Stir-Fry
Stir-Frying is one of the better known techniques in Chinese cookery. Your wok is your best friend in stir-frying with its size and shape (a minimum 14” diameter and deep sides are best) perfectly designed for this style of fast cooking. The key to stir-frying involves preparing the ingredients before you start.

Any meat should be prepared as per the recipe which is usually thin strips. It is normally the same for the vegetables, but pay attention to a uniform size and shape for even cooking. Diagonal cuts are used for long, thin vegetables like asparagus, spring onions and carrots to increase the surface area for faster cooking. Sauces should be carefully measured as instructed in the recipe. If you are adding the sauces all at the same time, they can be combined into a larger bowl ahead of time during your preparation. When using corn flour, be sure to remember that it needs a good stir before being added.

After you have your ingredients prepared, heat the wok. It must be very hot. Add the oil to the wok and make sure that it covers the entire cooking surface. You can use your stirring utensil to help spread the oil. The wok should be almost smoking before adding the ingredients to ensure your dish doesn’t end up too greasy. Be mindful though if using oil flavored with chili, garlic, salt or ginger as it may burn if over-heated.

The next step is to add the ingredients as instructed by the recipe sequence. Stir the food around the wok’s surface, making sure they don’t rest still. Keep everything moving around the sides of the wok and away from the center. An apron and gloves come in handy when stir frying to protect you from the oil spatters produced when cooking food at very high temperatures.

Deep Frying
You can also deep fry food in your wok, but be very careful that it is balanced safely on its stand. Do not ever leave the wok unattended when deep frying. Less oil is used when deep frying in a wok versus a regular saucepan or deep fryer although you may find these easier and safer to use.

It is again important to ensure that the oil is very hot before adding the food to avoid the dish being too greasy. You can drop a small piece of bread or prepared food into the oil to check whether it is hot enough. If the oil is hot enough it will bubble around the food. To avoid your food splitting during the deep frying process, make sure that it is thoroughly drained of marinades or dried on kitchen paper before being added to the oil.

Shallow Frying
Chinese food is shallow fried in the Western style. One side is cooked, and then the food is turned to cook the other side in a regular frying pan. Before adding any sauces, make sure to remove excess oils from the food.

Steaming
Steaming is commonly practiced in Chinese recipes. This method may involve using a bamboo steamer or a heat-proof plate and rack in a wok or pan. You can also use a regular western steamer.
When using a wok, you will need to simmer approximately two inches of water before adding the rack for your plate or bamboo steamer. A bamboo steamer may stay out of the water without a rack as long as it is big enough to rest on the sides of the wok. Put the lid on the wok or bamboo steamer and occasionally check the water level in the wok. If you need to add more water make sure that you use hot water.

Regardless of the style of your steamer, ensure the food is not getting wet by being in the simmering water.

Braising
This cooking method also used in Western cooking, can be helpful with tough meat cuts. Braising uses flavored stock to the slow cook meat or vegetable ingredients. A dark liquid like soy sauce can be used to braise the food a red or brown color and is referred to as red-braising. Red-braise sauces can be re-used after freezing.