Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

Eleanor Hoh

Top 12 Wok Tips

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As a wok enthusiast, cooking teacher and creator of a Wok Star Kit, I hear a lot of common mistakes people make when attempting wok cooking.

Anyone can be a Wok Star with the right wok, right technique, right heat!
This post was originally on rasamalaysia but I’ve revised a little. There were many wonderful comments and questions which may help you, so check it out. Ask me questions in the comment box below.
There’s a lot of very confusing information out there, so, here are my…

TOP 12 WOK TIPS

1. Cooking in a wok requires the right technique, the right heat, the right seasonings = Wok Star!
2. Declutter your kitchen: use your wok for stir frying, steaming, stewing, deep frying, smoking, searing and soups (see photos below.)
3. Leave your wok and portable gas stove setup out at all times so it’s convenient. If you don’t see it, you don’t use it…
4. Getting the wrong wok & not seasoning it right can set you up for failure.
5. A traditional lightweight, thin walled, round bottom cast iron wok is BEST. Woks with exterior enamel or coating take longer to heat and transfer heat to your food! Who wants to lift a 15 lb. wok every night? I give a comparison with carbon steel woks here.
6. One handle woks tip over when you have food in it plus the handle gets in the way.
7. Round bottom woks need direct flames i.e. gas for maximum contact & to control your heat.
8. Flat bottom woks do not give you a natural stir fry motion, uses more oil because of more surface area & were made for electric stoves. See no.11.
9. Non-stick woks cannot be used above medium heat according to manufacturer’s warning but high heat is ESSENTIAL to sear meat and for crunchy veggies.
10. Gas stove owners: use the smallest burner so heat is focused for your wok.
11. Electric stove owners: a portable butane gas stove solves the problem of cooking with your wok! You’ll have the BEST of both heat sources. Use your electric for flat pans/pots and gas stove for your wok.
12. A Wok Star is someone who develops their own cooking style and thinks outside the box.

 

 
Ask me a question!
 

Easy Festive Side

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Easy Festive Side Dish with all the Holiday colors!
Stir fry in 2 batches to prevent lowering the heat which can result in a 'soupy' stir fry.


When we were growing up, we didn’t celebrate Christmas as much as Chinese New Year, so no festive dish sprang to mind.  I thought this #LetsLunch theme was a festive family dish, not side. So, my dish started out as a beef shank stew but I had to quickly rework it. Fortunately, I had stir fried vegetables to add to the stew, so I only had to embellish what I had. It may not be a very typical holiday dish but to me, you can never have enough vegetables.

My beautiful, elegant & fashionable mom. That's me squatting! Still remember this dark green corduroy dress with white lace.

This post is a tribute to my mom who passed away suddenly 6 months ago. She was my inspiration and reason for my Wok Star project. I think she would be proud of this dish because she hated wasting food. I already had all these multi colored vegetables left over from giving a cooking class so it was natural for me to use what I had.  It only needed a sprinkle of curry powder for a festive touch!  A crunchy side dish that complements just about any mains.

#LetsLunch is a virtual lunch where food bloggers come up with a theme.  I’ve met the neatest food bloggers, if you want to join, post a comment below or on Twitter using #LetsLunch.  Do visit other #LetsLunch posts below for a delicious variety of festive sides.
Ingredients:
orange, yellow, red, green bell peppers
1 zucchini
handful of sugar snap peas
handful of grape tomatoes
2 cloves of crushed garlic
thumb size of crushed fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of oil (canola, safflower or EarthyDelight’s tea seed oil)
Put your oil in a clear squeeze bottle for easy dispensing
Seasonings:
Squirt of San-J tamari
Squirt of sherry
Squirt of lime juice
Dash of MySpiceSage curry powder
Note 1:  Fry your vegetables in 2 batches if there’s a lot of vegetables.  This prevents lowering the heat in your wok which can result in a ‘soupy’ stir fry.  
Note 2:  Don’t use a non-stick pan or wok, you’re not meant to use above medium heat according to manufacturer’s warranty. Your veggies never get that lovely crunchy texture!
Heat a cast iron wok or skillet on high heat.  Squirt 3 rounds of oil down sides of wok, add 1/2 of your garlic and ginger.  I fried my first batch of vegetables (bell peppers and zucchini) and plated them. Then did the second batch with sugar snap peas and grape tomatoes. Recombined both batches in the wok and squirted tamari, sherry, lime juice and sprinkled curry powder while the heat was still going strong! That’s IT! It’s a technique you can use for
Charissa‘s Coconut Date Balls at Zest Bakery
Ellise‘s Lime-Chipotle Carrots at Cowgirl Chef
Felicia‘s Chinese Butterfly Cookies at Burnt-Out Baker
Grace‘s Fruitcake at HapaMama
Joe‘s Maine Homestead Holiday Dishes at Joe Yonan
Linda‘s Baked Salad at Free Range Cookies
Linda‘s Trinidadian Baked Pastelles at Spicebox Travels
Lisa‘s Potato Latkes at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s “Not My Mama’s” Black-Eyed Peas & Greens at A Cook And Her Books
Maria‘s Grandma Dorothy’s Deviled Eggs at Maria’s Good Things
Patrick‘s Baby Pecan Pies at Patrick G. Lee
Steff‘s Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble at The Kitchen Trials
Victor‘s Roasted Parsnips, Carrots & Delicata Squash Tossed With Sauteed Mustard Greens at The Taste of Oregon

MIAMI BOOK FAIR: TWO FREE COOKBOOK GIVEAWAYS

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MIAMI BOOK FAIR: TWO COOKBOOK GIVEAWAYS from Terry Walters and Michael Schwartz
This is my first experience with GIVEAWAYS on my blog, so please forgive any silly mistakes.
Visit EVENTS for more about Miami Book Fair.
Here’s how to maximize your winnings! Good luck…
1.  LIKE and LEAVE A COMMENT on Wok Star Eleanor Hoh Facebook page. What do you like and hate most about cooking? I’ll be checking your answers.
2.  SUBSCRIBE to my free newsletter on right sidebar. Leave a comment below so I can cross check your name.

3. LEAVE A COMMENT below why you deserve these cookbooks and which you’d like if you win!  Only one book per winner.
I’ll pick winner based on how good you are on all the above! This GIVEAWAY closes Sunday, November 27 at midnight 12 EST. This Giveaway is only within United States. Publisher will send directly to winner. Please respond within one day when I choose you, otherwise I will pick the next one, no exceptions.
These 2 book GIVEAWAYS were generously sponsored by the Miami Book Fair.
Sat., Nov. 19, Culinary Institute
Gastro-Literary Experience
Author to discuss their culinary philosophies and bring their recipes to life. Then taste the results.
Admission price $40 includes demo, tasting & 1 cookbook.
Noon: Terry Walters
(I was unable to attach a pdf file here, sorry)
Terry Walters’ latest cookbook is, Clean Start: Inspiring You to Eat Clean and Live Well with 100 New Clean Food Recipes (Sterling Epicure, $25.00).
Cooks, foodies, and anyone in search of a healthy and sustainable approach to eating and living well have embraced her philosophy: eat minimally processed foods for maximum nutrition. Walters, a health counsellor and food educator who serves on the board of Urban Oaks Organic Farm, one of the largest urban organic farms in the country, is also the author of Clean Food.
Terry Walters will also be doing a reading with Linda Gassenheimer
Sat., Nov 19, 3:30pm, room 3315
 
Michael’s Genuine Food: Down-to-Earth Cooking for People Who Love to Eat (Clarkson Potter, $35), is now available online and in bookstores nationwide.
According to Michael Schwartz the secret to good food is… good food. Honored with the prestigious James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South in 2010, Schwartz is recognized by his peers and the diners that flock to his restaurants, including Miami’s Michael’s Genuine Food & Drinks and a new outpost on Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands, for his fresh, simple and pure cuisine incorporating responsibly–and locally sourced–seasonal ingredients.
Michael will also be participating on
November 20, 3pm:
“The Story of Food” Panel Discussion
Presentation Pavilion, at NE 3rd Street and 1st Avenue
Check here for exact times and speakers.
Panel discussion on food writing with book-signing to follow, with Mary L. Zamore, author of “The Sacred Table” and Michael Schwartz, author of “Michael’s Genuine Food,” and Cheryl Tan on “A Tiger in the Kitchen.” Visit my blog for more on Cheryl Tan, our food connection and her book!