Classic Vegetable Stir Fry Recipe

Stir-fry is a Chinese cooking technique that involves cooking food over high heat in a wok—similar to the French technique sauté. Constantly tossing the ingredients allows the food to become crispy without getting scorched. This method is especially useful for veggies and quick-cooking proteins like chicken breast, and it is most successful when every ingredient is cut into small, uniform pieces. Although stir-fry is technically a method of cooking, in many non-Asian countries, it's also the name of a dish.

Almost any vegetable can be stir-fried. The trick is knowing how to prep it: Cut larger vegetables into smaller pieces, and add quicker-cooking vegetables to the wok last.

1. 1. Red bell pepper: Mild red bell pepper is one of the easiest ways to add a pop of color to your stir-fry. Remove the core and seeds and dice into 1-inch pieces. They take about 1 minute to stir-fry.
2. 2. Broccoli florets: Broccoli is one of the most popular stir-fry additions. The florets cook up quicker than the stems, so it's best to separate them. if you want to use the stems, peel off the woody outer layer and discard. Budget about 1 minute for the florets and 2 minutes for the stems.
3. 3. Snow peas and sugar snap peas: Peas in the pod can be left whole and take about 3 minutes to stir-fry.
4. 4. Green beans: Use sharp kitchen scissors to snip green beans into 1-inch pieces. They take about 1 minute to stir-fry.
5. 5. Bean sprouts: Crunchy bean sprouts only take a few seconds to soften, so they should be one of the last vegetables you add to your stir-fry.
6. 6. Zucchini: This quick-cooking squash is a fun addition to a summer stir-fry. To keep it from becoming soggy, slice it at least a quarter of an inch thick, and pre-salt it to draw out the moisture, then pat dry before stir-frying. It should only take 1 minute to cook.
7. 7. Bok choy: Separate the white stems from the green leaves for the most even cooking. Slice the stems a quarter of an inch thick; they'll take about 1 minute to stir-fry. Add the leaves last—they only take a few seconds to wilt. For baby bok choy, simply cut heads in half.
8. 8. Baby corn: Baby corn can be left whole or sliced into rounds. It takes two to three minutes to stir fry.
9. 9. Mushrooms: Mushrooms add umami flavor and velvety texture to any stir-fry. They take a bit longer to cook (three to four minutes) than other stir-fry vegetables, so add them first.

A veggie stir fry is one of the fastest and easiest meals you can make on a weeknight. There are five ways to streamline the process and make the best stir-fry ever.

1. 1. Choose colorful vegetables. For the most visually pleasing stir-fry, go for vegetables of different colors. You'll also get the most nutrition that way, since different colors often indicate the presence of different vitamins.
2. 2. Cut everything the same size. When chopping veggies for a stir-fry, try to chop everything into pieces that are about the same size to encourage even cooking.
3. 3. Dry your vegetables first. Make sure your vegetables are completely dry before cooking. Excess water in the wok will cause vegetables to steam rather than fry.
4. 4. Use mise en place. Since stir-frying is such a quick-cooking technique, it pays to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you turn on the heat—a method known as mise en place. Keep your stir-fry sauce on hand in a small bowl, and arrange prepped ingredients in medium bowls in order of how long they'll take to cook.
5. 5. Don't overload your wok. The key to stir-frying is to constantly stir. It's important that your veggies have enough room to move around in the wok.