Then flip the mixture, much like you would an omelet, to cook the other side for a brief time. Use the back of a spatula or wooden utensil to move the meat up and around the wok until it is cooked through. Meat and fish are cooked first because they are more dense than the vegetables. At this point, Liaw moves to another wok to do the vegetables. If you don't have a second wok, just move the meat to a side dish and add it to the wok again after the vegetables have cooked a bit.
Experience turns out to be the best teacher.
The vegetables must be crisp, not soggy. Some cooks, like Liaw, watch for a slight change in the color of the vegetable. Snow peas, for example, turn bright green when they are just right, Liaw says. Liaw suggests beginners mix up the sauce according to the recipe - with experience they can add ingredients such as soy sauce and sesame oil at will. When people go to Chinese restaurants and find that their favorite dish tastes different each time - that's because Chinese chefs don't measure.