follow these few easy steps.
1. Well equipped
Firstly, a wok is a must, not pan, a big round wok. A round-based one works well using gas burner while a flat based one works well on electric stoves. A good wok is heavy usually made of cast iron or carbonated steel, easily available is departmental store and Asian hardware shops. Teflon based just doesn’t give you the same rich flavor. When first purchased, the iron wok must be seasoned, heat the wok until smoke start rises from the wok, and then pour in a table spoon of peanut oil. Wipe the oil around the wok surface and throw away excessive oil. This way, all dirt will be removed from the wok surface. Secondly, a ladle is a must. Choose one with strong handle.
2. Prepare your ingredients
All raw meat and vegetable must be cut uniformly in thickness and size in advance. This is to ensure the food is evenly cooked. Once the wok is heated, there is not enough time to cut anymore. Rice and noodles need to be pre-cook, rice to be steamed while noodles to be boiled to soft.
3. Seasoning a must.
Before cooking the main ingredients, Asian usually put in chopped garlic or shallots to enhance the taste of stir fry dishes. When the wok is heated, oil is put in, then garlic or shallots are put in to fry until golden brown. Only then the main ingredients are put in.
4. Meat first, vegetables second
For stir frying, this is can be considered the golden rule. Always cook meat first, vegetables second. Meat is harder to cook compared to vegetables. If both are cook together, the vegetables tend to overcook. Meat or seafood must be marinated with a pinch of salt first. Always toss the ingredients for even cooking. When stir frying rice or noodles, the goldren rule still applies, always meat first.
5. Sauce and seasoning
Lastly, add sauce to your stir fry dish. Sauces, such as oyster sauce, or sweet and sour, thin and thick black soy sauce are added into the wok to complete the stir fry dish. Oyster sauce, thin and soya sauce is the most common, packaged in bottles and easily bought from the supermarket shelves. Sweet and sour is popular unique but it’s just simply tomato sauce and sugar. Simply put in the sauce after the meat and vegetables are cook in the wok, sauté for a while, and the dish is ready to serve.
Showing posts with label note. Show all posts
Showing posts with label note. Show all posts
Friday, September 07, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
disclaimer
i have receive comments from a friend saying that a ten year old can cook what i post here. that is exactly my point! at first i name this site express home cook. it is meant for busy women (or men) who work but yet want have decent home cook food. we honestly cannot survive on nasi ayam from the hawker everyday right?
all the recipe is one liner. three the most. it's truly malaysian food and malaysian lifestyle. nothing fancy. it's home cook food. for people we love at home. not cooking competition.
but i would still like to continue keeping this recipe journal. to my readers, visit when free and be surprised cos sometimes i might come up with something fancy.
all the recipe is one liner. three the most. it's truly malaysian food and malaysian lifestyle. nothing fancy. it's home cook food. for people we love at home. not cooking competition.
but i would still like to continue keeping this recipe journal. to my readers, visit when free and be surprised cos sometimes i might come up with something fancy.
Monday, August 20, 2007
10 steps to easy cooking
Do you consider yourself “culinarily challenged”? Do you want to feel more comfortable in the kitchen? Here are a few ideas that may make cooking less complicated, a lot more interesting and fun.
1. Read the recipe completely
Make sure what you are getting into before you start. It is not uncommon to find a recipe telling you to do something that you didn’t expect. It may say, “marinate for 4 hours” and you want to be eating in 45 minutes. Sheesh!
2. Get all the ingredients out and together
Make sure that you have everything. Even though you think that butter is in the fridge, or that you absolutely know that you have carrots, pull all the stuff out and assemble it before you start. Avoid that frantic run to the supermarket.
3. Keep your knives sharp.
Tools are important in any skill and knives are the most basic of tools for a cook. In order to work properly, knives need to be sharp and remain sharp. If instead of cutting a tomato, you are squashing it, your knife is way too dull. Many local kitchen stores sharpened knives.
4. Don’t cut yourself!
Well, you can seriously damage yourself with either a sharp or dull knife. Learn how to hold a knife and how to position your fingers to keep them out of the way. Of course, don’t burn yourself either.
5. Buy the best pans that you can afford.
You want the best tools to have the best cooking experience. Yuh, they can be expensive so buy one a year, or ask for it for a holiday, or special event. Put what you want on your wedding registry or gift list. Do some research and find out what you want.
6. Try something new.
Remember when you were a kid and you said “ I don’t like that”, yet you never tasted or even tried it? Well, you are too old for that now. If you don’t know what fennel is, make a fennel salad. Don’t know what edamamme are? (they are soybeans) try a recipe with them. Otherwise, what are you going to do when you go to someone’s house and they are serving the dreaded stuff?
7. Don’t be afraid to make a mess.
Cooking is a messy business. Stuff goes everywhere. It ends up in the stove, on the floor, in your hair, all over the place. You often use fingers to sift, mix, knead or shape things. Wearing an apron can help, but that will end up being a mess too. So, have a nice time cooking, getting stuff all over the place…. then clean up later.
8. Install a kitchen fire extinguisher and learn how to use it.
I once watched a friend burn his kitchen down. There was no fire extinguisher. Enough said. However, take it one step further by actually using an extinguisher and getting familiar with how it works. If there is a pan fire, simply cover it with a lid. Don’t use water. Of course, install a fire detector nearby.
9. Consider cooking as a community service.
A lot of us have become more involved in community service and volunteer activities and cooking for others maybe something to consider. Whether you cook for an elderly relative, a neighbor or a sick friend, you will find someone in need. So, if you are making a recipe for 4 and serving only 2, package up the leftovers and deliver them to someone in need.
10. Have fun cooking.
All in all, cooking does not need to be a chore. Have some friends over, stand around the kitchen, cook, and tell stories. Make pasta and throw flour at each other. Make something interesting and see how your friends react. You have to eat, so make it a whole new cooking experience.
1. Read the recipe completely
Make sure what you are getting into before you start. It is not uncommon to find a recipe telling you to do something that you didn’t expect. It may say, “marinate for 4 hours” and you want to be eating in 45 minutes. Sheesh!
2. Get all the ingredients out and together
Make sure that you have everything. Even though you think that butter is in the fridge, or that you absolutely know that you have carrots, pull all the stuff out and assemble it before you start. Avoid that frantic run to the supermarket.
3. Keep your knives sharp.
Tools are important in any skill and knives are the most basic of tools for a cook. In order to work properly, knives need to be sharp and remain sharp. If instead of cutting a tomato, you are squashing it, your knife is way too dull. Many local kitchen stores sharpened knives.
4. Don’t cut yourself!
Well, you can seriously damage yourself with either a sharp or dull knife. Learn how to hold a knife and how to position your fingers to keep them out of the way. Of course, don’t burn yourself either.
5. Buy the best pans that you can afford.
You want the best tools to have the best cooking experience. Yuh, they can be expensive so buy one a year, or ask for it for a holiday, or special event. Put what you want on your wedding registry or gift list. Do some research and find out what you want.
6. Try something new.
Remember when you were a kid and you said “ I don’t like that”, yet you never tasted or even tried it? Well, you are too old for that now. If you don’t know what fennel is, make a fennel salad. Don’t know what edamamme are? (they are soybeans) try a recipe with them. Otherwise, what are you going to do when you go to someone’s house and they are serving the dreaded stuff?
7. Don’t be afraid to make a mess.
Cooking is a messy business. Stuff goes everywhere. It ends up in the stove, on the floor, in your hair, all over the place. You often use fingers to sift, mix, knead or shape things. Wearing an apron can help, but that will end up being a mess too. So, have a nice time cooking, getting stuff all over the place…. then clean up later.
8. Install a kitchen fire extinguisher and learn how to use it.
I once watched a friend burn his kitchen down. There was no fire extinguisher. Enough said. However, take it one step further by actually using an extinguisher and getting familiar with how it works. If there is a pan fire, simply cover it with a lid. Don’t use water. Of course, install a fire detector nearby.
9. Consider cooking as a community service.
A lot of us have become more involved in community service and volunteer activities and cooking for others maybe something to consider. Whether you cook for an elderly relative, a neighbor or a sick friend, you will find someone in need. So, if you are making a recipe for 4 and serving only 2, package up the leftovers and deliver them to someone in need.
10. Have fun cooking.
All in all, cooking does not need to be a chore. Have some friends over, stand around the kitchen, cook, and tell stories. Make pasta and throw flour at each other. Make something interesting and see how your friends react. You have to eat, so make it a whole new cooking experience.
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