Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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"easy weeknight dinners"

Grill & Fry: Easy Weeknight Dinner Idea #2

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Grill & Fry is an Easy & Fast Weeknight Dinner solution if you’re tired and hungry! Imagine juicy racks of pork ribs and a quick stir-fried veggie dish that your family will love. You’ll get a delicious, home-cooked meal in just 30 minutes or less. This is what being a Wok Star is all about—cooking without recipes, using what you have, and still making it flavorful and fun. And with very little cleanup, see below.

We LOVE these wide shallow bowls and eat out of them nearly daily. So cheerful and displays my food perfectly!

Here’s the best part—no need to drag out the BBQ grill or deal with a messy cleanup afterward. Just use your air fryer or the broiler in your oven (that’s the grill at the top of the oven, in case you didn’t know!). It’s fast, efficient, and super easy.

Watch my Youtube video for more tips and tricks and you’ll see how easy it is…

This Russell Dexter knife is included in my WOK STAR KIT but you can also purchase it on its own. Everyone adores it.

Here’s the workflow of a Grill & Fry Easy & Fast Weeknight Dinner:

Prep is key, so get everything ready:

  • Pork Riblets: I like switching up my spice rubs for variety, and hey, grill extra while you’re at it. I get my pork riblets from Costco. They are St. Louis ribs but cut across so they are smaller to handle and easier to eat.
  • Grilled Portobello Mushrooms and Tomatoes.
  • Stir Fry Vegetables: Minced garlic and shredded ginger give shimeiji mushrooms and Rapini so much flavor. Add cubed red bell pepper for a pop of color.
  • Cook Sweet Potato
I have two of these stainless steel baking trays which fit perfectly side by side under the grill. What you see is a smaller rack which I’ve placed on one baking tray so less cleanup. I do line with parchment paper, stopped using foil for health reasons. Also same reason I switched from aluminum wok lid to stainless.
I’m using this Nuwave bowl shaped induction stove that fits my 15″ cast iron wok perfectly.

Now, let’s break down the flow:

  1. Preheat that broiler till it’s sizzling hot.
  2. Coat those ribs with avocado oil, sprinkle on some salt and spice rubs, and grill them on the second rack so they don’t burn so quickly and cook through.
  3. Coat portobello mushrooms and tomatoes with avocado oil and salt in separate grill tray.
  4. While the meat and vegetables are grilling, start frying the veggies. Fry the rapini first in ghee with garlic and ginger, then add stock and wine, cover and plate.
  5. Check the ribs and flip them over when they’re golden.
  6. Next, toss in the red bell pepper and shimeiji mushrooms in. Add more stock if it’s evaporated.
  7. Check the ribs one last time and plate everything.
These unique magnetized wok mitts are also great to grab hot pot handles or a dish from the microwave. Various designs and handcrafted by Haitian seamstresses.
We adore these Laguiole Red Steak Knives!

There you have it, a quick, flavorful meal that doesn’t require hours of work or a laundry list of ingredients. Enjoy being a Wok Star and impress your family with this easy, satisfying weeknight dinner!

Drop in comment how you like this Grill & Fry Dinner Idea?

Here are some Asian dinnerware/cookware/seasonings and helpful gadgets on Amazon I’ve personally researched & selected. There are affiliate links within the blog.

Asian Dinnerware: https://amzn.to/40hF0uz
Asian seasonings: https://amzn.to/3UljLnE
Cookware: https://amzn.to/3BUOCRR
My Amazon store: https://www.amazon.com/shop/wokstar

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

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Try this stir fry for cooking flavorful vegetables so you’ll LOVE them! Do you hate vegetables or find them difficult to cook? I get so many emails from Wok Stars who used to hate vegetables till they started using tips from my online class and now enjoy cooking and eating them! They’re so happy their kids or partners devour their veggies and LOVE them‼️ 

See simple cooking process and short video below, you won’t believe how easy it is…

Easy Weeknight Dinner: Grilled Ribs with stir fried broccoli and cauliflower florets.

In Asia, we enjoy eating vegetables with every meal even from a very young age and I’m happy to share how to cook them so you’ll enjoy them too. 

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

This stir fry process works especially well with firm stemmed veggies like  gorgeous multi colored cauliflower & broccoli florets. Crunchy on the outside but tender inside! Sprinkling spices at the end of the stir fry gives them a punch of flavor. 

FLAVOR is probably what’s missing and why many don’t enjoy eating vegetables! 

The secret is to FRY first to get crunchy texture and retain bright colors THEN add liquid! NOT the other way round which is what most traditional recipes tell you to do! When you blanche first, the vegetables become soft, lose their brightness and you cannot crisp them up when they are soft.

Multi colored cauliflower and broccoli florets

Check #Wokstarway on Instagram for more wok tips and easy ways to add more FLAVORS, TEXTURES & COLORS to any dish!

STIR FRY PROCESS…

1. Fry with AVOCADO OIL, garlic & ginger on medium high heat in cast iron wok or skillet.

2. Add a little stock or water and “steam fry” with lid on.

3. Add seasonings near the end of cooking time like a little sprinkle of medium sherry or leftover wine, celtic sea salt or San-J tamari and any dry spices or dried herbs you have. Mine were Smoked Picante Paprika, so good.

What a perfect pairing. 

Colorful and a delicious feast!

The pork ribs were seasoned with Madras South Indian Curry, good for grilling meats, stir fried vegetables or sprinkling on salads!  

My Wok Star cooking process is simple and easy. When you take my online class, you’ll discover you only need 4 TSPC seasonings. They are sprinkled for marinades, sauces and stir fried vegetables. You don’t need recipes or exact measurements for easy, healthy weeknight dinners. 

Note: I earn a teeny commission from affiliate links to brands I love and use.

Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, Served 3 Ways

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This Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, served 3 ways means you don’t have to cook from scratch for 3 nights.  I’m a huge fan of using a Slow Cooker, I cannot get used to the Instant Pot mentality, more about this later. A Slow Cooker is so practical and efficient in getting dinner on the table. It’s a huge time saver, locks in the flavors and keeps meat moist and tender.

Pork Ribs, Stir Fry Mixed Veggies, homemade Kimchi

Instead of ‘recipes’, I like to focus on Flavors, Textures and Colors. So, here’s how to tackle the Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew.

About Ingredients…
1 Onion, chopped or half moons
4-6 cloves garlic, thwacked
Thumb size ginger, thwacked
1- 2 carrots, chopped biggish chunks
4-6 dried shiitakes (from Earthy Delights in your Wok Star Kit) directions how to rehydrate is on the label.
Chicken Broth, halfway up the meat 

About Pork Ribs…
3-4 lbs. of pork ribs.
They will be your favorite cut of meat, it’s juicy, meaty and so versatile. I get them cut across the bones so they are smaller and easier to handle and they’re called riblets. Available from Costco or Asian markets. Cut the riblets into individual pieces, see photo below. Fill slow cooker half way.  

About Flavorings…
Basic Seasonings: TSPC.  Wok Stars, you know what these are. Newbies, it’s Tamari, Sherry, Pepper, Cornstarch
2 tsp. each of Brown Bean Sauce (from Koon Chun in your Wok Star Kit) and Huy Fong Chili Garlic Sauce.

Here’s HOW…

  1. Set slow cooker on LOW before prepping. This will give it a head start. Set your timer for 3 1/2 hours. 
  2. Add pork riblets at bottom then veggies, garlic & ginger and broth into slow cooker.
  3. In a bowl, mix TSPC and extra flavorings. Add into slow cooker. I LOVE the smells wafting through my apartment. This is what the Insta Pot doesn’t allow, no smells and you cannot peek in there for tasting and adjusting flavors. For me, cooking is about LAYERING flavors. You can’t do anything until you’ve released the pressure which takes another half an hour. 
  4. When time is up, test a piece of pork riblet and adjust flavorings, to see if it’s the texture you like, if you like softer, let it cook for another half hour. 
Add pork riblets, then onions, garlic & ginger, carrots, mushrooms. Then chicken broth, flavorings.

Serving suggestions…
You’ll just need to serve reheated pork riblet stew and stir fry or blanche some veggies. So easy, dinner in about 15 minutes or less.  

Allocate about 3-5 pieces of pork riblets per person. Spoon onions, carrots and sauce over the riblets. 

I like to add some homemade kimchi and garnish with chili threads, chopped scallions and cilantro, they just give a pop of color and adds freshness to the finished dish. 

Don’t you love the 3 ways I served this Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew? 
If you try this Slow Cooker Pork Rib Stew, please take a photo and tag @wokstar on Instagram,
I would love to see how you present yours.

First night: Pork Ribs, Stir Fry Mixed Veggies, homemade Kimchi
2nd night: added mustard greens when reheating pork rib stew
3rd night: Blanched Brussels Sprouts and displayed carrots, mushrooms separately for a different look and presented pork ribs on bed of quinoa.