We ate pretty majestically, stir frying with abandon, and trying not to think over much about the milk and other perishables, as they turned into a middle-school science project in the fridge.

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Meat remains the staple of most dishes, cooked in various ways including deep-fat frying, roasting, instant-boiling, stir-frying, steaming and stewing.

BBC: The melting pot of Chinese cuisine

Enter the all-purpose tou, the butchers and venders who mastered that practical but scary implement, and the substantial savings in fuel that the quick stir-frying of tou-cut food provided.

NEWYORKER: A Fork of One��s Own

Then stir-fry the meat with a spatula 10 to 15 seconds, spread the meat again in the wok and let it sear for 30 seconds more, and then continue stir-frying.

NPR: Capturing the Elusive 'Breath of a Wok'