If you want ideas to cook a healthy meal at home, you’ve come to the right place. So, what does a healthy meal should have? The right amount of nutrients like protein, dietary fibres, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, iron etc. It can be challenging to find recipes that cover it all. So, here we are with the recipe for a healthy stir fry using refined cooking oil.
This blog with help you learn the art of stir-frying. When the term frying is used, people often assume it is unhealthy, but it is a misconception. Stir-frying is not only a quick cooking method, but it also helps your ingredients retain more nutrients than boiling.
Let us Explore the Five Steps of Making the Best Stir Fry
Use the Right Utensil
It is essential to understand the volume of all your ingredients and accordingly choose your utensil. A wok is an excellent option as it has the proper depth to mix all the ingredients well. You can also use a shallow pan if the quantity of your ingredients is less. However, use a heat-resistant spatula for stirring.
Choose the Right Cooking Oil
Cooking oils have different smoke points, and stir fry is cooked at a higher temperature. So, if you want to cook a healthy stir-fry, you will have to choose an oil with a high smoke point so that it doesn’t release smoke and unpleasant flavours.
You can use Nourish sunflower oil as it is one of the best edible oil recommended for high-temperature cooking. Other oils with a high smoke point include Corn, Canola, Safflower, etc. Ensure you don’t use an oil with a low smoke point like olive oil. You can buy refined cooking oil online from Nourish Store’s website.
Add Ingredients when the Oil is Hot
You must start cooking your stir-fry with your preferred proteins. If you eat non-vegetarian, you can add meat or fish. In the case of vegetarian preferences, you can add Tofu or Paneer. It should be chopped into even pieces so that they are cooked equally from the outside and inside. Make sure you add the protein once the oil is hot.
Cook the Vegetables
A delicious stir-fry is incomplete without a bunch of vegetables. You can choose the vegetables as per your liking. Some common veggies include broccoli, carrot, capsicum, baby corn, celery, mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, bok choy etc. All veggies have a distinct flavour profile, so choose according to your desired flavour. For example, if you want to make a spicy stir-fry, you can add bell peppers, garlic and gingers to your mix, but if you want a subtle and not-too-spicy stir-fry, you must add more mushrooms and corn.
Add Flavouring Agents
You can add healthy ingredients to your stir-fry, but the flavouring agents give it life. Without these agents, your stir-fry will be a light meal you won’t be able to eat. What are flavouring agents? Herbs and spices like basil, oregano, cardamom, ginger, garlic, cilantro etc. These herbs have intense flavours that can be used to make your stir-fry sauces.
You can make a combination of herbs and spices to make your sauces. But ensure you add your flavouring agents at the last minute of your cooking process. It will prevent these agents from losing their flavour and aroma.
If you carefully follow the steps mentioned above, you can make the best stir-fry with numerous combinations of ingredients. It is commonly used to make various Indian mix-veg combinations. Indians relish their stir fries with rotis and parathas. You can also make a combination or eat your stir-fries as individual meals.
