‘炮香’ (pào xiāng) is a culinary verb meaning 'to sauté until fragrant' — specifically, to heat oil and stir-fry aromatic ingredients (like ginger, garlic, scallions, or dried chilies) just long enough for their fragrance to bloom and infuse the oil, without browning or burning them. The character 炮 originally means 'to roast' or 'to parch' in classical cooking contexts, while 香 means 'fragrant' or 'aromatic'; together, they emphasize the sensory goal of this technique: releasing essential oils and aroma as the first step in many Chinese stir-fries and braises.

This step is foundational in home and restaurant cooking across China, especially in Sichuan, Hunan, and Cantonese cuisines. It’s not about cooking the main ingredients yet — it’s about building flavor at the start. The timing is precise: usually 10–30 seconds over medium-high heat. Skipping or rushing 炮香 results in dull, flat-tasting dishes, while overdoing it makes aromatics bitter. Though written with the same character as ‘cannon’ (炮), this usage is unrelated and pronounced identically only by coincidence.