Stir-Frying

Stir-frying is a predominantly Asian method of cooking involving the wok, a deep-dished pan. To stir-fry, the cook cooks the ingredients in the wok over a high heat with a little cooking oil, so to seal in the flavor of the food. It is an important part of Cantonese cuisine.

The term was coined in 1920 by Buwei Yang Chao in her book, How to Cook and Eat in Chinese.

Methods of Stir-frying[edit]

There are two common forms of stir-frying, the chao (炒) and bao (爆) techniques. The chao technique is more similar to the Western style of sauteing, while the bao technique is faster and uses a higher heat.