STIR-FRY : Not only is this cooking method quick and efficient, it also is one of the most fun and creative ways to cook. You can stir-fry meat, fish, poultry, vegetables and fruit, creating dishes with a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Latin or Oriental twist.

Long, long ago, and far, faraway, I seem to remember standing before a restaurant window watching a Chinese chef tossing vegetables in the air. Huge billows of steam and smoke oozing out of the wok separated our worlds like a mysterious veil.

Deja vu.

Recently, Martin Yan, the celebrated Chinese chef who has people roaring over antics on his “Yan Can Cook Show” on PBS Channel 28, was tossing vegetables from a wok, demonstrating the fine art of stir-frying. Steam billowed in the air. Memories flashed.

But things are much clearer now. Stir-frying is no longer a mystery.

These days you can walk in almost any trendy restaurant or visit any trendy friend and find a trendy stir-fry dish on the menu or on the table. The difference is that today the stir-fry dishes may be anything but straightforward Oriental. You can expect and will get stir-fry with a California, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Latin or Oriental twist.

Which means that you will find the seasonings unusual, the ingredient combinations exotic and the liquids provocative.

But there is more.

Stir-frying has bunches of benefits as a way to go for summer cooking, says stir-fry expert Yan, who is also founder of the Yan Can International Cooking School in San Francisco.

“Stir-frying is one of the most common cooking methods throughout China. It’s quick (two or three minutes at most), efficient (you can create a full meal in a wok within minutes), fuel-efficient, exciting and sensual. Stir-frying happens also to be one of the most creative and fun of all cooking methods,” Yan said. You can, after all, use just about any meat, fish or poultry, vegetables or fruit imaginable for stir-frying.

Then you have the residual health benefits of quick cooking of foods. Nutrients are better preserved when cooking is brief and tampering is light. “Cutting foods into morsel-size pieces helps seal in juice and nutrients,” Yan said.

Stir-frying can be as inexpensive or costly as your pocketbook dictates. A full meal of stir-fry vegetables, such as napa cabbage, bok choy, spinach, Chinese pea pods and sprouts, in fact, may cost only pennies.

Stir-frying also benefits those on fixed incomes who have high nutrition requirements but little money and minimal cooking facilities.

But although stir-frying may look easy enough, there are few cooking methods that require as much concentration, albeit for a only a few minutes.

“You just can’t wander off and let things cook by themselves,” Yan said. “You have to have some knowledge of the individual characteristics of the ingredients. In stir-frying, the trick is to retain as much of the texture and color of ingredients as possible,” he said.

All right. Let’s make it easy for you.

Yan, the good teacher that he is, gave a list of ground rules to make stir-frying a success instead of the disaster it can be if you don’t pay attention. Here are the natural steps to follow when stir-frying. You can cheat slightly, but not much.

1--Always preheat the wok over high heat before adding oil.

2--Add oil of your choice. A teaspoon or two is often enough, depending on the natural moistness of the ingredients used. Peanut or cottonseed, soy bean and safflower oils are preferred because they can reach high temperatures without smoking excessively.

Peanut oil, from the abundant peanut crop of the Orient, was originally and still is the most traditional of the oils. Butter and more delicate fats are not generally recommended because they cannot withstand the necessary high temperatures without burning.

Sesame oil, primarily used for flavoring, can also be used in small amounts for stir-frying. Olive oil and extra virgin olive oil contribute distinctly rich flavors to vegetables such as spinach and other greens, broccoli, asparagus, squash and eggplant, which are ideally suited to stir-frying.

Yan suggests not adding any oil too soon or it will cause it to decompose rapidly and smoke.

3--Add flavoring ingredients such as ginger, garlic and green onion after heating oil.

4--Then add pre-cut ingredients. Cook the meat first, then add vegetables in order of tenderness. Least-tender foods go in the wok last. “This is the point where total control is necessary. Avoid over- or under-cooking of individual foods. Pre-cutting food in uniform pieces allow for even cooking, as well,” Yan said.

5--Add liquid gradually as needed only. Adding liquids to the pan depends on the ingredients used and the effect you want. Liquid is necessary to either keep the ingredients moist and prevent scorching, or to produce a sauce for thickening. Some foods, such as fruit and some vegetables such as tomatoes provide ample amounts of natural moisture to the dish so you don’t need to add much, if any, more liquid.

In the absence of natural pan liquids, wine mixed with vegetable, chicken, beef, veal, duck, or other game broths may be used. If you use fruit juice, it, too, may be combined with broth or wine. Experiment with sweet wines, whether Oriental rice wine or Western fruit-flavored wines and liqueurs.

6--Thickening the liquid in the pan with a cornstarch-water base is optional. “If you have ample liquid in the pan, fine; if not, don’t bother. Some stir-fry dishes are designed to be on the dry side,” Yan said.

7--Noodles, rice or other starch foods may or may not be added to the stir-fry at the last moment, or allow diners to add them to the dish themselves.

Use a wok, suggests Yan. “You can use any cast-iron skillet, but the wok is the best implement for cooking any stir-fry because its rounded sides were designed for quick, even cooking under high temperatures so that loss of color, texture, moisture and flavor of foods are are held at a minimum,” he said.

The original wok was rounded on the bottom because it was designed to fit directly over a fire pit used at the time, explained Yan.

Stir-frying allows for high adventure in the ingredient department. Actually, anything goes, as you will see if you examine the accompanying recipes.

Yan encourages stir-fry cooks to be inventive.

“Traditionally, stir-frying commonly meant meat and vegetables. However, you can use just about any foods you want, including fruit, which in California, are plentiful the year-round,” he said.

Most stir-fry cooks rely on the basic Oriental stir-fry formula, then take off from there with variations on a theme.

Yan used Oriental seasonings with fruit and shrimp. “Something different for the summer season,” he said.

The recipe for Linda’s Stir-Fry is another case in point. Linda Keegan of Linda’s, a jazz club and restaurant in Los Angeles, fell in love with things Chinese during visits to Chinatown as a child. Her memory of stir-frys experienced in Chinatown became the basis for creations later on. She uses a healthful combination of squash, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, mushroom and bean sprouts with a basic ginger-soy sauce with red crushed dried chiles added for spark.

In another Oriental stir-fry motif, the Trumps’ recipe for Steak Stir-Fry shows you how far afield you can go with flavor combinations. Fresh baby corn now available in gourmet markets is combined with Chinese pea pods, bok choy, napa and eggplant. Ginger, coriander and soy sauce are central seasoning ingredients. Star anise provides a flavor filip.

William Ware, executive chef at Angel City Grill, provided a recipe for the restaurant’s featured Angel City Chicken Stir-Fry, made with chicken plus the classic Oriental vegetables--bok choy, zucchini, celery and Chinese pea pods, but adds a splash of color with sweet red pepper cut julienne. The chicken used in the recipe is grilled for flavor enhancement, but you can use any cooked chicken, or, if you prefer, you can cook raw cubed chicken in the wok before adding the vegetables.

Yan’s recipe using fruit is a simple one with sweet flavors of the honeydew mingling with tartness of lemon juice. After making melon balls with the flesh of half the melon, Yan suggests using the emptied honeydew shell as a container for the stir-fry dish. You can decorate the edges with scallop or saw tooth designs, made with a sharp knife.

Stir-Fry With a Latin Accent

We were also inspired by a stir-fry dish using Latin flavors, as served at Ticket’s restaurant in West Los Angeles. Our adaptation of its Chicken Picante includes chicken with jalapeno chiles and tomatoes, which are served fajitas- style wrapped in warm tortillas for an unusual Latin twist. Another Latin flavor combination might include minced hot chiles (seeds removed), thyme, oregano, cilantro, a dash of cinnamon and cloves with garlic and onion.

You can have a Thai stir-fry curry dish using shrimp or any shellfish with green beans and mushrooms. For other variations on a Thai twist, use a tablespoon or two of fish sauce called nam pla (which can be purchased at Thai or Oriental markets) with lime juice, chili powder, cilantro, red onion and a stalk of lemon grass.

These mixtures, too, may be wrapped in heated rice paper wrappers or flour tortillas to eat like burritos.

An Italian seasoning combination may include sweet basil, rosemary, oregano or thyme with garlic. You can also try curry flavors or make your own concoction, using turmeric, cumin, paprika and chili powder.

Don’t overlook fried rice as a stir-fry possibility using leftovers from the refrigerator for a quick supper. Cooked rice can be mixed with whole egg and a mixture of green vegetables with or without cooked bits of meat for a simple, yet healthful meal-in-a-dish.

SWEET HONEYDEW-SHRIMP STIR-FRY

1/2 pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

Dash salt

White pepper

Cornstarch

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon dry Sherry

1 small sweet red pepper, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 slice ginger root, peeled and minced

1/2 medium to large honeydew, seeded and formed into melon balls, reserving melon shell

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3/4 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon water

Combine shrimp, salt and pepper to taste and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch. Toss, then marinate 30 minutes.

Heat wok, than add oil. Heat oil and add shrimp mixture with Sherry. Stir-fry until shrimp turns pink. Add sweet red pepper, ginger and honeydew. Stir-fry, mixing well. Cook 1 minute. Add lemon juice. Mix cornstarch with water and stir into sauce until slightly thickened and translucent. Pile into scooped-out honeydew shell. Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Note: Chicken or scallops may be substituted for shrimp.

LINDA’S STIR-FRY

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 stalks celery, sliced diagonally

1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size florets

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-size florets

3 crookneck squash, sliced

1/4 pound green beans, finely julienned

6 large mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 tablespoons chicken broth or water

2 cups bean sprouts

Ginger Sauce

3 cooked boneless chicken breasts halves, cubed

1/2 pound cooked shrimp

2 green onions, diagonally sliced

Heat wok. Add sesame oil and heat until hot. Add celery, broccoli, cauliflower, squash, green beans and mushrooms. Stir-fry until broccoli and cauliflower are tender-crisp, about 7 minutes, adding chicken broth as necessary to keep ingredients moist. Add bean sprouts and Ginger Sauce. Cover and simmer 1 minute. Add chicken and toss to heat through. Add shrimp. Stir-fry until shrimp turn pink. Garnish with green onions. Makes 6 servings.

Ginger Sauce

1 clove garlic, mashed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Dash crushed red dried chiles

Combine garlic, soy sauce, hoisin and chiles. Blend well.

TRUMPS STEAK STIR-FRY

2 cups veal or beef broth

2 cups chicken broth

2 pieces star anise

1 inch ginger root, peeled and diced

Dash powdered coriander

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 pound beef sirloin, sliced into 1x1-inch pieces

1/2 small eggplant, quartered and thinly sliced

1/2 small napa cabbage, julienned

1 sweet red pepper, julienned

1 cup Chinese pea pods

3 ears baby corn, halved

1 baby bok choy, quartered

2 cups fried noodles (rice noodles)

Combine veal and chicken broth, star anise, ginger and coriander in saucepan and cook until reduced by half or more. Strain.

In separate pan heat sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir-fry steak until done as desired. Remove from pan. Add eggplant, cabbage and red pepper and saute 2 minutes, adding small amount of broth to moisten vegetables during cooking.

Add Chinese pea pods, corn and bok choy. Stir-fry 1 minute, adding small amount of broth to moisten vegetables. Stir in steak and noodles and toss to mix well, adding enough broth to keep vegetables moistened. Makes 6 servings.

CHICKEN PICANTE

2 tablespoons oil

3 boneless chicken breasts halves, cut into chunks

4 tomatoes, cubed

1 large onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 jalapeno chiles, julienned

1 small sweet red pepper, julienned

1/4 cup soy sauce

Dash chili sauce

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

4 to 6 flour tortillas, heated

Heat oil. Add chicken breast chunks and stir-fry until chicken has barely lost pink color. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, chiles and sweet red pepper and stir-fry until tomatoes are just soft. Add soy sauce and chili sauce and simmer until liquid is reduced. Garnish with cilantro. Serve as stuffing for tortillas. Roll and serve at once. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

THAI SHRIMP STIR-FRY

1 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon red curry paste, or to taste

1 cup small shrimp

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 stalk lemon grass, cut up

1/2 cup chopped napa cabbage

1/2 cup thinly sliced green beans

1 cup reconstituted sliced Chinese black mushrooms or fresh shiitake

3 to 5 serrano chiles, seeded and cut into fine julienne strips, or to taste

2 teaspoons sugar

12 mint leaves, minced

Heat wok. Add oil and heat. Add curry paste. Stir-fry about 3 minutes or until color changes. Add shrimp, fish sauce and lemon grass and stir-fry 1 minute. Add cabbage, green beans and mushrooms. Stir-fry 3 minutes. Stir in chiles and sprinkle with sugar. Stir-fry a few seconds to heat sugar. Garnish with mint. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: Shrimp may be substituted with crab meat, lobster meat, oysters or scallops. Pork, chicken or beef also may be substituted. Cook meat 3 minutes before adding vegetables. Curry paste, fish sauce and lemon grass can be found at Oriental food stores.

ANGEL CITY CHICKEN STIR-FRY

1 inch fresh ginger root, shredded

1 tablespoon tamari-type soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon fresh garlic

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

1 dash sesame oil

Dash chile oil

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup Chinese pea pods

2 sweet red peppers, julienned

2 stalks celery, diagonally sliced

1 cup sliced bok choy

1 cup sliced zucchini

1 cup broccoli florets, optional

4 chicken breast halves, grilled and julienned

Hot cooked rice

Combine ginger root, soy sauce, garlic, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil and chile oil. Set aside.

Heat olive oil. Add Chinese pea pods, red pepper strips, celery, bok choy, zucchini and broccoli and saute about 2 minutes until slightly tender. Add chicken and heat through. Add soy mixture and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, stir-frying. Serve with hot cooked rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE

1/4 cup oil

2 large cloves garlic, minced or mashed

3 green onions, diagonally sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 cup coarsely shredded bok choy

2 fresh black mushrooms or reconstituted dry mushrooms, julienned

1 cup Chinese pea pods

2 eggs

3 cups cold cooked long-grain rice

3 tablespoons soy sauce or to taste

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Heat wok. Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat. Add garlic, green onions and onion and stir-fry until onions are tender. Add bok choy, mushrooms and Chinese pea pods. Saute 2 minutes. Remove vegetables.

Add 1 tablespoon oil and heat. Add eggs. Stir until set. Remove eggs and break into very small pieces.

Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and add rice. Cook, stirring, until heated through. Season with soy sauce. Add vegetables, eggs, salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Toss to mix well. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Food styling by MINNIE BERNARDINO and DONNA DEANE / Los Angeles Times