Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

Be a Wok Star!

wok

Healthy, Easy Wok Stir Frys

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“Gourmet Goodness with the Wok Star”
My cooking demo setup at Whole Foods Market, Pinecrest today.
It’s not hard to do a beautiful setup:
I ‘borrowed’ gorgeous yellow & purple orchids.
Eye popping colorful, fresh veggies.

It’s always thrilling to show healthy, easy Wok Stir Frys and today, I got the chance to do just that! It was great to see more kids shopping with their parents and were lured by the delicious smells from my wok cooking. Parents were constantly surprised their kids wanted to taste my veggies since they won’t eat them at home. They’re even more surprised to find with just a dash of tamari and sherry, veggies can taste so GOOD.

A mom was so excited to tell me that EVERYTHING I used in the dish had NO GLUTEN! Her son had many allergies and she was looking for new ways to make his dinners more palatable and she found the ticket. I had another lady write down all the veggies I used so she could replicate the exact stir fry for her husband. When I explained that there were no rules and you could combine any veggies, she said she didn’t want to take any chances because her husband was a very picky eater. She ran around the store and bought the exact same veggies and seasonings I used and was so proud to show them to me.

Many smart moms are bringing their college bound teenagers to my cooking class. They’ve realized they don’t want them to go out to eat every night. It’s expensive and probably doesn’t involve healthy choices. I must track down numerous articles where college kids take turns to cook on campus instead of clubbing and is the new trend.

I’ve not finished reading this article: Produce by “Prescription” Seeks to Address Childhood Obesity but I know many kids who stop by my demos really enjoyed my veggies! Flavor is of utmost importance to kids but they also love veggies that are colorful, crispy and crunchy!

Aromatics included scallions, ginger, garlic.
Kick it up with Fresh shitake mushrooms.
Purple curly kale, Shanghai Bok Choy, Nappa cabbageDifferent textures: eggplant, daikon, carrots, red bell, napa, bok choy.
Chopped veggies ready to go straight into wok. Daikon, red bell, eggplant, purple curly kale.
Whenever I do these demos, I simply use all leftover ingredients for that evening’s dinner.
I had some cooked red quinoa and firm toufu (Leasa brand) which is my fav, less watery, so you can really crisp it up when you stir fry it. Cubed toufu and marinaded with Stubbs BBQ sauce, such a time saver. It’s spicy and tangy, just hits all the right notes.

Stir fry of purple curly kale, turnip, carrots, scallions.

Dinner was ready in minutes. So, when you run out of meal ideas, just remember that you can make a quick dinner with just ONE veggie, a protein like toufu and red quinoa. It doesn’t have to be a big production.
Get your kids to help by cutting up the veggies, cubing the toufu, marinading. They love participating in the act of cooking and let them do the stir frying. Believe it or not, they really enjoy putting the dinner on the table if you let them. I know I was always fascinated watching our ‘amah’ cook when I was growing up in Hong Kong. Little did I know that I would be showing others how to cook in a wok!

Italian in a Wok!

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Italian in a Wok!
THREE INGREDIENTS: chicken sausages, rapini, pasta.

This is such a simple, quick, easy dinner that I’m surprised I don’t make it more often! Italian in a Wok. YES, you heard right. It’s perfect for a hot summer night.

I know I’m constantly trying to encourage you to use your wok to cook everything, not just an Asian stir fry but really, it works so well because of its shape and wide opening so food don’t fall out.

So, here’s my Italian dinner:
Just THREE INGREDIENTS: chicken sausages, rapini and pasta.
Well, you can’t count garlic, ginger, chili flakes, dried tomatoes. Those are ingredients you always have, right? I prefer chicken sausage (Aidell’s or similar) which are not so fatty but so tasty, no MSG or tons of preservatives.

I use my cast iron wok and portable gas stove which sits on top of my electric coil stove. This is the BEST setup and works like MAGIC!

Start with boiling pasta in pot. Drain and keep some of the juice.

In your wok, boil water with drop of oil. Add your washed rapini with pinch of salt. It doesn’t take long, so give a taste and when it’s just tender, it’s done. Drain but keep some of the juice.

Yes, it’s fine to use liquid in your wok, once you start frying with oil, your patina will build back up immediately, don’t worry.

Dry your wok. Heat your wok on medium high, add little oil, add diced garlic and ginger, add chopped sausages.

Plate your pasta, add rapini with juice from rapini and pasta. Top with sausages, chopped dried tomatoes and sprinkles of chili flakes, dinner is ready!

This is such a tasty, easy, quick dish. It’s what being a Wok Star is all about…enjoy.

Fairchild's Food and Garden Festival

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What a lovely way to spend a weekend!  I was invited to give a cooking demonstration and blog about Fairchild Garden’s 2nd Annual Food and Garden Festival.

Schedule included a wide variety of cooking demos.

Banana nut cake for Ralph from Native Conch.
By the time I got there, nothing was left in the way of savory food!

I hope you’ll make it to this event next year, it was a lot of fun meeting people who also enjoy fresh local produce and getting to know the farmers.  In the meantime, I encourage you to shop at your organic and farmer’s market or visit Redlands if you live in Miami before it gets too hot!  My post on Seasonal Foods has lots of meal ideas and tips.

Nothing excites me more than seeing and smelling beautiful, fresh produce. 

I was a bit upset I didn’t end up buying any produce because I’d just given a cooking class and always have  leftovers.  My parents went through a war so we were always taught never to waste food.  It drove me crazy to see all the food and not get any.

Selection of colorful and interesting combination of teas!

There was a lovely variety of farm produce.  I will be posting a series since there is so much to share. This first one will give you a little peak.

I had one of Gaby’s Tropical Ice, cold, yummy and creamy mango.
She grows her own fruit to make these desserts!

What I love about giving live presentations is that it gives me a chance to interact with people. It’s a great way to find out the problems people have with stir frying in a wok!

I prepped in Fairchild’s lovely kitchen and practiced what I preach, see the chopping board with grocery bag for the trimmings?

Here’s swiss chard, red bell peppers, mustard greens, zucchini and carrots.
My produce were generously sponsored by Whole Foods Market in Coral Gables.

Shrimp were rinsed and dried with paper towels. A very important step, so you don’t dilute your marinade and also prevents your shrimp from getting tough and chewy.
 I didn’t realize my friend, Irene took this picture behind me. 

My demo was very well attended with over 60 signed up for my free newsletter, thank you for your interest!  There were a lot of questions posed mostly by guys! Thanks to Fairchild staff and volunteers.

 
See Peter Kastan’s Miami River Wall video who was a speaker at this event.  Miami River Wall’s new living, hydroponic herb, chili, edible flower wall will be hosting a series of my Wok Star cooking class so I hope to see many of you there!

Hani Khouri cooking up a fresh batch of falafel.
He was featured in Edible South Florida’s Spring Issue with his cute kid goats and online. Do subscribe or pick up your copy from your nearest Whole Foods Market. It’s full of stories, resources and has a calendar of all things edible and organic. Thanks for listing my cooking classes.
Katie, Edible South Florida publisher/editor and Annie, Special Events, Fairchild Tropical.
 My lunch: Falafel with pickled radish and 
hummus wrap from Hani’s Organics.

In an upcoming series, I’ll share a video of Food Network Celebrity Chef, Simply Delicioso Ingrid Hoffman making a fabulous mango and papaya dish as well as many more wonderful food stalls.