Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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grilling

4 Tips to Add Flavor to Any Dish

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SPICE RUBS…

I ADORE dry spice rubs, how did Chef Patty Ruiz know? She brought me a gift of her three handcrafted spices: Harissa Dry Spice Rub, Zaatar Spice Blend and Chinese Five Spice Blend.  If you’re in Miami, she also gives cooking instructions and can create a magical event for you, her styling is out of this world.

The Mad Table’s Zaatar spice rub, wow, so perfect for this Rack of Lamb, umm…

Dry spice rubs are so versatile, they are my favorite way to season meats for grilling and sprinkle on omelets, soups, stews, whatever you’d like.

Choose from her 16 spice blends at The Mad Table!
Don’t you love her packaging!

Spin it!

Here’s something to help you get those flavors into your food…I came across this tin lazy Suzan and I love it! I keep it right on my dining table so it’s handy. It’s a little bulky but does the job.  Keeps my spice rubs, etc. for adding flavor to any dish.

Check my Instagram Highlights/Cooking Tips @wokstar for short video, see some spin action and see other goodies! Instagram is where you’ll get the latest updates on Tips, Food Finds and beyond! 

MUSHROOMS…

Wok Stars, you already know about Earthy Delights’ Shiitake or Oyster Mushrooms that come in your Wok Star Kit. Mushrooms are so versatile, they can go in a stir fry, soup, stew, risotto. And so handy cause they never spoil. Check instructions on packet how to rehydrate them. 

Recently, I’ve been using Shimeji Mushrooms which have changed my life. Since I started making Buddha Bowl soups, I throw a bunch of Shimeji and Enokis in right at the end. They cook really fast whether you add to soup or stir fry. 

Shimeji Mushrooms changed my life!
Click to see how you make this yummy Classic Wok Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms!

Chili Threads!

Earthy Delight first introduced me to these wonderful Chili Threads and now I am hooked and they don’t stock it, phooey. You can find at Asian markets as well. Top on any dish and you’ll be considered a gourmet chef! Keep them in dark area, away from heat or they lose their flavor. 

They add STYLE, HEIGHT, VISUAL INTEREST and a slight hit of spiciness.

Crispy Shallots/Red Onions

Crispy shallots or red onions give so much flavor and kick as a topping. Don’t sprinkle till right before eating cause they tend to get soft.  For soups, I put them in a small sauce plate to savor separately. 

You can find them at Asian markets also, check the labels, you don’t want any MSG or chemicals. The less ingredients, the better. Mine only listed soybean oil and shallots or red onions, yum. 

Crispy shallots or red onions give so much flavor and kick as a topping.

Note: this post contains Amazon affiliate links or partner links.

Why Grill and Stir Fry in one dinner?

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Even though I teach easy, healthy, one-dish wok meals, here’s a simple weeknight dinner idea that will make you a rock star and that’s to grill and stir fry in one dinner!  Grilling a batch of protein is a very efficient way to produce many meals.  While the grill is going, fry up some veggies.  Grilling and stir frying in one dinner is one of my favorite weeknight ways to keep it simple and stress free and don’t we all want some of that?


My preference is grilling rather than roasting.  I like the texture better, meat is crispy outside and tender inside and colors come out so much brighter. Grilling uses same technique as stir frying, high heat seals in the flavors and retains the colors. I find dry spice rubs work best as wet marinades tend to make meat tough and chewy (same with stir frying meat.)
WokStar-EleanorHoh-grill-porkbelly
Grilled pork belly using just Flavorgod everything seasoning spicy.

I wish I could bottle the smell of lamb being grilled, because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and hungry!  Grilling a whole leg of lamb is super practical since I make lunch for my hubby to take to work and for myself.  It’s so easy to stir fry whatever vegetables I find in my fridge. Stir frying isn’t just for an Asian dinner, you can fry veggies for western style grilled meats,  it’s nice to mix and match east and west!  There are no boundaries when it comes to cooking and you’ll be surprised at how well this works, try it!
Disadvantage of grilling:
Grilling (i.e. broiling in the oven) tends to heat up the kitchen unlike wok cooking which doesn’t generate outward heat and is so fast anyway.
Advantages of grilling:
1. you’ve got a load of meat to last many meals and saves you cooking everyday!
2: you can grill all sorts of protein like salmon, pork shoulder (one of my favs), leg of lamb, organic chicken thighs, skirt steak, tofu, whatever you want basically.
3: you can cut the grilled protein in different ways e.g. chunks for lunch, strips if I use in a stir fry with veggies and slices for dinner.

Here are some of my favorite spice rubs to try, from left to right:
BBQ Spice Rub from Stubbs (I found at Fresh Market)
Everything Seasoning Spicy from flavorgod.com (this is really addictive)
– curry powder from Myspicesage.com (very fresh and intensive flavor)
– Jerk seasoning from Ocho Rios (available in most supermarkets incl. Publix, Winn Dixie, I am not an affiliate but should be, right?)
– Moroccan Spice Rub from Earthy.com
Most rubs already have salt in them, so all you need is to:
1) switch broiler on
2) rinse meat under cold water, pat very dry with paper towels
3) sprinkle spice rub to cover meat completely on both sides
4) zing under broiler on top rack close to the heat
5) Use your eyes and nose to judge when it’s done. Here’s a simple rule, first, you’re going to smell the incredible aromas from meat grilling, usually in about 10 minutes. Go check and see!  When the first side gets nice and toasty with crispy edges, flip it over. Second side won’t take as long and also depends how thick the cut is.  When golden and slightly crispy round edges, stick a fork or steel skewer in the thickest part to test if done.  If there’s blood running, it’s still a bit rare so I switch the heat off and let it sit under the broiler. If you cook till there’s no blood, it’s overdone, cause meat continues cooking.
6) stir fry your veggies while meat is grilling. See below for veggie combinations and how to do it!
7) let the meat rest about 5 minutes before carving and digging in.
In a future post, I’ll show how to do it the other way round: Grilling veggies while stir frying meat!
Looking for more ideas…
4th of July, Spicy BBQ Hoisin Spare Ribs
Grilled Hoisin Pork Chop with 3 different veggie sides
Grilled salmon and stir fry bok choy
Grilled Swordfish with stir fry zucchini
Even more ideas…

BBQ Spicy Hoisin Ribs

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BBQ Spicy Hoisin Ribs are so easy and ALWAYS turn out juicy and tasty AS LONG AS you use these 3 specific brands of seasonings: San-J tamari, Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce and Huy Fong chili garlic sauce!  Sorry, there’s no comparison or compromise. Start with good ingredients and you’ll have less work to make your dish tasty. My husband swears when we ‘retire’, we’ll go on a road trip in a winnebago and flip up the back and serve my BBQ Spicy Hoisin Ribs and he’ll make wok omelets and make a killing!

My sister and I have had not such stellar experiences when using other brands.  She made my signature Hoisin Ribs for a friend in Key West and they didn’t have the Koon Chun Hoisin sauce. She was so disappointed with results.  Even in Hong Kong, where Koon Chun is manufactured, I couldn’t locate it at my Kowloon market and experienced same blah results.

Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce is the STAR of this dish!
This sauce is what MAKES the dish and gives it the caramelization and crispy edges yet juicy and succulent inside. It has the right texture and balance of flavors and clings to your ribs instead of falling off.
The soy beans are from the first pressing, so you have quality and not the dregs like other brands, made from many pressings. With the right mix of sweetness together with the sour vinegar and spiciness of the Huy Fong chili garlic sauce and the saltiness from San-J tamari. If you don’t have lime, not to worry, the vinegar from the chili sauce is enough. Double up if you need more!
I always get asked how long do I grill/broil/BBQ the ribs, your nose will tell you and you can peek to see when they are slightly burnt before turning over. You don’t need to ‘marinade’ ribs for a while before grilling. I slather right before I grill and ONLY ON ONE SIDE. When you slather on both sides, it makes the side that’s not being grilled soggy and yukky. My ‘scientific’ lingo. I’m not allowed a BBQ grill in our building but I find it’s just as good under the broiler.  So excuse me when I say ‘grill’.

A butcher said 3 ribs per person plus 1 extra.  When they’re huge, I only eat one! Buy individual ribs if cooking for just a few but get the slab if you’re cooking for many cause it’s too much work to flip each individual rib! I grill all of them so I have leftovers, yum, the best.
I made this for 4th of July and had with a lovely red quinoa salad with mini sweet peppers, scallion and an avocado, grape tomatoes, pineapple, chicory, shallot salad.  They were both a perfect complementary side dish to Grilled Spicy Hoisin Ribs.

PROCESS:
1. Get ribs to room temperature.  Wash & dry completely. Place on rack on baking tray or if you’re BBQing on an outdoor grill, line them on the rack.
2. Here are the proportions for the marinade: 4 hoisin, 1 tamari, 2 chili garlic sauce, 1/4 lime juice.
3. Grill till crispy with burnt edges.  Turn over each rib or if you got a slab, slice down each rib then slather more marinade on the uncooked side and grill till crispy with burnt edges.  If you have patience, turn the rib on both its sides as well.  Just test the thickest rib with fork to see if juice runs clear. Ready to chomp on them?
Do you have inside tips how you make your ribs?
#LetsLunch is a monthly virtual lunch of bloggers whose posts are based on a theme. Don’t forget to check out all the Let’s Lunchers’ BBQ posts below! And if you’d like to join Let’s Lunch, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below.
Aleana‘s Home-made Ketchup, Relish & Mustard (BBQ-Friendly Condiments) at Eat My Blog
Charissa‘s Grilled Pulled-Pork Pizza with Roasted Corn (Gluten-Free) at Zest Bakery
Emma‘s Miso-Glazed Grilled Veggies and Polenta at Dreaming of Pots and Pans
Grace‘s Working Mama’s Pork Tenderloin Bao at HapaMama
Jill‘s Steven Raichlen Ribs Interview at Eating My Words
Joe‘s Grilled Cabbage (and Smoky Cabbage and Udon Slaw) at Joe Yonan
Juliana‘s Grilled Wagyu and Turbot with Bearnaise Sauce at J. Loh
Lisa‘s BBQ Salmon with Tahini Dressing and Fresh Herb Salad at Monday Morning Cooking Club
Lucy‘s Taj Ma Hog & Not-So-Secret BBQ Sauce at A Cook and Her Books
Nancie‘s Thai Grilled Chicken Wings with Sweet Hot Garlic Sauce at Nancie McDermott
Pat‘s Korean-Style Beef Shortribs (Kalbi) at The Asian Grandmother’s Cookbook
Renee‘s Steamed Buns with BBQ Pork at My Kitchen And I
Disclosures:  

  1. Koon Chun sponsors my Wok Star project by providing Hoisin Sauce and Brown Bean Sauce to include in my Wok Star Kit.  However, I must state that I have been using this product for over 19 years and contacted them because I love their products. 
  2. I’m finally an Amazon affiliate, so if you purchase any of the products from here, I will get a commission.

Fourth Of July Celebrations (Updated)

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Happy Fourth!


The most important part of any celebration is spending time with people you enjoy. Get everyone to bring a dish. I usually make the main dishes. This was last year’s Fourth of July party. What’s great is we walk across 2 minutes to the beach to watch the Fireworks and come back for dessert.

See below for this year’s spread plus updates in blue. After making the ribs, I realized I missed a few directions which help tremendously.

Most of the cold dishes can be prepared ahead of time, just assemble prior to guests arriving. Main thing is get your table setting beautiful so when guests walk in, it’s stunning!

Shrimp with Chayote and Red Bell Peppers
Field Greens with Avocado, Tomatoes and freshly made Olive Oil Dressing

Hoisin Spare Ribs
Quinoa with Flame Roasted Bell Peppers and Dressing
Celery and Red Bean Salad
BIG SECRET –

1. Get ribs to room temperature. Line baking tray with double foil, gets messy. Pierce meat with fork. Marinade, leave for 1/2 hour prior to grilling.

2. Proportion: 4 hoisin, 1 tamari, 2 chili garlic sauce, 1/4 lime juice. Marinade should be thick so it clings to ribs. Slather it on. When you flip over ribs, add more marinade.

3. Grill till crispy with burnt edges. Slice down each rib. It’s even better to grill each rib on its side. Watch and smell, you’ll know when they’re ready…


ENJOY!

Here’s what we had for this year’s Fourth!

Ralph and I were thrilled to host this Fourth for our friends’, Sander & Ina’s grandkids visiting from New Jersey. We wanted them to experience Fireworks right on the pier. They are Giulia 8, Mary Jane 12 and Cassidy 15 and are just adorable. Well behaved and you can converse with them like adults! Unfortunately, Ralph (my hubby) was taking photo!

Shrimp ceviche with red onion and cilantro (thanks Sander)
and my Hoisin Ribs

I had to ripen tomatoes and mangoes by the window, they tend to pick them way too green. Notice the mint and parsley I got from Toyota Venza event on Lincoln Road, posting right after this.

Pineapple, Mango Salsa with tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, scallions, red and green Jalapena chilies, pickled in Japanese rice vinegar, lime juice. This is perfect with the ribs or grilled salmon, well, just about anything actually.

Red quinoa Salad (Ina made olive oil dressing) with flame roasted red bell peppers and fresh basil (from Irene & Richard’s balcony). Quinoa is an Inca grain, very light, you cook the same ratio as rice – 1 cup grain: 1 1/2 cup water. It’s not starchy and heavy like potatoes or rice and great for vegetarians because it has protein and balances out the carbs. We eat a lot of quinoa, here’s another dish I make with CurrySimple’s Thai curry salmon with quinoa.


Mixed Field Green salad with cherry tomatoes, red onion and cucumber (Linda’s).
Pickled Jalapena chilies in rice vinegar

The Best Freshly made Blueberry Pie with top & bottom crust (Irene’s), slurp.

We always have a fresh fruit platter. This is just strawberries and cherries.