Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

cast iron wok

Swordfish: Wok Fried or Grilled

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Wok Fried Swordfish with Swiss Chard,
garbanzo beans and quinoa.

Side of chayote and carrot pickle.

Grilled Swordfish with Purple Swiss Chard
and quinoa.

Marinaded Swordfish with olive oil, lime juice,

ginger, garlic & dried basil

Place Swordfish nuggets on metal grid to grill

Stir fry zucchini, carrots with garlic and ginger.

Added Swordfish to Lobster Bisque.
Sides: pickles and stir fried veggies, wholewheat toast

Whenever I’ve ordered Swordfish in restaurants, I’ve always been disappointed. It’s not only expensive but dry and bland. Oh, they got it blackened alright but the interior has no flavor, you might as well eat a cardboard box! So, when I saw Swordfish nuggets recently, I thought I’d experiment as they were a quarter of the price of a whole steak and looked good. Even if I ruined the nuggets, it wouldn’t break the bank. I decided to wok fry some, grill some and just add to some store bought lobster bisque. These techniques would give me 3 different textures.

As usual, I surfed the net to see how to tackle this fish. Most recipes suggest marinading in olive oil and grilling. I’m all about technique, when you know the ‘why’ of something, it’s easy. Olive oil is supposed to keep the fish tender, that was a no brainer. Done! I also added my usual, TSPC marinade (tamari, sherry, pepper, cornstarch for any kind of protein incl. toufu) for the fish that were fried in my cast iron wok and grilled.

Ha, I just remembered Mark Bittman recently mentioned his NPR segment: Fish Debate: Fresh or Frozen. Great information. So, that’s what I think must’ve been the problem, Swordfish I had were previously frozen! Freezing fish changes its texture, the only way round this is this fabulous tip I learned that prevents freezer burn! Bittman mentioned an alternative method: eliminating air but it’s more difficult to accomplish. Next time you see Swordfish, try it. I was pleasantly surprised at how tender and creamy it was, very similar to bass.

Many who’ve tried my tip agree it’s the closest thing to fresh fish! And that was from some Chinese friends who are very particular about their fish. In Asia, fish is mostly sold still swimming, that’s how fresh we like it. Here’s a photo I ‘fished’ out from my Hong Kong trip.

Don’t let bad experiences prevent you from experimenting and open your mind to new ways of doing things. As the saying goes, “the way you do anything is the way you do everything!” Any fish stories you want to share?

Wok Curry Beef

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Wok Curry Beef – combining my 2 heritages
My mom is from S’pore and 
dad is Hakka but born in Malacca

Join me to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage month and cook up a simple Wok Curry Beef!

Thanks to New Asian Cuisine, a beautiful site that promotes the best in Asian culture and cuisine, who invited me to do a guest post. Do subscribe to their weekly newsletter, their site has good resources as well as delightful dishes from all over Asia.  For my full “recipe”, visit New Asian Cuisine – Wok Curry Beef

My step-by-step photos and TIPS to make a quick, weeknight dish taste Asian after the jump:

TIP 1: GET ORGANIZED so dinner is quick 
I put my Asian seasonings in cute dispensers organized inside my caddy basket. Put your curry powder in a cheese shaker so it’s easy to sprinkle!  Instead of bouncing round the kitchen looking for this and that, I take out ONE item from the fridge. 

 TIP 2: SAVE TIME and keeps counter tidy.
Trap grocery bag under chopping board and flip trimmings onto it, wrap up and throw in trash – EASY! 

TIP 3: DECLUTTER – A wok is so versatile

I use mine to parboil my beans, it’s the perfect shape and size. I just dry it out after using with water and the minute you start frying in it, its natural non-stick surface will build back up!

  TIP 4: CONVENIENCE makes cooking FUN
An electric stove shouldn’t prevent you from wok cooking!  NO, NO. I set my cast iron wok and my portable butane gas stove right on top of my electric coil stove. I leave this setup out at all times so it’s convenient. If you don’t see it, you won’t use it. Use your wok not just for Asian stir frys but everything.

TIP 5:  SUBSTITUTE if you don’t have an ingredient!  
Wok Stars aren’t afraid to substitute! Just because you don’t have an ingredient, don’t let it prevent you from making the dish. So, use veggies you already have in your fridge or whatever you like. 
 You don’t need 2 woks to do this. 
My husband calls it Stereo Wokery!
Cooking Asian doesn’t mean you have to use just Asian veggies. By adding a few Asian seasonings, you’ll give your dish an Asian twist. Is the word “Asian” used enough in one paragraph?  ENJOY!!

Crispy Salt Shrimp

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Finger Lickin’ Crispy Salt Shrimp

Crispy Salt Shrimp is a finger lickin’ dish that’s so delicious even grown men like my husband doesn’t mind peeling the shells! Making this dish always reminds us of several funny stories with the tea finger dip (story below.) To me, food is all about shared memories, experiences and associations and this dish definitely represents all three!

Chop all aromatics and leave on your chopping board.
Dry shrimp VERY WELL with paper towels.

The secret to making this shrimp crispy is to have patience. A word that makes busy people cringe, so don’t make this when you’re starving after a long, hard day at work. Leave it for a weekend when you have a little more time.

Fry shrimp in TWO batches. Spread them out.
Add rock salt to shrimp

When I researched recipes online or on Youtube (some very annoying videos) for Salty Shrimp, nearly all of them were coated with flour and deep fried. Not me, I hate wasting all that oil. You could reuse but why would you want to? It’ll be ‘shrimpy’. Whenever I tackle a dish, I like figuring out how to make the dish healthy, yet tasty and the easiest possible method. It’s what being a Wok Star is all about.

Frying aromatics.
Add shrimp to seasonings.
Sides: simple stir fried bok choy & red bell pepper

As regular readers know, I don’t use recipes so here are very rough guidelines (I made this a while back and found it in my huge library of meals.) The more you cook without measuring, the better you’ll get at judging how much you’ll need to ‘season’ your food. So, here’s my simplifed version with very few ingredients and tastes so good!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. shrimp (my fav is Costco Tiger Shrimp 31-40 count)

Aromatics :
6-8 cloves garlic, diced
6 slices ginger, shredded
3-5 shallots (substituted with half red onion)
3-4 scallions, chopped in small rounds
1 medium sized serrano pepper, optional (wash hands immediately, do NOT touch face, eyes)
handful cilantro, chopped or any other herb you like: basil, parsley
Rock salt to taste

Canola oil for frying

Finger Dip:
Make hot tea and put into bowl with wide opening, one bowl per person. Cut a lime or lemon into wedges and add to bowl of tea. You can use this ‘natural astringent’ dip to rinse your fingers after shelling your shrimp.

Dip (optional):
Tamari and lime or lemon juice

Directions:
1. Defrost shrimp under running cold water. Dry VERY WELL with paper towels.

2. Chop all aromatics and leave on your chopping board.

3. Very important – fry shrimp in TWO batches.

You need to move FAST in this first few steps to prevent burning…
Heat your cast iron wok or skillet on high (see notes below.) Add 3 swirls of oil. Immediately add a third of the garlic and ginger. Immediately add in half of the shrimp and spread them out so they all get some heat and not overlap each other. This is what will give your shrimp a crispy exterior and succulent interior.

To test the shrimp for doneness, check the one at the base of your wok (the hottest area.) Once the shrimp turns pink on one side, you can stir fry the whole batch by constantly flipping them over. It doesn’t take long for all the shrimp to turn pink. Don’t overcook shrimp or seafood esp. calamari because it becomes chewy and tough instead of tender.

Add a few tsp. of rock salt to shrimp. Remove the shrimp to a platter. Do NOT cover because it makes the shrimp stew in its shell and go soft.

Cook second batch the same way.

4. Add a little oil into wok to cook your aromatics. Add garlic and ginger first, then rest of aromatics and serrano chilies last because they are so pungent, they make you gag. Add all the shrimp back in with the aromatics and fry to coat. Give a shrimp a taste and add more salt if you need to and you’re done!

Put another dish out for the shells.

How to eat…
Lick the shells first before peeling them, then lick your fingers before washing them. YUMMY. I stir fried a simple bok choy with red bell pepper as a side dish. It’s all you need for this finger lickin’ crispy salt shrimp, enjoy! I hope you’ll try this easy and delicious way to make shrimp…

O.K. here’s the funny story: My mom was visiting us in Key West and it was her first meal with Ralph (yeah, before we got married). I set down the finger dipping bowls and next thing I knew, mom started nudging me, “quick, he’s going to drink it, he thinks it’s soup!” I’m laughing from the memory of it, my mom immediately liked him, she thought he was a hoot. Well, also because she discovered he was a ‘Chinaman’ in his previous life, Ralph likes hot food piping hot, not luke warm and he’d eat Asian food everyday rather than Western food.

Notes:
To give your shrimp that seared look and to get them crispy, you need high heat. Non-stick woks or pans are not supposed to be used above medium heat.

When you crowd your wok or pan, it lowers the temperature of your pan and then juices will exude which in turn stews your shrimp instead of giving it a crispy, crunchy exterior. So, fry in TWO BATCHES, you won’t regret it.

More notes:
Link to check out different types of chili peppers.

I like frying with canola oil and have been using it for a number of years but currently trying some Tea seed oil from China, not tried enough to tell yet. Here’s a chart to show different oil smoke points. Sesame oil is not good for stir frying because it does smoke and it’s very overpowering but good for marinading, adding to pasta, making sauces and salad dressing.