When cooking Chinese food, especially stir-fries and fried rice, high heat is key – so you need an oil that can handle it without burning or turning bitter.
Great options include rice bran oil, groundnut (peanut) oil, avocado oil, and even coconut oil. All of these have high smoke points, which means they stay stable at wok temperatures and don’t spoil or smoke out your kitchen.
Rice bran and groundnut oil are traditional favourites for clean flavour and heat control. Avocado oil is a brilliant neutral modern option, and coconut oil works well when you want a slightly richer profile (especially for certain dishes).
The key rule?
Use oils for cooking, save fragrant oils for finishing.
That way, you get proper wok heat without compromising flavour.