Stir Fry All the Wei from China: A Recipe | They’re quick, they’re healthy, and they can be tailored to almost anybody’s taste in food–whether they are picky, vegetarian, or saddled with allergies, there is always a perfect stir fry to be found.

By Don Douloff

Stir fry technique was first developed in China, and recipes can be found as far back as the Northern Wei dynasty (386-584 A.D.), although the technique would not find its way to North America until the mid-1940s. The term “stir fry” is actually an overarching term that refers to two cooking techniques: the chao technique (which is similar to French sauteing) and the bao technique, which involves tossing meat, seasoning, and vegetables in a red hot wok without pause until it is all cooked.

Some of the most common traditional ingredients found in a stir fry are ginger, garlic, pork, soy sauce, and green onions.

But if that’s not to your taste, the beauty of a stir fry is that you can whip one together with almost any combination of ingredients. Try experimenting at home–or just trust in our Gourmet du Monde recipe below!

Ingredients

• 7 oz pork loin, cut into pieces
• 2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1 small cabbage, cut into strips
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup diced green onion
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions

1. Blend white wine vinegar and lemon juice and coat pork in mixture. Allow to stand 5-10 minutes.
2. Mix together ginger, lemon zest, sugar, and soy sauce. Let stand.
3. Heat oil in a pan on medium-high heat.
4. Fry marinated pork until it is cooked all the way through.
5. Add green onions and fry another 1-2 minutes.
6. Pour sauce over pork and onions and toss until thoroughly coated. Remove from heat.
7. Arrange stir fry on a bed of cabbage strips, and serve!