How To: Shanghainese Stir Fry

Across the sub-regions of China, tastes tend to vary wildly. Compared to the spicy food from Sichuan, sweet Shanghainese specialities are more akin to Chinese food found in the west. (And plenty of Chinese people turn their nose up at this city’s food!) That’s because the heart of any good Shanghai stirfry is one thing – the sugary base.

 

This crucial foundation sees sugar dissolved into soy sauce and rice wine, with added garlic and ginger for spice. And this sauce is only added to the wok at the end, bringing all flavours together after the other ingredients have been cooked separately.

True Shanghai stir-fries are more than just a sweet concoction of veg and meat haphazardly tossed together. There’s an art to ingredient combinations. For every dish, specific attention is given to the textures and tastes of individual ingredients.

 

There should always be a starting ratio of at least twice as much veg as protein. Firm veggies such as carrots or celery should always be diced thin to cook fast, the meat too. Keep aromatics like onion and scallions to a minimum, otherwise you run the risk of overpowering the dish with the flavour of one ingredient.

Lastly, cooking with the wok may seem like fun. But play with fire and you’re going to get burned – and your food will become a mushy mess. 

Wok cooking is all about timing. Get the cooking oil to a high temperature first, heat for a minute until it’s smoking, then toss in the meat. With minimal stirring, you want to sear the outsides fully. Once cooked, remove to a separate bowl – remember, you’ll be combining everything at the end.

 

Now it’s time for the veg, but make sure the oil reheats first to avoid oil-logged greens. Smoking again? Now’s the time to toss in your cut and prepared vegetables.

 

Over a high heat, stir continually to avoid overcooking, frying only briefly to slightly soften but not lose the colour or crispiness of the fresh produce. Once the vegetables have softened, throw in the meat and sauce then quickly plate. 

 

Once you’ve tested the waters, mastery of Shanghainese style stir-fry is all about honing your intuition for the tastes of different ingredient combinations. But to get you going, using everything above, try this stir-fry pork dinner tonight! Recipe serves one.
 

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¼ cup of dark soy sauce

2 tbsp. of sugar

1 tbsp. of fresh ginger, minced

4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

3 tbsp. of rice wine

Pinch or two of salt

Ground white pepper to taste