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to stir-fry

to stir-fry

7 2.8
To cook food quickly in a small amount of hot oil while stirring
  • verb
  • /ˈstɜrˌfraɪ/
translation icon : saltear
  • Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the hot wok and stir-fry the vegetables until they are tender.
  • stir-fry vegetables
  • stir-fry with garlic
  • stir-fry chicken

Examples

  • Add seasoned chicken, then stir-fry until cooked through and remove to a plate.

    Blog text (1)
  • Add mushrooms and stir-fry for a minute or two.

    Blog text (27)
  • Add all other ingredients and stir-fry for a few minutes.

    Blog text (23)
  • Add chicken to the pan and stir-fry until it gets quite tender.

    Blog text (23)
  • Stir-fry beef quickly until the meat is brown outside and pink inside.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Stir-fry until tender, about 2 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 more seconds.

    Blog text (1)
  • Add the seasoned chicken to the hot oil, then stir-fry until it's cooked all the way through, about 3-4 minutes.

    Blog text (1)
  • Add the broccoli and carrots; stir-fry for 30 seconds.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • You use old kimchi to stir-fry with some sesame oil and sugar.

    Blog text (20)
  • I was in the kitchen stir-frying some Moo Goo Gai Pan.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

to cook
vsto stir-fry
1.0

To prepare food by heating it, for example by boiling or frying

is a method of rapid frying with constant stirring not general preparation
to fry
vsto stir-fry
283 1.0

Cook food in hot oil or fat in a pan

focuses on constant stirring and very quick cooking in a wok
to cook up
vsto stir-fry
20 3.2

Prepare a quick meal by mixing ingredients you have

uses rapid frying with continuous stirring rather than general quick preparation
to fry up
vsto stir-fry
7 2.9

Cook food in hot oil or fat

stresses continuous stirring and wok use for faster cooking
to pan-fry
vsto stir-fry
3 2.9

To cook food in a hot pan with a little oil

requires continuous stirring rather than occasional turning in the pan
to saute
vsto stir-fry
1 3.7

Fry food quickly in a small amount of oil or butter over high heat

uses continuous stirring and very high heat in a wok to cook quickly

How Oily

to deep-fry
8 2.8
to pan-fry
3 2.9
to stir-fry
7 2.8

Surface Forms

stir-fry infinitive
stir-fried past
stir-fried past participle
stir-frying present participle
stir-fries third person singular

Morphology

stir-fry = stir + fry (transparent) = stir + fry

The verb is a straightforward compound of the verbs 'stir' and 'fry', describing the cooking action directly.

Etymology

Stir-fry comes from the two simple words stir and fry, which mean 'move around' and 'cook in oil', and it was named after a fast Chinese way of cooking where you keep moving food in a hot pan. So to stir-fry is to cook food quickly while you keep stirring it.