Cooking dinner at home has many advantages. When you prepare meals in your kitchen, you have the power to choose healthier recipes and ingredients. If you are looking for healthy and tasty dinner ideas, learn the simple art of stir-frying! Once you learn the basics, you can prepare an unlimited number of delicious dishes to make dinner exciting.
Stir it up!
Stir-frying is a fast way to cook small pieces of food in a hot pan or wok. As the name indicates, the food is constantly stirred while you cook it. You can prepare different vegetables, meats, seafood and poultry using this method.
In addition to being quick and easy, stir-frying is also healthy. It results in tender-crisp vegetables that retain more nutrients than if they were boiled. And since stir-frying requires only a small amount of oil, the fat content is low.
Use these five basic steps to create a healthy stir-fry:
1. Get the wok ready. An authentic stir-fry is made in a wok, which is a bowl-shaped pan. If you do not have a wok, you can use any large, shallow pan with a handle. You will also need a heat-resistant spatula or large spoon for stirring.
2. Choose an oil. Since a stir-fry is cooked at a high temperature, choose oil with a high smoke point. That means the oil will not emit smoke or unpleasant flavours. Oils with a high smoke point include:
- Safflower
- Corn
- Canola
- Soybean
- Sunflower
- Peanut
If you want to use olive oil, choose a refined olive oil (not extra virgin). Do not stir-fry in flax or hemp oil since they have very low smoke points.
You can also coat the wok with non-stick cooking spray instead of using oil. This method is used in Sweet chili tofu stir-fry.
3. Add protein. Once the oil is hot, add your favorite meat or alternative:
- Shrimp
- Lean beef
- Chicken breast or thigh
- Lean pork
- Salmon
- Tofu
The meat should be cut into thin strips so it cooks quickly and evenly. Once it’s cooked, remove it from the heat. Use a thermometer to make sure your protein is cooked to a safe internal temperature.
4. Cook the vegetables. Add garlic to the hot wok. Once sizzling, add your favourite vegetables and cook until tender-crisp:
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Carrots
- Celery
- Baby corn
- Mushrooms
- Eggplant
- Bell peppers
- Bok choy
5. Add flavour. Many stir-fry sauces are high in sodium.For example, many brands of soy sauce have around 1000 mg of sodium per tablespoon. A healthy diet should contain 1000-1500 mg of sodium per day and not exceed 2300 mg. Instead of a salty sauce, flavour your stir-fry with:
- Herbs: basil, oregano, cilantro
- Spices: cumin, coriander, cardamom
- Reduced sodium or no sodium added broth
- Fresh lemongrass, garlic or ginger
- 100% fruit juice
- Citrus zest
- Lower sodium soy sauces (<600 mg sodium per tablespoon)
Beware of reduced sodium sauces that say “25% less salt.” They may still be high in sodium. For example, soy sauce with 25% less sodium still has 750 mg sodium per tablespoon! Replace half of the soy sauce in recipes with balsamic, rice or wine vinegar instead.
If you can’t replicate the flavour of a high-sodium sauce in a certain dish, add a teaspoon or two at the end of cooking. This will give the dish more flavour compared to if you used several tablespoons added during cooking and the resulting dish will contain less sodium. Add fresh herbs just before serving to maximize their bold flavour.
Try any of these combinations to make a healthy and tasty stir fry:
Dish | Protein | Vegetables | Flavour |
Simple Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-fry | Shrimp | Broccoli | Garlic, reduced sodium broth, lemon zest |
Sunset Orange-Ginger Pork | Pork tenderloin | Cauliflower, carrots, yellow peppers | Orange juice, orange zest, fresh ginger, reduced sodium broth |
Thai Stir-fry | Chicken | Red peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, bean sprouts, bok choy | Lemongrass, lime leaves, garlic, sweet red chili sauce |
Tofu and Chinese Greens | Tofu | Bok choy, broccoli, gailan | Sesame oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, reduced sodium broth, a teaspoon of oyster sauce |
Spicy Beef Curry | Sirloin steak strips | Tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers | Garam masala, cumin, fresh cilantro, ginger, lemon juice, yogurt |
To complete your meal, serve your stir-fry on top of brown rice, whole grain noodles or quinoa. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and enjoyed as tomorrow’s lunch.
Bottom line
Stir-frying is a healthy and quick cooking method with an endless variety of dishes. By following these five easy steps, you can enjoy a nutritious and delicious stir-fry for dinner tonight!
You may also be interested in
All About Dark Leafy Greens
How to Cook with Herbs
How to Cook with Spices
Reducing Sodium in the Kitchen
Last Update – September 16, 2019
FAQs
Stir-frying is a healthful cooking technique because you just add a small amount of fat. Some people skip the fat altogether and stir-fry in broth. I used canola oil because it's high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and it doesn't add a particular flavor.
Is stir-fry healthy to lose weight? ›
Yes, stir fry vegetables are a great option for weight loss. Stir-frying is a low-calorie cooking method that helps to retain the nutrients in the vegetables while also providing a delicious and flavourful meal. The key to making a healthy stir fry is to use fresh vegetables and lean proteins.
What is the healthiest oil for stir-fry? ›
Sturdy oils good for sautéing, stir-frying, or roasting foods include avocado, canola, corn, grapeseed, regular or light olive oil (not virgin or extra-virgin), peanut, rice bran, safflower, soybean, and sunflower oils.
What are the three rules of stir-frying? ›
Food & Dining
The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.
What can I put in a stir-fry instead of meat? ›
Rustle up a vegan stir-fry for a quick and tasty dinner. Pack in the vegetables or mix it up with a meat substitute such as seitan or tofu.
Is soy sauce healthy? ›
On the plus side, it's high in dietary antioxidants and it has some antimicrobial properties, says Schmidt. "At high levels of consumption, soy sauce can also have an anti-inflammatory effect," she adds. But such nutritional value is minimal, so soy sauce should primarily be enjoyed for taste or as a salt substitute.
Why is fried rice unhealthy? ›
Traditional fried rice, as commonly prepared, may not be considered the healthiest option due to its high calorie and sodium content. This is primarily because it is often cooked with a generous amount of oil and can include high-sodium sauces like soy sauce or oyster sauce.
Is rice good for weight loss? ›
Is rice good for weight loss? Rice also has the benefit of expanding to three times its original volume, so it can be quite filling. This can help one eat less overall - a strategy some use to support weight management when rice consumption is paired with a healthy diet.
Is olive oil ok for stir fry? ›
According to a study from the University of California, Davis, even olive oils with the most phenols had a smoke point higher than 400°F. Since most stovetop cooking (and even frying) occurs around 350°F, you can absolutely use olive oil for sautéing and stir-frying.
What is a good substitute for stir fry oil? ›
If you don't have any vegetable oil on hand, you can substitute another neutral high-heat oil. Canola, safflower, peanut or grapeseed oils are all great choices. Refined versions can reach even higher temperatures than unrefined ones. (Check the label if you're unsure about what you have.)
Chinese cooks normally use soybean oil, vegetable oil, or peanut oil, all of which have a high smoke point. Peanut oil usually has a pleasant nutty flavor and is suitable not only for stir-frying but also for deep-frying. Canola oil, which has a high smoke point but a neutral flavor, is also a good choice.
What is the secret ingredient in stir-fry? ›
We may receive a commission on purchases made from links. Ketchup is one of the most popular condiments in America.
What are the disadvantages of stir-fry cooking? ›
Eating a stir fry may be a healthy option, but cooking it could be bad for your health because it shoots microscopic particles of fat into the air, which could be hazardous if inhaled, scientists have warned.
Is stir-frying a unhealth cooking technique? ›
Stir frying generally involves less fat than most other kinds of frying, and is healthier because of that. It's more akin to a high temperature saute than pan-frying or deep frying. That said, fried rice is not healthy, but that has very little to do with stir-fry as a cooking technique.
Can I eat stir-fry every day? ›
It is all about what you add to it. Straight vegetables do not have all of the nutrients that your body needs. If you have some source of protein, (meat or plant based) either separately or as part of your stir-fry, and some carbohydrates (rice or noodles) it is probably a pretty healthy diet.
Does stir-fry preserve or destroy nutrients? ›
Stir-frying and stir-frying/boiling, the two most popular methods for most homemade dishes in China, cause great losses of chlorophyll, soluble protein, soluble sugar, vitamin C, and glucosinolates, but the steaming method appears the best in retention of the nutrients in cooking broccoli.
