Cooking with a Wok (101 on using one)

Everyone knows the Wok is a very versatile kitchen utensil used for many dishes.

Cooking methods suited to the wok are:-

• Stir-frying
• Steaming
• Braising
• Deep-frying

Stir-frying is the most popular technique used in Asian Cooking.

The benefits are:

• It’s a quick method of cooking as foods are cut into small pieces and seared over a high heat.
• It’s healthy as only small amounts of fat are used to sear foods.
• Lean cuts of meat are preferred with little fat - steak, chicken breast, pork fillets etc.
• A higher proportion of vegetables to meat are used.
• Vegetables retain their natural flavors, textures and colors with minimal nutrient loss.

The Method

• Sear thinly sliced meats eg. Chicken, beef, lamb, pork or seafood in a small amount of oil, remove from wok.
• Cut vegetables into even sized pieces and stir-fry in a small amount of oil. Suitable vegetables for stir-frying include:Onions, carrots, bell peppers, snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, baby corn, bok choy, choy sum, celery and cabbage.
• Sauces are added to the wok once vegetables are cooked, the meat is returned to the wok, heat and serve.

Purchasing a Wok
The traditional style of wok made of iron or carbon steel are recommended. They are excellent conductors of heat, therefore respond very quickly to temperature changes. They are inexpensive but must be seasoned before use to prevent foods from sticking and to prevent them from rusting.Stainless Steel woks won’t rust and heat quickly, but won’t respond as well to temperature changes. Woks with a non-stick coating need to be treated carefully so as not to scratch or damage the surface.

A fun Friday evening....

Japanese Sukiyaki
So we decided to try something new this week - something for all the family to try and enjoy together. Sukiyaki requires little cooking skill, so is ideal for younger diners -- all you need is fresh ingredients, a cast iron skillet or wok and a tabletop cooker.

Preparation method
Essential is thinly sliced beef. If you can't buy it thin sliced, place in the freezer, and while partially frozen, slice into thin slices using a sharp knife.

For vegetables, you need shallots (lots as they wilt to nothing) chopped into 1" lengths, Chinese cabbage, chopped into similar size, fresh shiitake mushrooms, trimmed of stems and also some firm tofu cut into cubes. Also essential is beef suet or, a big lump of beef fat. You can also add other mushrooms, like enoki, shimeji etc. and shirataki (noodles made from konnyaku root), white onion moons, and other greens like watercress or chrysanthemum leaves, bok choy, etc. and arrange on a big platter so everyone can throw into the pot whatever they desire.

For the sukiyaki sauce, mix 1 cup of soy sauce and 1 cup of mirin with 8 tablespoons of sugar and bring to boil to dissolve sugar. This is called Warishita. Also make up another sauce called Tamazake which is equal amounts of sake and water.

Heat the skillet and line with suet and cook the beef slices first, add little of the Warishita sauce and then veggies & tofu. If it becomes dry, add the Tamazake to prevent burning. When ready, everyone serves themselves.

Continue to add ingredients and sauce until sated. if there are some leftovers, keep for the next day and add rice or udon for a quick stir fry.