I'm going WOKing for the first time tonight. My new WOKer is at the front door. Are there any WOK enthusiasts here with a special recipe you care to share? I have to expand my horizons! 😂
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wok on! -
Get that wok hei with high high heat. Wok burners in China put out a lot more heat than home burners in the west.Comment
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Well, Google failed me this time. What the heck is a "WOKer"? I mean, I know what a wok is ... got a couple and use them frequently ... but "WOKer"?Comment
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Mike... Your MCS was automatically kicking in on the idea of a new gadget.😆 -
Since Dr. Breadhead has diagnosed me having advanced stage MCS, I feel,I can speak with some experience on the subject. MCS is More Cooker Syndrome, which can be attributed to also doodads, utensils, books etc. be really careful & always show some restraint.
Nahhhh.
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What kind of wok do you have, (flat bottom or round) & what do you plan on stir frying. There is a clay pot oven available to use briquettes or wood to do it outside, but that would'nt help you tonight. Are you cooking the whole meal? Lots of what ifs.
Big one, I hope it is carbon, & is it seasoned?Last edited by FireMan; July 13, 2016, 02:21 PM.Comment
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It's a flat bottom 14" carbon steel. After spending a whole day researching I settled with the one recommended by Meathead. I'll start off with a simple shrimp stir-fry. Baby steps! Indoor electric stove for now.Comment
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Out on the grill. High high heat is the only way to get the wok hei. -
Potkettleblack is correct. You can't get your wok hot enough on your kitchen stove. Chinese restaurants stir fry at 800°. Your stove won't get close to that temp.
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Ribber, In addition to being the Backyard Cremator, I am also known in these Parts as the Famous Oriental Chef "Who Flung Dung". I will See what I can find for a suggestion or two for You!
Eat Well and Prosper! From a Backyard Cremator in Fargo ND, DanComment
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I usually marinate shrimp in a mixture of plum sauce, bean sauce, (or chili bean sauce if you like it hot), and a little soy sauce. I can't give amounts as I don't measure, but roughly equal amounts of plum and bean - less bean if you use chili bean. You can add a little chicken broth near the end if you want sauce. I cook the shrimp and remove from the wok, then cook whatever veges I have found or bought in a little of the sauce I have made. If you want a thicker sauce, add a little corn starch to the veges as you cook then. When the veges are done to your taste, and the shrimp back and heat a bit more. Serve...Comment
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I just finished the seasoning. I'm sure a pro would have had a good laugh watching me. It looked easier on YouTube. Doing it on an electric stove made it a bit more of a challenge. In the end I think the food will be just fine though. 6 months from now no one will no I was an amateur. I hope!Comment
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Here's my all-time favorite dish in the wok... http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2...se-recipe.htmlComment
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There are 2 key books to help you in your journey of the wok. Grace Young's Breath of Wok (wok hei , Potkettleblack refered to) & Stir Frying To The Sky's Edge. I have 16 books on Chinese cooking, 9 of them exclusively for the use of the wok, being the main tool in Chinese cooking. Not that I am any authority but, these are the best I've seen. Grace also has a video class that might be helpful with Craftsy.
There are 3 people I would like to meet in my remaining years, Meathead, Grace Young, & Martin Yan. Enjoy your wok!Comment
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I've been using woks and cooking oriental style foods for over 40 years. Most of the stir-fry has been done on my kitchen stove. The key thing about using the kitchen stove is cook smaller batches if you can. Somehow the food has almost always been good.
Let me show you some of my stuff.
First, my woks:
The one in the middle is my very first one. I purchased it with a lid and tools December 1975 in San Francisco's China Town. The rightmost is my second and now is my most used, primarily because of the handle. The leftmost is a recent addition (about 8 months ago) and is a heavy Lodge cast iron wok. I like the heat holding capacity of the cast Iron. All of the woks are 14 inches in diameter.
Second, my essential tools:
A spatula, curved to fit the wok; a strainer for deep frying; and a ladle. The spatula and ladle are used most for stir-fry to stir and flip the food.
Third, some of my Oriental cookbooks:
My most important Cookbook
Why is this my most important one, you ask. It was my first oriental cook book. This picture is my second copy. You should see the first (I still have it) The pages are loose from the coil binding yellowed and stained. This cookbook was one in a series from Time-Life books called Foods of the World published in the 70s. You can still get it from sellers in Amazon or ebay.
I had always felt this cookbook was the best of all of them. I got some confirmation of my belief when I was in Shanghai with my wife. We went to a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant right across the street from the Hilton hotel we were at. The restaurant was about a hundred feet down an alley. Inside it was like a house converted into a restaurant. Now when I go to a new (to me) Chinese restaurant, I always order the Sour and Hot soup so I ordered it and another dish called Stir Fried Chicken Breast with Hoisin Sauce. As I tasted the soup I said OMG! My wife asked what was wrong. I said "Nothing. This soup tastes just like the one I make at home!" No other restaurant in 40+ years of making this soup came near to the recipe I started with (of course, I have added a few items to it over time, but the essential flavors are still there.
I have attached a pdf with some of my favorite oriental recipes. No all of the are stir-fry.
Also, importfoods.com has many food and equipment items, mostly Thai. They have a charcoal cooker for sale to be used in outdoor wok cooking. Go to this web url for the scoop on the Tao Thai Charcoal Cooker:
I hope you enjoy your wok and cook well.
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Maybe a good place to start if you can't find the Time-Life book:
My brother got me this book, and it's really opened my mind to a lot of different Asian techniques and flavors. Worth the price just for sambal oelek.Comment
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I'm thinking that the turkey fryer burner I received from a neighbor, who moved overseas, would work for getting wok hei. Anyone have any experience with this?Comment
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It seems like a win/win for me. It is outside (super sensitive smoke detectors) and has a much higher output than my gas stove. -
While it might work, be very careful. The turkey fryer burner is designed for flat bottom pot, not a curved one.
Again, Import foods used to sell one but not currently. Take a look at the burner that is used in Thailand. here
!
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