Four on a journey

This is part 1 of a 4-part series. You can find rest of the series here:
– Stress-free Chinese cooking for beginners part 2: sauces
– Stress-free Chinese cooking part 3: meat dishes
– Stress-free Chinese cooking for beginners part 4: how to season a wok

Chinese cooking. It is in our genes.

When I was a baby, my mom bathed me in our large wok over a very low heat to make sure that the water stayed warm. I started my wok tossing practice at the age of 3, made my first stir-fry choy sum at the age of 5, learned to use the Chinese cleaver at the age of 6 and my first kung bao chicken at the age of 8.

No. Not really. None of the above happened (sorry mom). There was no such thing as being born with it. I was lucky that my mom is a wonderful cook and insisted that I should learn the basics when I was a teenager.

So what is it then?

I am not going to sit here and say “oh Chinese food is actually quite simple”. So here it is: Chinese food is actually quite simple.

The home made dishes (that I make) are rarely deep-fried, they are quick to make and quite delicious. I often churn out delicious hot meals for 4 with plenty of left-overs within a space of around 45 minutes.

Below are some basics for you to be able to show off your inner Chinese chef and impress your friend and family!

The Wok

Ah, the good ol’ wok! It’s like a kitchen superhero, capable of stir-frying, shallow and deep frying, blanching, steaming (with bamboo steamers) and even boiling noodles. It just needs a little TLC to keep it in top shape, and I’m here to spill the secrets on how to do just that. Let’s dive in!

Size and type

For a family of 4 – 5, a 14-inch wok will do the trick just fine (it’s what I have). Go with a standard carbon steel, round-bottom one. For those of you who have a induction/ceramic hob, a wok stabiliser will be needed. It is an investment but it lasts a lifetime.

Preparing the wok

I could tell you, in detail, on how to season the wok. Or I would tell you to go watch a youtube video like this one:

It is a bit of work to start with but it is also a bit of fun! It’s not every day that one gets to season a new wok. After all, the more you look after it, the better it becomes.

Using the wok

(Disclaimer: this is what works for me. Please let me know if you have experiences, both good or bad in using the wok!)

So many people say that using woks is a pain. They always stick and end up rusty in no time. So most folks just give up and toss them in the trash after the first try. And those non-stick woks? Yeah, they’re nothing but overpriced pans with a big belly. They’re small, heavy, and scratch way too easily. Using those things feels like you’ve just had a grueling workout!

But here’s the secret: woks, just like your trusty cast iron pans, can be non-stick if you know how to use them right. And rust? Well, that’s not a problem anymore if you take good care of your wok. There’s only one trick to getting a non-stick surface: get that baby smoking hot! That’s all there is to it. Heat up your wok before cooking, and you’ll rarely (if ever) have to deal with sticky situations.

Beyond that, here are some simple tips:

• Don’t heat the oil up with the wok. It’ll stick (trust me, as a lazy person I’ve done it plenty of times). Only add oil after your wok is hot (ie starts smoking). I think food tastes better that way anyway!
• The more you use it, the more non-stick it generally becomes
• Don’t be temped too much food into a wok at a time. You’ll be stewing instead of stir-frying!

Aftercare

I know, I know. We haven’t even cooked anything in our wok yet and we are now talking about how to care for it after cooking. Well, @danielaberlin would be proud of me that I am organised enough to put everything in one place.

Well I am going to ignore all that for now and talk about how to take care of your wok. Well how I do it. I simply wash it with hot water, and if it’s very greasy (which doesn’t really happen all that often), with very little soap (and when I say little I mean little). The wok is then throughly dried (which sometimes involves placing on the hob for a minute) or simply dry with a kitchen towel.

There will come a time when you feel that you might need to re-season your wok – simply place your wok on the hob, turn it on and place a little of oil where it needs to be re-seasoned. Wipe off excess oil, if any, when done.

That’s it! You are now a wok master!

Wok alternatives

If you’re looking for alternatives to a wok, there are a few options you can consider:

1. Stir-Fry Pan (aka non-stick-flat-bottomed-wok): A stir-fry pan is specifically designed for stir-frying and can be a great alternative to a wok. It has a wide base and high sides, allowing you to toss and stir your ingredients easily.
2. Skillet or Frying Pan: A skillet or frying pan can also work well for stir-frying. Look for one with sloping sides, as it will make it easier to toss your ingredients. Cast iron or stainless steel pans are good options for even heat distribution.
3. Dutch Oven: While not traditional, a Dutch oven can be used for stir-frying. It has a wide cooking surface and high sides, making it suitable for tossing ingredients. Just be mindful of the weight and heat retention of the Dutch oven.
4. Carbon Steel Pan: Similar to a traditional wok, a carbon steel pan can provide a similar cooking experience. It heats up quickly and evenly, allowing for high-heat stir-frying.

Remember, the key is to have a pan that can distribute heat evenly and provide enough space for tossing and stirring ingredients. Experiment with different options and find the one that works best for you and your cooking style. Happy stir-frying!

Stir-fry basics

Prepare yourself for the claims of the captivating world of Chinese cuisine, where apparently flavours ignite fireworks in your mouth and awaken your taste buds with each bite. At least, that’s what they say. Supposedly, the heart of this culinary marvel lies in the divine stir-fry, a technique that promises a symphony of vibrant colours, tantalising aromas, and harmonious flavours. Skeptical? You should be. They claim that with each flick of the wrist and sizzle of the pan, ingredients magically transform into an irresistible masterpiece. But can such bold claims truly be trusted? It’s up to you to decide whether this culinary love affair is worth pursuing or just another overhyped sensation. Proceed with caution, and may your taste buds be the ultimate judge.

Tempering

In Mandarin, it is called “baoxian”. The literal translation (well, my translation) is “explosive fragrance”. You can read all about it in Chinese here and English here. Sounds complicated? Not really. All you have to do is throw some aromatics into hot oil for a short moment before frying anything else.

There are a few basic ingredients you can use for tempering. They can be used by themselves or in combination. I’ll introduce a few common ones here.

Garlic

Probably the most common stir-fry base ingredient. Smash the garlic cloves using the flat side of a kitchen knife, remove the peel and chop it roughly. Throw it into hot oil and hear it sizzle!

Ginger

Mom taught me how to peel a ginger: scrape it with a knife. These days, I don’t bother. Smash it a bit with the flat side of your kitchen knife, slice it, make it swim in hot oil.

Onions/spring onions

Slice or dice, read or white – dealer’s choice. With spring onion, only use the white part and leave the green part for decoration. You know the drill – yep. Hot oil in the wok.

Chilli pepper

Both dry or fresh work. But be careful when you use dry chilli: size matters- it can burn quite easily the smaller the pieces are. I would recommend that one doesn’t go finer than chilli flakes with or without seeds.

Feel like you’ve got the basics down? It’s time to give it a go. I often see supermarkets selling bags of “stir-fry vegetables” mixing everything in from onions and shredded carrots and god-knows-what. And it makes me wince as the aromatics need to be done first!

Ready, steady… fry!

I think we are now ready for your first stir-fry. Let’s do one of our favourites: sugar snap peas.

Ingredients

• Sugar snap peas 300g
• Garlic 2 large cloves
• Oil: 2 tablespoons
• Salt: to taste

Instructions

Ironically, the first step is optional. I do it about 50% of the time depending on how lazy I am. And when I do, I usually get the kids involved.

1. Prepare the sugar snap peas by removing the stringy part (video below)
2. Heat wok/pan/cooking receptacle on heat source (campfire, hob, fire-breathing dragon…)
3. While wok is heating up, smash and slice garlic
4. Add oil to smoking hot wok
5. When the oil is hot (as it starts to smoke), add garlic to wok and leave it for 10s or so
6. Throw all the sugar snap pea in
7. Add salt salt bae style (well, style optional)
8. Stir/toss occasionally until the sugar snap peas are cooked (changes colour to a bright green)
9. Serve!

There you have it. A tasty stir-fry!

Sauce vs no sauce

The version above is the basically stir-fry at its simplest form. From time to time, I prefer to make it with some form of sauce. In this case, mix 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and 100ml of water. Add to the hot hot wok, stir and serve. You can make more or less sauce by adjusting the seasoning and amount of corn starch.

Variations

The same method applies to mange tout, French beans or even asparagus.

Tools-wise, you can use a garlic press (I never bother) to achieve that takeaway/restaurant look (but they also use 10x more oil). You’ll need to be careful as the smaller the garlic pieces, the quicker they get burnt and you’ll end up with a slightly bitter taste.

You can also switch it up by adding a small pinch of sugar as you add the salt, add some chilli pepper to your garlic or even diced red and yellow pepper for more colour and taste!

Outro: end of part 1

As this page is getting long, I’ll bring it to a hastily end. To make a great stir-fry, you should have:

• A wok or a pan which can hold a lot of heat
• A sharp and wide-bodies knife which allows you to smack your ingredients (believe me, it happens more often than you think!)
• Soy sauce, both light and dark (I’ll talk about them in part 2)
• Aromatics such as garlic, ginger and onions
• Oil with high smoking point. I usually just use vegetable oil
• Corn starch
• Your favourite vegetables

I hope you have enjoyed this post and please come back for part 2!

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