Get the wok out and turn fresh vegetables into a quick and crunchy weeknight supper.

Listen to this article 4 min Listen to this article 4 min Don't get me started on those revolting packs of frozen "stir fry" vegetables. Why would you try to fry those? We don't fry in water. They're soggy to begin with, which is precisely the opposite of what you want in a vegetable stir fry. You're looking for crispy, crunchy veg, nicely sauced with Asian condiments. Simple solution: buy them fresh.

Packs of "stir fry mix" from the fresh vegetables section of the supermarket are marginally better, but often they look and feel a bit tired. And any vegetable is fresher and crisper for being freshly chopped or sliced before being cooked.

So rather buy them fresh: a red, green or yellow bell pepper (capsicum), some perky spring onions, celery, garlic (to be sliced thinly), ginger (ditto), chillies, baby corn, mushrooms; all of which are easy to find in the average supermarket. Better still, shiitake or king oyster mushrooms rather than the ubiquitous buttons. But they're okay in a veggie stir fry too.

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