Clearing up the stir-fry misunderstanding

I REALLY WISH I could make a credible stir-fry at home. God knows I've tried.

I've scrupulously chopped and diced my way through all manner of meats and varieties of vegetables; minced mountains of ginger and loads of lemon grass; warmed my wok to warp speed; and stirred rapidly and repeatedly until I risked a rip in my rotator cuff.

Despite my best efforts, the results were invariably mushy masses of overly sauced ingredients — more like braised dishes — and certainly nothing like the glistening, aromatic, piping-hot, tender-crisp stir-fries you routinely get at Wild Ginger or Monsoon or even just the neighborhood Chinese restaurant.

Last spring I learned, I am not alone.

"Stir-frying is so much a part of our culinary vocabulary, but so very misunderstood," cookbook author Grace Young, a.k.a. "the poet-laureate of the wok," told a rapt audience when she stopped in Seattle on a book tour. "It's essential to stir-fry with an oil that has a high smoking point such as peanut or canola, never use nonstick cookware or crowd a wok with too much food, but I rarely see recipes include these basic tips. It's no wonder most cooks are disappointed with their stir-fries at home."

Young's desire to dispel long-held myths around the ancient Chinese cooking technique led her on an intense 3 ½-year quest that resulted in a definitive tome entitled, "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery, with Authentic Recipes and Stories" (Simon & Schuster, $35).

The book is much more than a collection of 100 classic and innovative stir-fry recipes and 80 gorgeous photos. Young, who's based in New York, also visited cooks in Trinidad, Holland, Germany and Canada, and interviewed Chinese cooks who grew up in Peru, Singapore, Indonesia and even the Mississippi Delta to learn their secrets and share their stories.

Young regards stir-frying as "a way of life, both timeless and timely." Certainly, stir-frying fits the modern zeitgeist because it uses a wide variety of seasonal vegetables, along with small amounts of meat and fuel, to feed many.

Still, the elusive quality called "wok hay" in Cantonese — the heat, vitality and fragrance that good wok-cooking displays — is difficult to achieve unless you prepare your pan and ingredients precisely, then cook in a specific sequence of steps.

Among Young's top stir-fry tips:

1. Heat is one of the most important tricks to achieving a good stir-fry. A gas stove is always preferable to an electric stove because it's easier to control the heat, she says. But if electric is all that's available, simply preheat the wok a bit longer.

2. Cook in a well-seasoned, 14-inch, flat-bottomed, carbon-steel wok or a 12-inch, stainless-steel skillet.

3. Make sure vegetables, shellfish and tofu are completely dried to prevent stir-fries from becoming soggy.

4. Mince your ginger with a knife — not a grater or Microplane — to keep it from spattering in the hot oil.

5. Add your protein in an even layer, then allow it to cook undisturbed for one minute so it sears rather than stews.

6. Use your ears! If you don't hear an audible sizzle throughout the cooking process, it means the wok wasn't sufficiently heated, contained too many vegetables or the veggies were wet.

7. Swirl the liquid ingredients in a thin stream along the sides of the wok, which deglazes the pan and keeps the wok from losing heat.

8. Stir-fry only until the protein is just cooked and the vegetables are tender-crisp.

Now it's time to eat!

"A stir-fry should be enjoyed immediately while it is piping hot and exudes the taste of the wok," Young says.

Braiden Rex-Johnson is a Seattle-based cookbook author, food and wine columnist and blogger. Visit her online at www.NorthwestWiningandDining.com.

Stir-Fried Cilantro with Bean Sprouts and Shrimp

Serves 4 as a side dish

2 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon minced ginger

4 ounces small shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and patted dry (about 6 ounces)

1{frac}2 cup julienned carrots

1 large bunch cilantro, cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 ounces)

3{frac}4 teaspoon salt

1{frac}4 teaspoon sugar

1. Heat a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok or 12-inch skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact.

2. Swirl in the oil, add the garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 15 seconds or until the garlic begins to brown.

3. Add the shrimp and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the shrimp begin to turn orange but are not cooked through.

4. Add the bean sprouts and stir-fry 5 seconds.

5. Add the carrots and stir-fry 30 seconds or until the bean sprouts just begin to wilt.

6. Sprinkle the cilantro over the entire mixture without stirring it in.

7. Cover and cook on high heat for 20 seconds.

8. Uncover and stir-fry 10 seconds until combined.

9. Sprinkle on the salt and sugar and stir-fry 30 seconds to 1 minute or until the shrimp are just cooked and the cilantro is just wilted.

— from "Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge"

Cook's hint: If the cilantro has roots, remove and discard them before cutting the entire bunch, including the stems, into 2-inch pieces. Put the cilantro in a salad spinner and wash it under cold water before spinning it several times to remove all the excess water. There will be about 5 cups of cilantro after it's been spun. If you want a subtler cilantro flavor, reduce the amount by half and increase the bean sprouts to 4 cups.