Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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Hate vegetables? Try my glazing technique!

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Hate vegetables? Try my GLAZING TECHNIQUE, it will transform your vegetables to a different level. Even kids, spouses and partners will LOVE! GLAZING TECHNIQUE is a French classic technique using butter and stock/water but as usual, in comes Wok Star and as usual, I’ve simplified it and made it my own (see below).

OLD: STIR FRY TECHNIQUE 

The Chinese classic way of cooking vegetables starts by blanching vegetables in liquid, then stir frying and add seasoning. 

My Wok Star way is to do the opposite!  Check post below for full details…

Try this stir fry for cooking flavorful vegetables so you’ll LOVE them!

BIG DIFFERENCE when you fry first, then add stock! 

These are recommendations for best oils to use for high heat wok cooking, definitely NOT vegetable oils. 

NEW: GLAZING TECHNIQUE

With this new GLAZING TECHNIQUE, you INCREASE the fat ratio which softens the stems so they are still crunchy, glossy looking AND softens the hard stems of vegetables. 

And of course, I’m using my cast iron wok and induction wok stove (saving my portable gas stove for hurricane season) to stir fry. You can use a stainless steel pan or pot if you don’t have a wok. But PLEASE not non-stick wok or pans. They cannot handle high heat and should only be used on medium heat.

The French technique combines butter and stock together with vegetables and cooked at the same time.

My WOK STAR WAY:

I use ghee (clarified butter) which can handle 450-485 and chicken stock. I also changed the cooking technique by stir frying the vegetable first, then adding stock.

The ratio 4:3 is a game changer!

4 portions of ghee to 3 portions of stock and NO sugar involved for me, instead add some spice seasoning like Indonesian Ayam from World Spice. They have a ton of choices and grind their spices fresh before shipping. Spices add so much FLAVOR to vegetables and meat. More about this soon.

I’d love to hear in comments below if you try this GLAZING TECHNIQUE on your vegetables, what kind of vegetables and how you liked this technique?

Do tag @wokstar #wokstarway

GLAZING TECHNIQUE VIDEO
with step-by-step instructions…

Note: I earn teeny commissions from Amazon and World Spice, here’s a discount code, they have a fantastic variety of spices, teas etc.

A Wok Star means creating yummy dishes with what you have, no recipes or measuring required. When you focus on Flavors, Textures, Colors, it’s EASY!
Visit Cook Like a Wok Star and you’ll understand why I do what I do. 

Best Oils to Use for High Heat Wok Cooking

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As a wok cooking teacher, I’m constantly asked what are the best oils to use for high heat wok cooking.  The topic of best oils has changed over the years, we find more and more how vegetable and seed oils are highly processed and are NOT good for your health. Let’s discuss Smoke Points, Flavors and why and how they affect your health! 

CHART FOR OILS, SMOKE POINT, FLAVOR

BEST OILS FOR HIGH HEAT WOK COOKING

HEALTH

Vegetable oils which everyone thinks is so nutritious is actually highly processed and full of Omega 6 fatty acids which is inflammatory and has terrible health consequences. 

Here’s a functional doctor I highly respect who started off as a traditional family practitioner, Dr. Hyman.  It’s best you get the history about the complete switcheroo from vegetable and seed oils to saturated fats. This short video explains it really well.

HOW TO KEEP OILS

I know Costco stocks huge bottles of Avocado and Olive Oil but it’s best to buy smaller quantities because they can go rancid. Keep these oils in a dry, cool, dark place.  Never put oil bottles close to hot cooking areas which makes them spoil even faster. And close the lid quickly because oxygen contributes to rancidity, eww. 

SMOKE POINT

Smoke Point basically means at what temperature the oil reaches before it breaks down and degrades its flavor, smell and nutrition. 

I have also lowered the temperature of my stir frying. I start HIGH at 500 on my Nuwave and HIGHEST on my Iwatani gas stove. OK, sorry I’m introducing yet another angle to stir frying but ever since I started using the GLAZING TECHNIQUE which involves stock or water for vegetables, the smoke point doesn’t come into effect so much. I’ll work on a GLAZING blog post next. 

Coconut oil is not that high and gets very smoky, so I’ve backed off using it for my stir fries. 

Stir Fry Medley Vegetables – snow pea shoots, oyster mushrooms

FLAVOR

Only Avocado oil has a neutral flavor.  For me personally, I love the flavor of ghee in my food, it makes everything look very glazed, taste delicious and has a creamy texture. My husband as you all know is the Omelet Master only uses ghee now.

Coconut oil also imparts a strong flavor. Extra Virgin Olive oil (EVOO) makes everything taste Italian? Just joking but it does have a strong flavor and is expensive, I use it for mostly dressing.  All this boils down to is depending on your personal flavor preference. 

How to: Fry Eggs in your Wok

As mentioned, I will share the Glazing technique. In the meantime, Try this Stir Fry for Cooking Flavorful Vegetables so you’ll love them and so will your partner and the kids! In this post, I used a similar technique but less ratio of oil and liquid.

Try this stir fry for cooking flavorful vegetables so you’ll LOVE them!

CONCLUSION

To conclude, please ELIMINATE using any highly processed vegetable or seed oils like tea seed oil, canola oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil. If you see mentions of those oils in my old blog posts, PLEASE remember to replace with avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil. 

PS whenever I go out to dine, I get terrible bloating and takes a week to get back to normal. I’m trying to start a campaign to get chefs to NOT use those dreaded highly processed vegetable or seed oils. I was so thrilled to hear Los Felix and sister restaurant right next door Krus Kitchen in Coconut Grove do NOT use seed oils, yay. 

Ask me any questions in comments and I’ll try to answer as best I can. 

Amazing Ways and Places Wok Stars Use Their Wok Star Kits!

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I LOVE all the amazing ways and places Wok Stars use their WOK STAR KITS! Being a Wok Star encompasses more than just cooking, it’s about creating memories and helping people become less reliant on recipes and most importantly, creating a fun way to cook and eat healthier. If you treat cooking like a ‘Healthy Hobby” instead of a “diet”, then it’ll be something you WANT to do rather than HAVE to do, right?

I’m so happy Wok Stars and I continue to be in touch and keep up with their successes. These are only some of hundreds of fabulous comments I get from Wok Stars. If you’re a Wok Star, do email me.

My WOK STAR KIT and gas stove is a traveling kitchen, you can cook anywhere…

READY TO BE A WOK STAR?

Amazing WAYS Wok Stars use their Wok Star Kits…

YOU’VE PUT THE FUN BACK INTO COOKING!
Dr. Eric, OBGYN. “Wok so much…can’t tell you enough how much you have changed my eating habits and inspired so much enjoyment for cooking. :)”  He now finds cooking a relaxing time to decompress after work.

EASY & HEALTHY FOR TEENAGERS!
Chris B, software engineer. We definitely like the wok the more we use it. 4 of us cook, we throw whatever we want into the wok and stir it up for 1 dish. Takes 5 mins to make lunch or dinner. Trying to make it easier for teenagers instead of the typical unhealthy diet. He’s even gifted my WOK STAR KIT to a couple who loved his style of cooking so much.  

WOK WILL TRAVEL!
Henri A, designer & event planner.  “This handy dandy cast iron wok has its own suitcase and I never leave home without it! Camping…Beach…Hiking…or let me cook for you at your house!…It is the single most important piece for cooking for me! Thank you Eleanor for introducing me and for giving me the simplest and most impactful way to make flavorful memories! I am a Wok Star!” 

READY TO BE A WOK STAR!

Amazing PLACES Wok Stars use their Wok Star Kits…

COOKING WHILE RVing
Alex M, Photographer, transforms vintage trucks, furniture and leather into amazing man caves and beverage trucks. “Just because you’re RVing, doesn’t mean you can’t cook a badass meal!” 

CAMPING IN PARKS
Stefan, trainer & digital guru. He and his wife went camping and cooked in their WOK STAR KIT in parks.

MOUNTAINS, NO PROBLEM
Stephanie P, my ex-class assistant, Cruise Guide for Alaska environment & bicycling. She was such an enthusiastic WOK STAR, always eager to cook anywhere. This was taken in Sierra Nevada mountains. 

READY TO BE A WOK STAR?