Wok cooking

[bryan42]

My wife and I just bought a wok, its a really nice one, with all the accessories,EXCEPT a book of instruction or recipes :(
Could anyone steer me in the right direction to obtain either?
I want to make sure we get the most out it. When I USED to eat out at chinese restaurants, there was a cashew chicken,that was sooo good, but Im not sure what they used to make the sauce? Of course things will have to be "modified" to make it somewhat diabetic friendly, but I was hoping somebody could help..thanks in advance!! :)

[JadeMonkey]

What kind of wok did you get? A normal high carbon (black) steel one? Stainless? Electric? Induction?

The key to wok cooking is high heat and a minimal amount of oil (unless you're frying of course). You want the wok screaming hot so everything cooks very quickly. Make sure that you have everything that is going into the wok cut up/prepped ahead of time so that you can throw it in as you go and you're not trying to do anything other than work the wok. Wok cooking is very fast and you won't have time to do any prep once food is in the pan. For most recipies you want to make sure that you keep the food moving once it is in the wok, either by flipping it (really closer to rolling it) in the pan or using a spatula / tongs to move it around so everything will cook evenly. Put whatever takes the longest to cook in first and then work your way down to the last ingredient that requires the shortest cooking time. If you want to put eveything in at once then whatever takes the longest to cook should be cut up into the smallest pieces and the whatever cooks quickest should be in larger pieces so everything gets done at the same time.

Check out your local bookstore, there are a lot of good cookbooks dedicated just to the wok or stirfrying, which is what you're doing most of the time when you're cooking with a wok. There are lots of good sites on the internet as well.

-Jade

[davef]

I'll try find a few recipes for you. I love wok cooking but mostly make it up as I go along. It's hard to beat a good stirfry full of veggies (peppers, onions, baby sweet corn, chicken, low-salt soy sauce, chillies, brocolli). As Jade said there are lots of sites on the Internet. You could check out:

BBC - Food (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food)

I find it a good site.

[bryan42]

Thank you very much Dave and Jade! :)

[Penny]

We use our Wok for just about every "pot style" meal we cook. We make chili, soup, fried chicken or fish etc., besides the stirfry. I have even made a pot roast in ours. Also cook veggies in it with water, or steam them with a rack over it. Just seems to be the handiest thing to use anymore. When I do use a recipe, I look online, there always seems to be plenty to choose from. I think mine is at least 25 years old, but I wouldn't trade it for a new one.....kind of get attached to a good cooking tool. :D

[Gary_W]

If you are doing it properly, wok cooking should be on a stupidly high heat. The comercial restaurants use 10kw gas burners. Most domestic stoves top out at 3.5kw if you are lucky. Our French thing does 5kw and it was instrumental in our decision to buy it. IMO, you cannot do a good job with a wok and an electric heat source as the heat just isn't there. You'll boil the food, not stir fry it. I'll probably get flamed for that comment (pun completely intended)

Choice of oil is important. For most wok cooking, I use peanut oil as it is flavour free and does not burn. Olive oil (whilst I drink the stuff) is just not up to the job as it burns at too low a temperature and imparts a flavour that clashes with Chinese food.

Many recipes start with the 'holy trinity' of Chinese ingredients which are garlic, ginger and spring onions (though I believe you guys call them scallions). Chop the white part of the spring onions finely. These go in early. The green parts and (if you like 'em) the tops go in last minute for texture.

Here is how I do cashew chicken. Recipe taken at own risk, involves flaming wok. You have been warned, no liability taken for damage etc.....

Heat the oil in a well seasoned wok (google for that bit, it's smoky!). Throw in your garlic, ginger and white parts of the scallions. If you've got enough heat there, they will immediately jump around. Seconds later, throw in finely sliced chicken. Stir to brown a bit. Throw in some rice wine (xiousing I think it's called). Impress friends and neighbours by watching it flame, which it will. Put out eyebrows and calm screaming infants before next stage.

Throw in some red peppers. Chopped to same kind of size as chicken.

Throw in soy sauce (Kikkomen is superb), and some yellow bean paste or sauce. And a bit of sugar. Add a little water if you feel it needs it.

Chuck in the cashews. They will be better flavoured if you've dry fried them first in an oil free pan earlier, but no-one's going to shoot if you didn't. Throw in the scallion green bits. Serve with rice and a bolus :D

Variations:

You can add chilli (fresh) with the garlic, ginger and spring onions. Or the little dried red 'scuds'. Takes it more in a 'kung po chicken' direction.

You can add chopped corriander at the end (cillantro in your language)

If you have no yellow bean sauce, you can take it to sweet and sour territory by using a bit of ketchup, clear vinegar (preferably rice vinegar) and sugar. Lots of sugar! To thicken, you can use cornflour disolved in water but I prefer to reduce.

Good luck.

Gary