Spare Spoons Kitchen
Simple Stir-Fry
The technique recipe: high heat, velveting shortcut, and the right order of operations. Works with any protein and any veg.
Ingredients
Method
Cook's notes
Velveting — the cornstarch + liquid marinade — is the key to restaurant-style tender protein. Don't skip it.
Prep everything before the pan goes on — stir-fry moves in minutes and waits for nothing. Have your serving bowl right next to the stove.
Order matters: dense veg first (they need longer), tender veg last (30–60 seconds is all they need).
Don't crowd the wok — too much at once drops the temperature and everything steams. Cook in batches if needed.
Have your serving bowl ready. Stir-fry at its best is eaten immediately.
Easier, if you like
- Buy pre-cut stir-fry vegetables from the produce section, or use frozen stir-fry vegetable blends (add directly from frozen — no thawing needed).
Adaptable to vegetarian and GF
Vegetarian: firm tofu for protein; mushroom oyster sauce in place of oyster sauce.
Gluten-free: tamari instead of soy sauce; mushroom oyster sauce (check label) instead of oyster sauce.
No ginger: use ½ tsp ground ginger from the spice rack as a backup.