Sautéed with garlic for a base in many Asian dishes
This is not a standalone dish but a foundational cooking technique—stir-frying aromatics like garlic, ginger, and scallions in oil to create a fragrant base for countless stir-fries, noodles, and sauces across East and Southeast Asian cuisines. The primary ingredients are cooking oil (like vegetable or peanut oil) and freshly minced or sliced garlic, often combined with other aromatics. It is a ubiquitous starting step in Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese home and restaurant cooking.
🍽️ Nutrition at a glance
This base is primarily a source of fat from the cooking oil and carbohydrates from the garlic and any added sugar or sauces. It provides key nutrients like manganese and vitamin B6 from the garlic, and its calorie content is almost entirely determined by the amount of oil used, typically ranging from 120 to 200 calories per tablespoon of oil.
Nutrition breakdown
| Calories | 150 kcal |
| Protein | 0.5 g |
| Carbs | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 15 g |
| Fiber | 0.2 g |
| Sugar | 0.1 g |
| Sodium | 1 mg |
| Manganese | 0.1 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.04 mg |
| Selenium | 0.8 mcg |
| Vitamin C | 1 mg |
| Calcium | 8 mg |
| Iron | 0.1 mg |
Per 2 tablespoons (30 g) · estimated, varies by recipe
💡 What's interesting
Culinarily, this technique is the cornerstone of 'wok hei'—the prized smoky, seared flavor achieved in stir-frying. Nutritionally, when garlic is heated in oil, it releases beneficial organosulfur compounds, though some heat-sensitive nutrients may diminish.
