Minimalist Stir-Fries

Gan ZhirongJiangsu People's Publishing House · ChinaJun 2019

Rating 3.9
Word count
67K words
Chapters
97
ISBN
9787553782294

Tags

Food and Drink Kitchen PracticeHome CookingCooking TechniquesMeat and VeggieNutritious FlavorStep-by-Step GuideIllustrated GuidePractical GuideQuick and EasyBeginner Friendly

Summary

Stir-Fry in Minutes is divided into five sections—Nutritious and Delicious Stir-Fries, Vegetables, Meat, Poultry and Eggs, and Seafood—and features 78 classic, tasty, and easy-to-make home-style stir-fries. All the dishes are everyday favorites, with detailed introductions to ingredients, seasonings, and methods, and clear cooking steps. Each dish comes with a full-color finished photo, and key steps are illustrated with step-by-step images so readers can grasp the essentials at a glance and beginners can easily get started.

Editor's review

Stir-Fry in Minutes is no ordinary home-cooking cookbook. It pinpoints the two great pain points of the contemporary kitchen: lack of time and the dual pursuit of health and flavor. Drawing on his professional culinary background and years of teaching experience, author Gan Zhirong systematically deconstructs and reworks stir-frying—the most down-to-earth of cooking methods.

The book's core value lies in its philosophy of "minimalism." It does not simply simplify steps; through scientific prep methods, efficient mise en place, and precise formulas for heat and seasoning, it truly bridges the gap between "wanting to cook a good dish" and "quickly cooking a good dish." The book expands the definition of stir-frying in imaginative ways, going beyond the traditional high-heat quick toss to incorporate low-oil, fast-cooking techniques suited to modern cookware (such as nonstick pans and air fryers) and healthy-eating trends.

In terms of structure, the book is clearly organized, moving from fundamentals to application. The opening section on knife skills, heat control, and seasoning is practical and concise, laying a solid foundation for the recipes that follow. The recipe chapters cover meat and poultry, seafood, vegetables, eggs and beans, and more. Each dish emphasizes a clear main ingredient, minimal secondary ingredients, and direct seasoning, and most can be completed within 15 minutes—extremely practical.

Particularly noteworthy are the "Cooking Secrets" the author appends to each recipe, which often provide the finishing touch. These insights—whether about handling ingredients to remove off-flavors, the order of adding ingredients to preserve texture, or timing the seasoning to bring out flavor—are the kind of "tacit knowledge" rarely found in ordinary cookbooks, greatly enhancing the book's value.

In short, this is an efficient kitchen solution for busy urbanites. It does not offer elaborate banquet dishes but focuses on improving the quality and efficiency of everyday meals. For readers who want to break free from takeout and enjoy the pleasure of cooking and healthy eating within limited time, this book offers a reliable and easy-to-follow methodology.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the fundamentals in Chapter 1 first to understand the prep and cooking logic behind "minimalism"
  2. When practicing, start with one or two dishes you know best, following the steps and "secrets" closely to appreciate how they differ from traditional methods
  3. Apply the book's tips on ingredient prep and portioned storage to weekend meal prep to significantly boost weekday cooking efficiency

About the publisher

Jiangsu People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Jiangsu People's Publishing House is known for works in history, literature and the social sciences. Judging from its catalog, it focuses on modern Chinese history, classical literary appreciation and scholarly research. Representative titles include historical works such as Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation and the National Revolution, 1924–1927 and A Record of Combat on the Front Lines of China's War of Resistance Against Japan, literary and visual documents such as Sun Wen's Illustrated Complete Dream of the Red Chamber, and scholarly collections such as Chen Yinke's Collected Works of Hanliu Hall. Translations such as The Dust Bowl and Anti-Intellectualism in American Life reflect an interest in overseas social and cultural studies. Its authors include historians Wang Qisheng, Huang Yuzhang and Guo Rugui, as well as figures associated with classical literature such as Cao Xueqin and Sun Wen. Common categories include history, literary appreciation, essays and miscellaneous writings, and social-science and cultural titles, showing a balance between historical scholarship and literature and between academic and popular publishing. Because public information is limited, this overview is based only on the books in the catalog.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 序言
  3. 阅读导航
  4. 第1章 营养美味小炒菜
  5. 家常小炒烹调技巧
  6. 炒菜基本常识
  7. 如何掌握炒菜火候
  8. 如何判断炒菜油温
  9. 勾芡技巧
  10. 炒菜的若干小窍门
  11. 第2章 素菜类：清爽好滋味
  12. 香辣白菜
  13. 蒜蓉炒小白菜
  14. 清炒菠菜
  15. 土豆丝炒芹菜
  16. XO酱炒莲藕
  17. 彩椒素小炒
  18. 韭黄炒胡萝卜丝
  19. 素炒冬瓜
  20. 紫苏炒三丁
  21. 菠萝百合炒苦瓜
  22. 红椒炒西葫芦
  23. 彩椒玉米
  24. 茭白五丝
  25. 清炒芦笋
  26. 冬笋丝炒蕨菜
  27. 丝瓜炒油条
  28. 素炒三丝
  29. 千张丝炒韭菜
  30. 雪里蕻炒香干
  31. 黄花菜炒黑木耳
  32. 茶树菇炒豆角
  33. 清炒荷兰豆
  34. 草菇豌豆
  35. 口蘑炒土豆片
  36. 第3章 畜肉类：浓香下饭超美味
  37. 芹菜炒肉丝
  38. 小南瓜炒肉丝
  39. 蒜薹炒肉
  40. 四季豆炒肉
  41. 平菇炒肉片
  42. 菜心炒肉
  43. 黑木耳大葱炒肉片
  44. 肉末韭菜炒腐竹
  45. 青椒猪皮
  46. 鱼腥草炒腊肉
  47. 马蹄炒火腿肠
  48. 韭黄炒肚丝
  49. 洋葱炒猪大肠
  50. 彩椒炒腊肠
  51. 胡萝卜炒猪肝
  52. 猪腰炒荷兰豆
  53. 藕片炒牛肉
  54. 葱香牛肉
  55. 芹香牛肚
  56. 蒜薹羊肉
  57. 葱爆羊肉
  58. 烩羊肉
  59. 炒羊肚
  60. 姜丝狗肉
  61. 第4章 禽肉蛋类：软滑健康好味道
  62. 五彩鸡丝
  63. 鸡丝炒百合
  64. 绿豆芽炒鸡丝
  65. 马蹄炒鸡丁
  66. 莴笋鸡柳
  67. 小炒鸡胗
  68. 芹菜炒鸡杂
  69. 辣炒鸭丁
  70. 双椒炒鸭胗
  71. 香椿炒蛋
  72. 苦瓜炒蛋
  73. 玉米炒蛋
  74. 小南瓜炒鸡蛋
  75. 第5章 水产海鲜类：香嫩爽滑真鲜美
  76. 鲜百合嫩鱼丁
  77. 豆豉炒鱼片
  78. 韭菜花炒小鱼干
  79. 芹菜炒鳝丝
  80. 彩椒墨鱼柳
  81. 荷兰豆炒墨鱼
  82. 丝瓜木耳炒鲜鱿
  83. 腰豆白果炒虾仁
  84. 鲜马蹄炒虾仁
  85. 青红椒炒虾仁
  86. 菜花炒虾仁
  87. 虾仁炒玉米
  88. 松仁水晶虾仁
  89. 彩椒牛蛙
  90. 姜葱炒花蟹
  91. 黄豆酱炒蛏子
  92. 附录1
  93. 烹饪术语介绍
  94. 附录2
  95. 烹饪常用的调料
  96. 附录3
  97. 常见食材的选购技巧、厨房窍门

FAQ

Do the recipes require complex seasonings or rare ingredients? Not at all. Following its "minimalist" principle, all recipes use basic seasonings commonly kept at home (such as soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, sugar, and salt) and ingredients readily available in the market, aiming to make delicious dishes with the most ordinary materials.
Are the techniques suitable for kitchen beginners? Will they be difficult? Very suitable for beginners. The author breaks down the steps in great detail and includes photos of key steps. Core techniques such as "hot pan, cold oil" and "adding ingredients in stages" are highlighted, so success rates are high as long as you follow along.
How is this book different from the author's other cookbooks? Compared with some of the author's comprehensive or specialized cookbooks, Stir-Fry in Minutes is highly focused, built entirely around the core technique of "quick stir-frying." The content is deeper and more systematic, and the solutions are more targeted—especially suited to solving the everyday problem of "what to eat tonight and how to make it quickly."

Related on WeRead

极简小炒（食在家常系列） 甘智荣

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Gan Zhirong Author · China

Gan Zhirong, a native of Guangzhou, Guangdong, graduated from the Guangzhou Chef Training School and is a Chinese master chef and national assessor. He has taught at the Shenzhen Pastry School and founded the Zhirong Culinary Arts website, and he has long been engaged in culinary teaching and recipe writing. His skills span the Cantonese, Sichuan, Shandong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian cuisines, and he is also versed in hot and cold dishes, food carving and pastry techniques. The library holds 62 of his titles, commonly categorized under food and health, including One Book Is Enough for Home-style Stir-fries, One Book Is Enough for Home-style Soups, Porridge and Staples, Delighting in Cantonese Flavors, Delighting in Cantonese Delicacies, One Book Is Enough for Healthful Soy Milk, Eat This Way for High Blood Pressure, 303 of the Best Seafood Dishes and 360 Ways to Make Delicious Vegetables. These works are mostly aimed at the home kitchen, with clear instructions on ingredients and steps that readers can follow, bringing Cantonese flavors and everyday healthful eating into approachable recipes. Public information on other details of his life is limited.