The technique that cooks food quickly in a wok over high heat while stirring it in a little oil is stir-frying.
Stir-frying is strongly associated with Chinese cuisine and the wok, whose curved shape lets cooks toss ingredients and move them between hotter and cooler areas. Food is usually cut into small, similarly sized pieces, then added in stages so meat, vegetables, aromatics, and sauces cook properly without spending too long in the pan.
The high heat encourages browning through caramelization and the Maillard reaction. In Cantonese cooking, the smoky, concentrated flavor associated with a very hot wok is called wok hei, often translated as “breath of the wok.”
Stir-frying is related to sautéing, but the terms are not identical in traditional usage. Stir-frying generally involves faster movement, a wok, smaller pieces, and more intense heat. Overfilling the wok can lower its temperature and cause ingredients to steam instead of sear.