broil, parch, roast, fry
炒 centers on cooking with direct heat, especially in a pan or over a fire: broiling, parching, roasting, or frying. The common thread is applying heat to food, often with oil or dry heat, to transform it.
炒 combines 火 (fire) with 少, which likely contributes the sound and may suggest a small or quick application of heat. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the phono-semantic structure is clear.
Fire 火 on the left and 少 on the right: imagine a small amount of food sizzling in a pan over fire, being fried or roasted quickly.
For ソウ, picture a chef frying food and saying 'So hot!' as the fire flares: 'So' -> ソウ, tying the heat of cooking to the reading.
to fry; to saute; to stir-fry
Chinese-style fried rice
to roast; to parch; to toast; to boil down
fried cabbage
food fried in butter
stir-fry of pork liver and garlic chives
Chinese-style fried dish
fried dish seasoned with miso
stir-frying; stir-fry; stir-fried food
to be sauteed in oil; to be stir-fried
stir-fry; stir-frying
fried rice
stir-frying then boiling in liquid sauce; food that has been stir-fried and boiled in liquid sauce
stir-fry; stir-fried food
fried rice
to parch; to roast; to broil; to scorch
scrambled eggs
small dried sardine
roasted rice broth; roasted rice broth soup
simmering after frying