Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

"fried rice"

Las Olas Wine and Food Festival

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Wok Star Eleanor Hoh at the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival last Saturday, May 2. The festival was a fundraiser to benefit American Lung Association. It was the first year the Festival had a Culinary Pavilion, so I was honored to be invited to participate in this worthy cause. Thanks to all the staff at American Lung Association who helped coordinate with me, not forgetting my friend, Linda who took all these photos and of course, many thanks to prolific writer, Sara Liss, editor of Urbandaddy who included us in their weekend mention plus her own blog, Allpurposedark. Oh, thanks for a lovely bottle of wine from Bonterra Vineyards as a gift for my participation.

Here’s a summary of the Festival for those who didn’t make it…

The Culinary Pavilion had all Viking appliances and cookware. But, being a Wok Star, I had my own Wok Star Kit and portable butane gas stove to show folks how easy and convenient it is to set a gas stove on an electric glass flat or coil cooktop which many of us have in South Florida. I wrote quite a lot about this topic under a Note about Heat Source because wok cooking requires HIGH HEAT which can only be achieved with a gas stove.

Gary Cuica is the Director of the Coconut Grove Art Festival, Culinary Pavilion and was instrumental in helping the Las Olas Wine and Food Festival’s Culinary Pavilion in their first endeavor, great job. Gary is also a graduate from Johnson & Wales but his day job is a financial consultant with Wachovia Securities!

Gary and I first met when I was sponsored to give a presentation pairing with Tiger Beer at the Anheuser-Busch VIP event during Superbowl in Miami. Subsequently, he’s invited me to present at the Coconut Grove Art Festival 3 years running, always so much fun but a real pleasure and honor since it’s attended by 40,000 visitors annually.

I am preparing Pineapple Stir Fried Rice using the Del Monte Gold Extra Sweet pineapple. Folks are constantly surprised to see pineapple in this dish but in Asia, it’s quite popular. The cubes give sweetness to the dish without adding sugar and the juice makes the dish moist and fluffy. Del Monte features my video on fruits.com which also has tips for other fruits and vegetables. You can submit your review and rate me there. I gave away San-J tamari (Japanese version of soy sauce) samples with a free recipe postcard for the Pineapple Stir Fried Rice and they were a big hit. San-J is my favorite tamari because of it’s rich depth, I’ve used it for 18 years and LOVE IT! They give me a lovely 5 oz. bottle to include in my Wok Star Kit, people really like all the goodies that come in their kit, like opening prezzies at Christmas.

Hayli, a Johnson & Wales student, has been assisting me in my Wok Star classes and volunteered that day to help chefs in the Culinary Pavilion together with Carla, another assistant who will be helping me as well (thanks Hayli and Carla). The wonderful thing about having these students is that they have food and service experience so makes my events go smoothly. Since Asian cooking is not covered a lot at the school, they are eager to learn and love what I do.

Even though there were forks, I insisted they try using chopsticks, as someone said,”slows them down”, ha, ha.

My buddy, Chef Hugh of Irie Spice specializes in Caribbean cuisine. We met at the Coconut Grove Art Festival and bump into each other frequently at cooking events around town. He made a delicious plantain soup and added enough rum in there to get me tipsy. I cannot really “drink” alcohol, just a little wine / beer and only when I am eating, not on an empty tummy, otherwise I’ll be like a ‘flashing beacon’. Sorry, I diverse.

Chef Hugh has a lovely personality and actually studied to be an architect! I know a lot of chefs who wore other hats prior to their current hat. For myself, I taught computers and helped Wang
launch products worldwide when I lived in UK for 17 years. What I did with computers (simplify a complicated topic, I am now doing with wok cooking (showing a simple approach.) My bio details more “hats” I’ve worn.

How to Make Perfect Fried Rice!

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Forces have aligned to make this an auspicious year for accomplishing resolutions! Here’s greeting the Year of the Ox with Kung Hei Fat Choy, which means good luck, prosperity and longevity. The Year of the Ox, begins Monday, January 26, 2009 and signifies a time to sweep away old habits and start anew. What better way than to jumpstart the process with a healthy, easy and delicious Pineapple Fried Rice using my simple stir fry technique.
Some of my fondest childhood memories of growing up in Hong Kong include the rituals, ceremonies and foods during Chinese New Year’s two week celebrations. Many traditional dishes are served because they symbolize good luck like uncut noodles represent long life, dumplings represent good luck packaged inside, and fried rice signifies prosperity. In Asia, fried rice is either an elegant banquet dish or a homestyle staple which uses leftovers. Fried rice is an all-time favorite Chinese dish in America and the most requested dish I get asked in my Wok Star Cooking Class. Even picky eaters and kids love it because it’s a one-dish wok meal combining tasty flavors, different textures and rainbow colors.
I realize it takes more than willpower to fulfill resolutions so to help make it happen, I’ve also got a video for Pineapple Fried Rice (a joint video project with Del Monte Fresh).  In this video, you’ll discover the simple secrets to achieving perfect fried rice. The most common complaints I hear are, “sticky” rice and “soupy” veggies, so it’s important to use the right wok and technique to guarantee success. And that’s why I put together a Wok Star Kit to demystify the art of stir frying with all the essentials to help you succeed.
Here’s the recipe but remember…
Create your own variations by substituting ingredients. That’s what being a Wok Star is all about!
What you’ll need
3/4 lb ham, cubed
4 cups day old, white rice, break up lumps
1 cup pineapple, cubed, save juice for sauce
1 red bell pepper, cubed
3/4 cup frozen peas
2 scallions, thin rounds
3 eggs with dash of San-J tamari
2 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 slices fresh ginger, diced
2 1/2 tbsp. canola oil for frying
Sauce:
2-3 tbsp. San-J tamari
2 tsp. medium drinking sherry
dash of white pepper
Juice from pineapple
Directions:
Gather all prepped ingredients (including eggs and sauce) around wok. Here’s order for stir frying :
First, fry vegetables…Heat wok till you see a wisp of smoke (for cast iron woks only.) Add 1 tbsp. of oil, then add half of the diced garlic and ginger. Add vegetables and pineapple, stir fry quickly. Add scallions at the very end so they don’t overcook. Remove ingredients and put them on a serving platter.
Next, fry eggs…Heat wok till hot, add 1/2 tbsp. oil, add the eggs and scramble, keeping the eggs soft (use low heat so they don’t overcook). Set aside with veggies. If wok has eggs stuck to it, wash out and dry.
Then fry rice and ham…Heat wok till hot, add 1 tbsp. oil, add garlic and ginger, then add rice and ham. Warm thoroughly. Add vegetables, then sauce, and combine thoroughly by stir frying. Last, add eggs and break up as you mix but don’t overcook them. They should remain soft and fluffy.
Pineapple is what makes this Fried Rice so special and sweet. Enjoy!…
This new year, instead of being a spectator watching chefs cook on television or being a passive diner, my mantra is ANYONE can be a Wok Star and make healthy, tasty, sizzling, wok creations right in your own home! Wok Stars agree my Kit is the solution to achieving their resolutions for longevity, prosperity and good luck.
You can find out more about Year of the Ox, predictions and horoscopes, celebrities and compatibility.
For a lot more about Chinese New Year traditions on what to eat, wear and how to decorate your home.
You can also subscribe in right sidebar to my FREE newsletter focusing on meal ideas, resources, tips and techniques and where to eat good Asian food and beyond.
Kung Hei Fat Choy!