Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

Wok Star

How blogs can help you be a Wok Star!

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BelleLive-Blogtour
One of the things I’ve always struggled with is providing content to support my customers who are new Wok Stars and reach potential Wok Stars!  For some reason, I always thought I should be blogging about just food and provide my customers with lots of meal ideas because I don’t teach ‘recipes’.

Well, these thoughts were banished when I watched Creative Live’s Build a Successful Creative Blog with April Bowles-Olin!  
The biggest takeaway from April’s course was…
Blog about the topic you are an expert in, that’s what your audience want and expect from you.
April helped me open my eyes to blogging more than just about cooking in a wok but to focus on solutions why folks have not succeeded in wok cooking or offering tips how to succeed in wok cooking through reading my blogs!
Crafting titles to attract the right audience is the most important element to blogging, and this is something I must learn and fast!

I love helping people solve problems, so after April’s course, I posted a blog describing how folks who’ve used the wrong wok and stove were never successful until they bought my Kit and Stove and are now Cast Iron Wok Converts!
Providing tips for Easy Wok Dinner and eating healthier is also a popular topic!
Sharing tips about woks
Dispelling misinformation by so called ‘experts’, a subject that irks me something rotten and itching to blog about!
and the list goes on and on.
My problem has always been how to manage all this because it’s overwhelming.  April provided us with a clear procedure. It’s what I teach people about wok cooking and should apply to myself!  Thank you so much April.
And when I flounder with blogging topics, I have to keep reminding myself that when I provide content that helps people make decisions, they become your avid fans!
Buyers always tell me that the content and solutions I provide were what helped them decide to buy from me.  Now, if I can entice more folks to visit my blog, I believe they will understand a little more that what I provide in my Wok Star Kit Bundle will help them be successful Wok Stars!

Click this tweet!

My Wok Star Kit Bundle with everything to help you succeed: right wok, gas stove, good knife and seasonings!

I’ll leave you with some very touching comments from Wok Stars!…
“Wonderful website…Brilliant business plan, instructional approach (Zen easy-style)…my dear EH…I am profoundly impressed by your digital entrepreneurship and the intelligence of your website!!! I am SO happy to have found you…” Ralph A.
“I like your style of wok cooking because it has a healthy fresh spin on cooking.
Also you make it fun and easy! I will also join your newsletter and be one of your Wok Stars! Thanks,” Billy
“Wok so much…can’t tell you enough how much you have changed my eating habits and inspired so much enjoyment for cooking. :)” Dr. Eric, busy OBGYN
“I picked you as your site was the most informed and you actually know what you’re talking about.  I found your site personalized and friendly as well as smart. Most sites I’ve visited I found were rubbish, no idea what they were talking about and obviously don’t use woks and or don’t believe in what they are selling.” Kind regards, Julia
“Without the knowledge you’ve shared on your site, I would’ve spent a lot of money just to get poor results because my existing equipment is inadequate.”  Brian
“I felt that when I saw your Youtube clips and reading your website.  I can see your passion in what you’re doing as that was very obvious…you are the only one that took the time and effort to put everything together and at it’s most simplest and easiest form of understanding.  So–TO ME—that is GOLD, my dear!!…YOU stand out and sets YOU far above the others when someone is really serious about eating healthy and looking at wok cooking to assist them in their journey.  So–Don’t Stop What You’re Doing!!  You are the WOK STAR in my book!!” Holly
“With your kit and the butane stove, we’ve got the perfect setup now.  I just wish I hadn’t wasted all that money before finding your kit and stove!”  Thanks so much!”  Joe & Cristina
“Your kit is thoughtfully put together, with the selling points for me being the organization and ease. I am looking to eat healthier and have fun, I think you made that happen for me.” Daniel
“I love that you take the time to explain why you are so insistent about recommending a very specific product. In general, I respond to real people who are passionate about what they do.  When I saw your website, I knew I wanted to support you.”  Nathan
 
This post is a part of the “What ‪#‎BelleLive‬ Taught Me” blog tour. In order to continue your journey, visit Kris Windley’s, Blogging is a Team Sport: How to Build Community Online – and Why You Have to
and Laura Kuenzig’s, Done is better than perfect
or for a full list of participants please visit Jo Cavagnis, It’s All About You

Wok 3 Ways: Steam meatloaf, Fry and Boil

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Have you ever had a craving that needs to be satisfied like immediately?  I had one of those earlier this week.  It’s a dish my mom used to make with ground pork and Tianjian preserved vegetable, it’s so moorish. I call this dish ‘Chinese steamed meatloaf’ because it’s a similar concept to meatloaf: densely packed meat.

Steamed Chinese meatloaf and rapini is such an easy, weeknight dinner!

Both cooked in my wok using three different methods, steaming, parboiling and frying.

Apart from minced pork, Tianjian preserved vegetables and rapini, I always have garlic and ginger, scallions and my handy caddy basket with seasonings and oil for stir frying.  This dinner came together quickly. Always prep everything prior to turning on wok and stove!

I usually use ground turkey but fancied pork for a change. The butcher ground about a pound of pork butt fresh for me.  I “seasoned” the minced pork with my usual TSPC: tamari, sherry, pepper and cornstarch, then sprinkled 1/2 of shredded ginger on top.  My blue and white ‘fish’ motif dish was a perfect steaming dish and can be found at Asian markets.  A coup dish is good too.

Tianjian preserved vegetable comes in a lovely ceramic jar.  You can recycle those jars to use as a vase or pen holder, I love them.  If you aren’t able to get Tianjian preserved vegetable or don’t want to use it, the “seasoned” pork on its own will still taste SUPERB.

Cooking is about making your own rules and having FUN and that’s what Wok Stars do!

When you open the jar, PONG! it’s strong smelling cause it comes from the you guessed it, cabbage family!  It’s chopped up already and preserved with salt, so rinse in a little tap water to get rid of some of the salt, then drain well.  Because I don’t measure, I used just enough vegetable so you get a bite in each mouthful but not too much!  Use chopsticks or a fork to fold the vegetable gently into the pork, the pork should be chunky and intact, not mushy.

Rapini (also known as broccoli rabe) has a slight tang like Chinese broccoli and complemented the steamed meatloaf perfectly. When chopping bottom of the stems, I noticed they were a bit pithy, so parboiling rather than stir frying would make them more tender. This is a good example of my thought process and how it determines what cooking method I use.  It’s also one of the reasons why you should not just follow a recipe blindly because if an ingredient doesn’t look good, you should substitute it and not feel like you cannot make the recipe!

Boil a wokful of water till bubbling, squeeze in a few drops of oil to prevent rapini going grey.  If you have a lot of mouths to feed, parboil rapini in several batches.  I only did one batch and kept rest in fridge.  Parboil rapini till a little wilted, test for doneness the way you like to have it, then drain.  Place on plate and keep warm.  Return wok to stove, wipe very dry.  Heat your wok, then add 4-5 swirls of oil into wok and quickly fry squished garlic and rest of shredded ginger.  Fry & swish around with spatula till slightly golden. Don’t burn them otherwise they become bitter.  Pour this goodness all over the rapini. This dish is DONE.

Yes, another great use of a wok is steaming.  My mom showed me how to use wood chopsticks and lay them across the wok as a platform to steam the plate of minced pork and then put the wok lid on, such a clever idea! No steamer rack necessary and the plate used for steaming goes straight to the table. So, make sure you use a plate that’s big enough to spread the pork and has a little dip to it, cause there’ll be a little sauce from the steaming and seasoning, yummy.

Note:  I got this tip from one of my favorite Wok Stars: Dr. Maritza Paz.  Do NOT use disposable wood chopsticks which are not sturdy so they bend and she nearly lost her dish of food!  Melamine chopsticks are O.K.

Sprinkle chopped scallions right before serving. Slice the Chinese meatloaf into wedges and eat with rapini.  Notice we didn’t have any rice with this dish and we didn’t miss it, yummy.
Wok 3 ways is another illustration of the versatility of a wok, don’t waste it by using it just for stir frying!  Please share ingenious ways you’re cooking in your wok in comments below!
 
 

Chinese New Year Festive Table Setting

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For Year of the Dragon, I wanted to show you easy ways to dress up your table so you can enjoy a Simple Chinese New Year Dinner At Home.
Use lots of “red” which symbolizes good luck and anything you can find that has Dragon or Asian theme on it! This includes red packets with money in it to give to unmarried folks or kids.  I put little buddhas in red packets to give to Wok Stars or friends!  Tangerines, clementines, oranges represent good luck and prosperity. Give them as gifts to friends. The gold and red character paper is what Buddhists burn in their prayer ceremonies and can be bought at an Asian market.

This is my favorite Dragon plate and red mat I use for styling my dishes!

If you have access to an Asian store, buy those table mat and chopstick, napkin sets!  They’re all color coordinated and ready to go. I was given this set as a Chinese New Year gift by a chiropractor, who is also a  speaker and all round wonderful mom of Sophie and Wok Star, Dr. Maritza Paz.
Maritza’s lovely table mat & chopstick napkin came in very handy when I went on NBC Miami yesterday to show how to set an easy Chinese New Year festive table setting and cook up a Sizzling Shrimp dish!  More about the show here. Don’t forget to add some orchids if you can get them or any bright colored flowers would also be a wonderful addition.

If you can’t get to an Asian store, throw a Chinese New Year party (you have 2 weeks to do this in!), you’ll end up with nice gifts from friends!  That’s how I scored this beautiful handbag and a Monkey painting with lots of Chinese calligraphy.  It’s created by a dear friend, Marguerite Gil who’s a French ceramic artist, writer and radio show host!
Many Wok Stars who have my Dragon themed wok mitt set can use their mitts as a display when you’re not using them for cooking!
Here are a few of my table settings using ‘Dragon’ dishes I thought you might enjoy!

I didn’t realize how many Dragon dishes I had till I pulled things out for this post.
Well, have fun with your table setting…
Here’s one more Chinese New Year post with decorating ideas!