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Stir frying (Chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo; Wade–Giles: ch'ao3; Cantonese Yale: cháau) is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and the West. It is similar to sautéing in Western cooking technique.
Wok frying may have been used as early as the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) for drying grain, not for cooking. It was not until the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) that the wok reached its modern shape and allowed quick cooking in hot oil.[1] However, there is research indicating that metal woks and stir-frying of dishes were already popular in the Song dynasty (960–1279),[2][3] and stir-frying as a cooking technique is mentioned in the 6th-century AD Qimin Yaoshu.[4] Stir frying has been recommended as a healthy and appealing method of preparing vegetables, meats, and fish, provided calories are kept at a reasonable level.[5]
The English-language term "stir-fry" was coined and introduced in Buwei Yang Chao, How to Cook and Eat in Chinese (1945) to translate the Chinese term chǎo 炒.[6] Although using "stir-fry" as a noun is commonplace in English, in Chinese, chǎo is used as a verb or adjective only.[7][8]
- ^ Wilkinson 2012, p. 459.
- ^ Anlan, Li (14 September 2018). "Ancient utensils were not just for cooking food". SHINE. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
- ^ "叫外賣、逛夜市 宋朝人一日三餐". 8 December 2019.
- ^ "齊民要術/卷第六 - 維基文庫，自由的圖書館". zh.wikisource.org. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
- ^ Foreword, Paul Dudley White in Chen 1962
- ^ Chao 1945, pp. 43–44
- ^ "辭典檢視 - 教育部《國語辭典簡編本》2021". dict.concised.moe.edu.tw. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
- ^ "What is 炒 in English Translation? Mandarin Chinese-English Dictionary & Thesaurus - YellowBridge". www.yellowbridge.com. Retrieved 31 December 2021.