How can I improve the flavor of my stir-fry efforts?!
Answers: You know what it's like. When YOU cook things are, eh, okay. How can I put so wallop in my stir fry? What are some gravy ideas and ingredients ideas I can use so that I, too, can enjoy it more?
It is hard to tell you here in words!
Go to some small Chinese restaurants that serve good authentic food and beg them to let you watch the chefs cook stir fry dishes then steal their secrets!
(Only small restaurants may allow you to stay in their kitchens!)
I use Mrs.Dash and soy sauce.Maybe put lemon juice on before serving.Don't be afraid to experiment.
You can buy small sachets of stir fry sauces like soy, coconut, satay, sweet & sour and so on from supermarkets.
Try a different type of oil. I don't know what you are using, but there are tons of oils and you can switch around depending on what you are eating.
try some spices like garlic and parsley and misses dash
It really depends on which vegetables/meat/fish you are using. Different sauces compliment different ingredients.
Some of the basics I use are Chinese rice wine, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, chillies, fish sauce, shrimp paste, sugar, lime juice, blackbean sauce, oyster sauce, Vietnamese chilli sauce, chilli bean sauce and sesame oil. Not all together - obviously.
I cook mine with teriyaki marianade, fresh garlic and just a little dash of spicy mustard.
Soy sauce for saltiness and Teriyaki sauce for flavor. To thicken, just add flour/water or cornstarch/water. Ginger is a must for all Asian cooking! All to your taste, add a little at a time.
i always love stir fry on white or fried rice. soy sauce is...okay...but you can do better. try adding some sweet and sour sauce...if your not a sweet and sour person, maybe try some honey mustard. don't be afraid to experiment with different sauces and mustards. my favorite stir fry...cajun spice. just a few drops of hot sauce, teriyaki sauce, and then (i cook chicken with the stir fry) i dip my chicken sweet mustard. it sounds kinda weird but it's really good. kind of a sweet and spicy.
just experiment...that's how i come up with all my good cooking.
try tamari sauce instead of soy. its like soy on 'roids
sweet chilli saice black bean suace or szechen sauce giv it a kick
stir fry dishes are supposed to be simple dishes.. its composed of only a few ingredients and it requires a great amount of heat, that is why its impossible to do a perfect stir-fry in your home by using an ordinary stove top fire. the perfect stir-fry can be done on the huge burners you can find usually in the kitchens of hotels and restaurants...
but in any case... since asian people are the ones who do this more often, i suggest using peanut oil or sesame oil when you are stir-frying, its gives up a nutty and smoky flavor that you would love. and these oils have high smoking points, which means that your food would not get burned that fast because of your high heat.
I use dried red chilies (esp sichuan dried red chilies), nuts (peanuts or cashews work great), 5 spice powder or Thai seasonings (kaffir lime leaves, lemongrass...), some fresh citrus zest works well or to really add flavor use sriracha, sambal olek, Thai chili paste, nam pla, blanchen, togarashi....
use some fresh herbs like chives or if your makin thai food they use basil and curry floavors and that can add some tang to your taste buds also maybe a variety of spicy peppers . to make things a bit easy, try a stir fry sauce you can purchase at an asain market or the ethnic food section of a grocery store. try kikkoman or lachoy brand. even go with an imported version :) i've enclosed a link to help you :)
I use sesame oil , add a pinch opf monosodium glutamate when the oil is hot and stir in garlic and chilly flakes before I add the main ingredients.
Awesome!