Stir Fry 101 (feat. J. Kenji López-Alt) | Basics with Babish

Special thank you to ‪@JKenjiLopezAlt‬ for joining me on this episode! Learn the essential stir fry tips and how to make pork and cucumber stir fry.
Music by Chillhop: chillhop.com/listen
Blue Wednesday - Sweet Berry Wine: / bluewednesday
Listen on Spotify: bit.ly/ChillhopSpotify
More from Kenji:
KZbin channel: / jkenjilopezalt
Instagram: / kenjilopezalt
To buy his books: www.kenjilopezalt.com/
My playlist of preferred cooking tunes, Bangers with Babish!
spoti.fi/2TYXmiY
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Binging With Babish Website: bit.ly/BingingBabishWebsite
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BCU Discord: bit.ly/3ALFRnY
Patreon: bit.ly/BingingPatreon
Instagram: bit.ly/BabishInstagram
Subreddit: bit.ly/3mkNpp6
Facebook: bit.ly/BabishFacebook
Twitter: bit.ly/BabishTwitter

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Thanks Andrew, this was so much fun to do!

[@OfKingsXI]

haha your welcome man, Im glad I could make it happen

[@kulson9848]

Thanks Kenji, it was very fun to watch.

[@ANON29421]

thanks kenji!

[@blackheart-pq9ot]

It’s fun watching both of y’all

[@BlowUpTheOutsideWorld]

THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR ANDY ALL THESE YEARS.

[@lukeduncan1473]

I love how Andrew's just using his channel to gradually meet all his culinary heroes

[@riuphane]

And I'm here for it

[@tomjones6944]

and to pay them like they deserve to be paid, I have no doubt.

[@claremcquillan9080]

As long as I get to watch...

[@rvss5270]

It was his plan all along

[@goorbarkai4007]

I wonder if chef John will ever be a part of this

[@NoamUD]

With all the times Babish has mentioned J. Kenji while cooking, it's like he's already been on the show some 500 times.

[@i.d.9754]

This makes it the 501st time he's been on the show then

[@e735star]

That's how I found J. Kenji López-Alt!!

[@poopymcpoop9945]

Boom 500 likes

[@BiggusNickus]

Next step would be to get Chef John on here. That'd be the dream.

[@ranielsantos1185]

@@BiggusNickus He’s already had Jon Favreau on a couple of times

[@theversusverses]

andrew usually: explaining techniques, running commentary, looking like a pro andrew in front of kenji: "this is an egg"

[@Mingtendo]

It ain't much, but it's honest work.

[@katla_phc]

"can I offer you an egg in this trying time?"

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Andrew is just happy to be part of it. He's gonna let Kenji do the talking.

[@JMD3M410]

In his defense. The voiceovers are recorded later with as many takes as he cares to do. Edit: But yeah, I was cracking up at that line.

[@ryanplunkett3309]

@@JMD3M410 I don't think they're doing voice overs with this one. This isn't the usual post-dubbed set ups they do - this is more like Kenji's video where folks just be talkin' on set. I mean, you can see their mouths moving

[@soumyasharan6318]

Andrew's fanboying is so adorable! And Kenji is such a sweet person, with all his culinary knowledge. A true hero worthy of the hero worship!

[@wendywarrelmann1743]

Came to the comments for this. How adorkable is this?!

[@louiseubank9371]

Andrew's blatant fanboy-ing is adorable. I've seen him excited before but I've never seen him little kid giddy

[@MadMadCommando]

Watch the death sandwich and see him fanboy just as hard

[@gabelstapler19]

It's...novel not being attached to Kenji's head whil he's cooking. Enjoyed the colab!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Next video should have us on top of Andrew's head.

[@I.dont.know14]

Also different that we see head shots throughout

[@bluee3348]

@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 pretty sure we're getting an andrew x kenji pov cooking video on kenji's channel at some point soon

[@kallisto9166]

Well Andy has cited Kenji often enough, great to see him here. I love Kenji's take on cooking, on the one hand, highly technical, on the other hand, happy to discard received wisdom where appropriate.

[@salvadorfuentes8880]

Wonderfully said

[@kel9369]

This is one of the most exciting moments ever after being such a big fan of both of you for so long!!! I'm so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Ochreification]

Same here, I've always wanted to see these two work together! Awesome video guys!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

That's not nearly enough exclamation points to accurately capture the pure joy of this moment.

[@mitchkovacs1396]

6:04 I love how Kenji immediately picked up and tasted a straight jalapeno to test the heat before judging how much to put in the recipe

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Yeah, and he did it pretty much automatically. I imagine he's done this more than anyone.

[@ethangrewe583]

probably just wanted to try it.

[@squidpaladin]

@@ethangrewe583 he did say Andrew made them himself, so its likely a lil column a, little column b. testing for heat, salinity, flavor profile, and also to try them since Andrew made them.

[@NVNCVL]

it's instinct for him at this point. freaking MASTERY

[@mackadousha]

I would like to give this Episode more than just a "thumbs up". Very very nice. Next challenge: Chef John

[@missedyadobalina8619]

You are, after all the Mr. T of your invitee

[@chiangweytan5937]

The OG of KZbin chefs!

[@samwinter9749]

Or Sam the cooking guy

[@GhostHostMemories]

I'll throw in Glenn and Friends. Dude is like super chill. The contrast be him and AR would be wild.

[@arwedrv7125]

@@chiangweytan5937 Here's something fun to do: go back and watch some of Chef John's vids from 15 years ago. No inflection, so weird.

[@fancifulconcept]

Love that, even after all these years, Andrew really hasn't lost that, "I'll intern 80 hours a week for you!" energy around Kenji 🤣

[@magnusramaglioni]

My wife calls Kenji "Babishes Babish" in reference to Andrew's reverence for one of his food heroes in reference to my reverence for him 🤣

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Babish squared. Or the Grandbabish.

[@timmymelfi9006]

Andrew’s smiles throughout the entire episode is so wholesome he looks like a kid on Christmas 🥺

[@andrewskillern922]

Met Kenji and his daughter at the LEGO store that I work at recently. Seriously the nicest and most casual interaction I’ve ever had with one of my heroes 😂 he’s the coolest.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

We came to get Lego figurines to trade at Legoland, but then my daughter wanted to keep the ones she put together 😂

[@andrewskillern922]

@@JKenjiLopezAlt keep in mind if she comes in on her birthday she gets to build one for free! It was very nice meeting both of you, I hope you had a wonderful time at LEGO Land!! 😁

[@Neoxon619]

The crossover we’ve all been waiting for! I’m glad to see it finally come to fruition.

[@michaelyanchuck8715]

I started with Babish years ago. I always heard Kenji referenced and never knew who he was. I found Kenji independently during the pandemic. Then it finally clicked and my culinary learning journey came full circle. This is the best crossover since Jimmy neutron and Timmy turner. Love it guys, thanks for everything!

[@becks6180]

I'm loving how Kenji explains the chemistry of the steps so you know it's the little components in the prepping of the dish that makes it taste SOO much better and restaurant-like!! Can't wait for more of these two together :) Also real Chinese here living in Asia. I can confirm all those little steps are truly authentic. It's how mom makes it♥ One thing I might do differently if time wasn't a concern, marinating the meat overnight gives it a triple amount of flavor

[@brucetidwell7715]

Yes! I love to stir fry and have a really nice wok but I usually just chop everything up, get it really really hot, dump stuff in and stir. Not only was almost everything he did a revelation but he explained it so I understand just how important taking those extra steps are.

[@rchak81]

Do they boil the meat before stir frying like that in China? Especially when the meat is so thinly sliced that gets cooked in seconds on a hot wok?

[@CrazyBeatlesFanatic]

@@rchak81 Depends on the region, but generally restaurants do. Or people on the street will prepare giant batches of meet like this and come out at night with their carts to sell to people, with this technique allowing them to get you a dish of fried rice or noodles within a minute. Also, the part about high heat is no overexaggeration, the foodstalls all have their own propane source and use a giant flame like a flamethrower blasting on their woks. They have been so seasoned over the years that nothing will ever stick to them, and it's so hot you can get your full meal cooked in seconds.

[@andrewlin9525]

@@rchak81 in hot oil, not water

[@stephenprentiss1021]

You can tell how much admiration Andrew has for J. Kenji Lopez-Alt simply by the way he quiets down and studies everything that he's doing. Thanks for doing the collab guys.

[@ezgames6925]

The crossover the world has been awaiting for, for years.

[@Pooderstadt]

I feel like Kenji thought he had his GoPro on at the sink 😂 Awesome episode I love to see two culinary worlds colliding. A series tho?!?! 🥺🙏🏼😁

[@celticphox]

So after watching this, I mentioned it to my sister. She calls me up tonight and asked, how do I velvet this meat. I explain in detail. She calls me up to describe it. An hour later she showed up with leftovers! Brilliant, both of you!

[@Sundude150]

I love that Kenji brought his own wok spatula from home. I'd recognize that burned hunk of wood anywhere!

[@SH-sq6pz]

So happy to see this recipe. About15 years ago my local Chinese restaurant made a dish called garlic mash pork. It was thin almost Korean bbq slices of pork, ribbons of cucumber and probably a tbsp of minced garlic in a dark soy based sauce. Eventually the couple retired and this is the first time I’ve ever seen a dish close to what they used to make.

[@robertsemon1712]

This is amazing. Andrew's been citing Kenji since the beginning, it's incredible to see this come full circle like this.

[@RainbowManatee]

the velveting thing blew my mind because it has finally answered my question of how chinese food meats are the way they are (aka absolutely delicious with a lovely texture)

[@msrjjon]

Saw J. Kenji's name, did a double take and clicked to watch this video so fast! This is sooo cool to watch!

[@rocephiniv9975]

The two men who drove my passion for everything culinary and fed me through undergrad and medical school. I have been waiting for this crossover for YEARS and now it's a real thing!

[@karlotto]

I would love a series where Andrew does mise an place for pro chefs. The humor is great! And the understanding of the knowledge that Andrew brings.

[@salvadorfuentes8880]

Kenji is the man, he's a phenomenal culinary teacher and such a cool person as well! I would've been as starstruck as Andrew was haha

[@CufflinksAndChuckles]

I love that they captured a bit of Kenji’s casual and improvised camerawork style. The only thing that would’ve made it hilarious was having Kenzie bust out his headcam.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

I can't express how much I've been anticipating this. It's like... Babish and Kenji are like the sitcom couple that's been hinted at since the first season. And now they're finally getting together in a climactic episode arc. This is everything I've been dreaming of.

[@hannahcollins1816]

I can only imagine the fangirl-squeal that emitted from Andrew when this was scheduled 😂 so awesome!! Love it - both of you are amazing

[@Galactic123]

Babish: "Kenji is hear to explain how there's more to wok cooking than just stir-frying!" Kenji: "So here's a pork and cucumber stir-fry..."

[@LindseyRein08]

This had a different feel than Basics with Babish. New series idea: cook-a-longs with chefs promoting their cookbooks. Call it Bookings with Babish.

[@vipulvij3]

Andrew is genuinely start-struck it’s adorable! Been so long that these two have been name dropping each other in their own videos! So cool to see them cooking together

[@BranditoSmooths]

Intro should have been a recap of all the times babish referred to Kenji’s cooking techniques and whatnot, would have been cute but this is a long time coming!

[@jedtayag8034]

You're both of my favorite food content creators! Been watching both of you reference each other in videos for months, glad to see a collab happening between you two!

[@misterham8111]

I love seeing Kenji’s chaos is someone else’s kitchen. Love this man so much.

[@bobschiebel3325]

Great episode. Can we get more behind the scenes moments like this? crossing paths with your assistant gives a wholesome, team oriented vibe. And you have never been shy about giving credit

[@swissmetal69]

I've watched what feels like all the babish stuff, and most of the Kenji stuff, but this is my favorite video I've seen from either. The energy is infectious, the info is incredible, the knife gushing is obvious! Love it and hope to see more from you two.

[@lianparsons-thomason2575]

This is delightful, I'm also such an enormous Kenji fan. He's got the nicest, chillest energy.

[@jeflopez1590]

Kenji has been one of my favorite cooks for a while now (being a scientist - his approach, directions and explanations are wonderful to follow). Super excited to see more of you two working together in the future!

[@Riffified]

I have literally watched every video from Kenji dozens of times. This is incredible, thank you both!

[@govindsuresh6805]

Babish finally getting the chef he has been hyping since this channel's inception. It's really nice seeing the two of you come together on video its awesome to see

[@Android480]

He is my cooking hero. Literally taught me everything I know.

[@Irquiois]

As a poor student I think 90% of my meals in the last decade can be called a stir-fry, but looking at Kenji's mastery I realize that there's always more to learn. Next time I make east-asian stir-fry I will try the velveting technique. Great video, cheers!

[@mohammadalbakshy1912]

J. Kenji is probably my idol when it comes to cooking. His methodological approach is rooted in so much science and technique, which really shaped the way I look at food preparation.

[@chadbrobertson]

we've been hearing his name in the same beloved tone as "kosher salt" all this time, and it finally happened! Hooray!

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

The essential spices are kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt.

[@danok60]

The two of you together is what non-network culinary dreams are made of

[@jdarksun]

I love how excited everybody looks! This was a great episode, thank you both!

[@adeleskitchen1641]

This upload concistency makes you one of my favourite channels around here. You are a great inspiration to me to follow my cooking journey that I started a few months ago. You make me want to improve every day, both in cooking and editing the video. And I want to THANK YOU for that❤❤❤

[@TorigodHamster]

J. Kenji López-Alt is an absolute legend, my cooking skill has increased exponentially over the course of the pandemic thanks to him.

[@Alactrium]

"Hide shellfish in dishes where you don't expect them" This guy restaurants.

[@JayNYOne]

Andrew, Your excitement in having Kenji in your kitchen was so visible and fun to watch. I hope that you recognize just how many viewers of yours view you as their Kenji. You've got a lot to be proud of and it's been great following the journey.

[@BigBoss1938]

Two of my all time favorite cooking channels. Together at last. Love you both!

[@TheMirrorVision]

This collaboration is so great! Can’t wait for the next episode 😃

[@zeemdotexe]

I discovered Kenji through your videos and immediately fell in love with his work! It feels oddly satisfying seeing it come full circle 🙌🏻

[@SB-eu3gc]

So happy for you Andrew, that you’ve reached a point in your life where you get to feature your most inspirational people on your channel.

[@kennyjac]

this format is so lovely. Andrew fangirling. Kenji being chill as heck. the lofi feel. very very enjoyable ☺️

[@wolfingitdown2047]

This is it. The collab I've been waiting for!

[@carsonbuxton4789]

Oh my goodness!!!! My two favorite chefs in the world now on the same screen! I love you both thank you for your inspiration and creativity in the culinary world!!!

[@Phiiiips]

Kenji is hands down my favorite chef to ever live. He's humble, smart and technical. Much love my dude

[@nastassiathompson5052]

I love this.

[@kold5942]

The man, the myth, the legend

[@d_soup]

Kenji and Babish together, I could watch 10 seasons of this.

[@Loafinbaker]

Yes! More of this! So awesome to see the two of you together!

[@Sir-pookster]

He did it he actually did it 🎉

[@greyboy7582]

YESSS JKLA FINALLY

[@akku_1]

I just loved the fact that he turned the show into the classic Kenji format so naturally. The only thing missing is the head camera!

[@jmadd1000]

Love seeing you guys together. So much learning.

[@DerBlutenPat1348]

Never clicked on a link so fast in my life

[@karljames11]

That looked so tasty! The next time you aren't doing prep work Babby, you should try your hand at making the Cinnamon Pie from the Dual Spires episode of Psych.

[@uarmyrkive]

I’ve been doing a re-watch of Psych and anytime Shawn says any outlandish food combo I always think “can’t wait for Babby to recreate that”

[@KairuHakubi]

to me it *looked* awful, but going by the obvious skill and technique involved, I'm sure it tasted great.

[@jacoboleary9076]

@@KairuHakubi right??? totally unappealing color, no caramelization, why would I want cucumber in my pork dish?

[@AdamFloro]

@@KairuHakubi Yeah it looked really bland, I think he probably should've reduced the liquid as a step before frying instead of relying on corn starch so heavily. However, it might also have been the lighting.

[@KairuHakubi]

@@AdamFloro Yeah I am fully willing to give the benefit of the doubt here, I'm sure this tasted great. It just seems odd for someone to start off saying it LOOKS great.

[@Butterforyourrolls]

Made this tonight and it was magnificent. The light sauce and crunch of the cucumbers with the velvet meat is so refreshing. A+ would reccomend.

[@annamason5495]

Kenji is such a wonderful and sincere person.

[@cosmicjenny4508]

NO WAY, J. Kenji López-Alt is finally on the Babish channel after all these years of basically being the basis of some of the Binging With Babish recipes.

[@YasEmisDaBus]

from citing him to working with him what growth

[@loadingscreens]

Kenji will forever have my respect for both his expertise in the science of cooking and his championing of fair and respectful kitchen workplaces

[@VintageCR]

Since i got myself a wok, stir frying has become a staple in my life.. It is so fast, fun and delicious that it can't be beaten.

[@QueezyDJ]

The collab we all needed…

[@jazzy_taste]

Very interesting techniques with water! I had never heard of meat being washed after slicing.

[@amandareynolds8930]

Yeah, I liked that - seems like it makes it easier to get the inedible nastiness out of the meat.

[@genericusername8337]

@@someguyfromyorkshireComing from Kenji, I doubt it. He doesn't seem ignorant of the chemistry side of things when it comes to cooking. I mean, cooking in a more scientifically informed manner is one of the things he's best known for, so what he said about it is likely to be at least somewhat, if not entirely, correct.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Seeing that was a revelation. Like, _oh, that's_ how they do it.

[@KarenCurr]

I love watching both of you and subscribe to your channels individually - and seeing BOTH of you doing this together was awesome!!!

[@gregorycaldwell5210]

I'm so happy and excited.

[@CinemaLtd]

im totally here for andrew acting like a guest on his own show. he pretty much is in this case

[@Zero00wolfkiller]

Babish with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt... pack it up boys. We've reached the apex of Babish. There's nowhere to go from here.

[@Golgibaby]

Such a wealth of info in one episode. Love it and love you both!

[@themillersbuiltupontherock3742]

One of my favorite episodes!!! Thanks to the both of you such an amazing dish!!!

[@realbloodydoves]

Man, it's so weird to see Kenji's face I'm a cooking video, instead of the view from his forehead.

[@michelhv]

But first: Longyau.

[@aka-47pro59]

Man, I love Kenji Lopez. Extremely happy to see you guys collaborate.

[@hegert]

Full grown men painting their nails must be the weirdest trend ive seen

[@personperson8160]

Looks underwhelming

[@BugsyFoga]

The crossover we’ve all been waiting for!!!

[@magnusboner291]

I really appreciate the content you two fellows create. Thank you.

[@svenlauke1190]

I don't want to harsh on anyones style choices, but I find colored nails in cooking super off putting. looks like dirty fingernails (same goes for excessive rings: for reference, see Barry on sorted food)

[@thebreaker3963]

stop painting their nails pls just stop

[@dustyhills8911]

LOVE THIS VIDEO!!! This answered so many questions and helped me fix a bad habit or two!

[@RigGames4]

Finally! Kenji, the absolute legend! Nice to see him on your channel babish, one of my heroes that dude, I'm jealous!

[@InfernoPhilM]

Painted fingernails is a major no-no in any kitchen. Edit: source below 👇

[@dysfunction9999]

any source on that?

[@RykM]

Immediately off-putting. I mean, you can see that they're chipped, and yet he's using the backs of his fingers to move the pork away from the knife.

[@Uszat89]

That stir fry was not looking too appetising. Dog foodish.