Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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"easy weeknight dinners"

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

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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 now enjoy cooking and eating them! They’re so happy their kids or partners devour their veggies and LOVE them‼️ 

Try this colorful stir fry cruciferous mix with lovely grilled ribs for a simple weeknight dinner! 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.

WHY BITTER VEGETABLES ARE GOOD FOR US…

Even my husband who usually likes my vegetables find cruciferous vegetables a bit difficult to enjoy. They can be a bit too crunchy and when they’re too raw, gives off a bitter taste. However, it’s the bitter part that helps with inflammation, they’re also full of fiber which helps to activate your organs and good for gut health.

We LOVE bitter vegetables but it’s a different kind of bitter. So, when I cooked these multi colored cauliflower and broccoli florets, he loved them done this way. 

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

Try this delicious way 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 blanche 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 will be much harder to crisp them. 

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, salt and any dry spices or dried herbs you have. Mine were Ajika chili powder and 21 Seasoning Salute, both from Trader Joe’s.  

What a perfect pairing. 

Colorful and a delicious feast!

The pork ribs were seasoned with my own made up spice rub, so good! I’ll post what spices I used to make up your spice rub, good for grilling meats, stir fried vegetables or sprinkle 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. 

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. 

Easy Weeknight Dinners To Impress!

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I’m all about simplifying weeknight dinners so my latest discovery using oven and wok combo will impress you so much that you’ll want to immediately invite friends over for dinner to show off your new dinner trick, it never fails!  Once you’ve got this down, you’ll be able to make loads of variations, see mine below. It’s the same easy technique as my visual roadmap for wok cooking.

WokStar-porkstew-stirfry-bokchoy
Try quinoa instead of rice, pasta or potatoes! All the lovely juice from the stew makes it very yummy. I like to add fresh scallions and just stir into stew last minute, ummm!

It’s a fail proof stewing method and same concept as slow cooking in a crock pot except…
1) you won’t need one more cookware taking up counter space
2) you can use whatever you find in your fridge
3) you’ll be guaranteed success every time!
Here are a few things you need to know to guarantee your success…
1) use meat that has a ton of marbling i.e. fat so it doesn’t get dry, I love pork shoulder strips or pork belly. It’s not fat that makes you fat, it’s sugar and starchy carbs. I learned a lot since becoming prediabetic and my numbers are so good, I’m off medication!
2) use firm veggies to include with meat and add less firmer veggies half way through.
3) always start with switching oven on at 345 while chopping aromatics: onion, garlic and ginger.
4) use very little chicken broth or any leftover wine or beer, you don’t want soup!
5) you don’t need much seasonings cause you’ll want to taste the flavors from your meat and veggies!  Seasonings can be tamari, dry spice rubs, dry herbs, tumeric ginger (good for digestion and all sorts of health benefits, be aware it’ll turn orangey yellow which I love, more color the better!)
6) use a wide baking tray, trust me you’ll want to make a whole lot of this to last a few more dinners! After filling with veggies and meat, cover tightly with foil and stew for about 1 1/2 – 2 hours, check half way through if you want, but I’ve never had to do anything even after peeking at it!
7) stir fry a veggie that gives contrast and oompf to your stew!  Two that were outstanding…bok choy and rappini.
Ready to find out how to make your pork fork tender?
This is not a recipe, it’s a method, along same lines as my no-recipe technique for wok cooking, remember?
 
WokStar-aromatics-porkstew
Switch oven temp to 345 while you chop aromatics: onion, ginger and garlic thwacked in big chunks, no need to dice

WokStar-oven-pork-stew
Use very little chicken broth, wine or beer and tamari. Sprinkle dry spice rubs on the meat and top with onions, garlic and ginger. You can even just make this without any other veggies if you don’t have any.

WokStar-stirfry-bokchoy
Stir fry bok choy while stew is in oven! Cut down bok choy and rinse well. Add a little broth or water in wok and put lid on to ‘steam fry’!

WokStar-bokchoy-sweetpeppers-stirfry
When bok choy’s texture is cooked how you like them, add some contrasting colored veggies like mini sweet bell peppers and stir fry in a little oil with garlic and ginger. Sprinkle a little San-J tamari and medium sherry and they’re ready!

WokStar-porkshoulder-stew-tomatoes
Lay pork shoulder strips on top of veggies and cover pork over with onions, garlic and ginger. This stew had tomatoes, bell peppers, scallions and made in glass baking tray but it was a tad small, that’s how I found a baking tray was the best!

WokStar-porkshoulder-brusselsprouts-stew
A stroke of genius, brussel sprouts are my hubby’s fav, they were so juicy and full of flavor from the pork.

WokStar-porkshoulder-stew-celery-peppers
This was a throw in all the veggies I could find from the fridge: celery, Chinese broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini. I sprinkled some of that spicy Huy Fong chili garlic sauce, it’s vinegary, so helps to give your stew a nice zing!

WokStar-porkshoulder-oystermushrooms-peppers
Earthy Delight’s Oyster mushrooms were soooo good in this one, tender and juicy and picked up all the flavors from the sauce and meat! Orange and red bell peppers but always, always onions, garlic and ginger.

WokStar-porkstew-rapini
I stir fried rappini and mini sweet peppers for the next day to change up the sides!

If you’ve enjoyed learning this technique for stewing in the oven, you’ll enjoy my no-recipe technique for wok cooking!  If you live in Miami, you can attend a class, if you live elsewhere, my instructional DVDs together with my Wok Star Kit will provide everything you need to succeed.
Here are more Easy Weeknight Dinner Ideas for Grilling and Wok Stir Fry!
Why Grill and Stir Fry in One Dinner?
Grilled Hoisin Pork Chop with 3 different veggie sides
Grilled salmon and stir fry bok choy
Grilled Swordfish with stir fry zucchini