help me, Veeky Forums.
I need to make a stir fry to feed four people but I don't have any chicken broth and the shops are closed. Anywhere I've looked says to use bullion cubes or instant broth as a substitute. How the hell is that helpful? broth as a substitute for broth?
pls help me avoid a bland stirfry tonight
Use water and a little extra soy sauce.
Why on earth would you need broth for a stir-fry?
Satndard procedure for a stir-fry:
-heat oil in wok/pan. Fry off your aromatic vegetables (garlic, ginger) or paste first.
-Then add the ingredients in order of cooking time. Longest cooking time ingredients go in first.
-If your stir-fry has a sauce then add your thickener (corn starch and water slurry) at the end just before serving.
Stir-fries are a pain to cook for many people at once. You need a really goddamn serious heat source to cook 4 servings at the same time.
OP pic looks like shit; there's no color on the meat or on the veggies. You need that high heat for your wok hei. I don't see any seasoning in there either.
Mix a small amount of cornstarch to thicken it up
pic isn't mine, it's a random result from google images.
a lot of recipes say that ginger and garlic go in the sauce, but my understanding was that they're best cooked first, right?
For the larger portions I was just gonna cook the meat first and set it aside, then cook the vegetables and then combine and add sauce
Why do whiteboys think that soy sauce goes in every stir-fry? It's actually fairly rare.
Know how many times Chen Kenichi put soy sauce or water in a stir fry on Iron Chef? Zero times. How many times a challenging Chinese chef put soy sauce in a stir fry? Exactly once. Out of hundreds of stir fries.
>but my understanding was that they're best cooked first, right?
Yes. Like I posted the first step in any stir-fry is to start off by frying the aromatics in oil. You do this before you add the other ingredients.
You still didn't mention what this broth was for.
If your recipe discusses "a stir fry sauce" then that's a giant red flag it's a shit recipe.
broth?? BROTH???? wtf
if you want a "sauce" cornstarch+water, maybe a little soy sauce
my sauces for stirfrys consist of hoison sauce, little bit of soy sauce and cornstarch+water(this added at end to thicken)
sauce was for
stir fry sauce.
for whatever reason a lot of recipes are suggesting adding broth to the sauce for some bulk or something I don't know
novice shef pls no bully
Sounds like some kind of bastardized westernified recipe.
Watch chinese cooks do stir-fry. The procedure described above is the standard:
-fry armomatic veggies and paste in oil
-fry the other ingredients
at that point it's done. If it's a "saucy" dish then the sauce is made by adding a mix of cornstarch and water. This combines with the aromatics from the first step to form the paste.
Pic related is probably the most common one. Doubanjiang. It's made from fermented broad beans and chili. This is what cheap Chinese restaurants sub out MSG for.
>from the first step to form the paste.
I fucked up. That should have said "form the SAUCE".
it very much is a bastardized western recipe.
Posting from Canada here.
There's some chinese shops in the area, I'll have a look and see if I can find some next time I'm out.
Thanks!
Here's another brand which is more common (here in the states, anyway).
Same, but fish sauce instead of soy
>How the hell is that helpful? broth as a substitute for broth?
They're suggesting you use dehydrated stock cubes as a substitute for fresh broth. Your difficulty in understanding this makes me suspect you don't even know what fresh stock/broth actually is.
I do, but if I didn't have fresh broth and I had bullion cubes I would just use those. that's common sense.
I'm asking what do I substitute broth for if I have none whatsoever?
based on this thread I'm thinking broth was a terrible idea in the first place anyway so the point is moot anyway.
Why do Koreans have such a better variety of bean pastes?
I have no idea. The only one I know of from Korea is gochujiang. I know of several Chinese ones. But I'm certainly no expert in Korean cooking.
Last question, what'll be the difference in cooking in a frying pan vs a wok?
I know frying pans need less oil, is that it?
It's mostly just heat distribution and ease of stirring. With a wok you can just continously flip it, but with a frying pan you'll need to use a spatula or something to keep it all moving.
It's the opposite, actually. The wok needs less oil because it will collect at the bottom due to the curved shape.
The wok is easier to toss the food in, and it requires less oil. On the other hand it's totally useless unless you have a gas burner or are using an actual fire to cook on.
If you have an electric stove then a frying pan is your only practical option. Though I would suggest you find the strongest heat source you can. Most stir-fries are cooked in 2 minutes or less, start to finish. You need serious high heat for that. If you don't have a big gas range then stick your wok over charcoal or use one of those propane-fired outdoor "turkey fryer" burners. like pic related. If you have a gas BBQ you can take the grate out and stick the wok straight over the burner.
>>he can't toss food in a frying pan
It's called a saute pan you fucking moran.
Another suggestion
Saute pans have straight sides. That clearly doesn't have straight sides, thus it is a frying pan.
>he think sauteing is the same as stir frying
Why don't you explain the practical difference to us then, professor? What's the functional difference between and this pic?
I think you're buttmad that you got called out and now you're grasping at straws to defend yourself.
Don't listen to anyone saying you don't need stock or broth. It's absolutely used in professional Chinese kitchens on a regular basis, usually to moisten the dish and finished with a cornstarch slurry. If you don't have stock, just use water as an acceptable substitute. It won't turn out bland if you seasoned the dish properly.
Not him. Stir fry involves steam, salute does not.