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grilling

4 Tips to Add Flavor to Any Dish

October 9, 2019 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

SPICE RUBS…

I ADORE dry spice rubs, how did Chef Patty Ruiz know? She brought me a gift of her three handcrafted spices: Harissa Dry Spice Rub, Zaatar Spice Blend and Chinese Five Spice Blend.  If you’re in Miami, she also gives cooking instructions and can create a magical event for you, her styling is out of this world.

The Mad Table’s Zaatar spice rub, wow, so perfect for this Rack of Lamb, umm…

Dry spice rubs are so versatile, they are my favorite way to season meats for grilling and sprinkle on omelets, soups, stews, whatever you’d like.

Choose from her 16 spice blends at The Mad Table!
Don’t you love her packaging!

Spin it!

Here’s something to help you get those flavors into your food…I came across this tin lazy Suzan and I love it! I keep it right on my dining table so it’s handy. It’s a little bulky but does the job.  Keeps my spice rubs, etc. for adding flavor to any dish.

Check my Instagram Highlights/Cooking Tips @wokstar for short video, see some spin action and see other goodies! Instagram is where you’ll get the latest updates on Tips, Food Finds and beyond! 

MUSHROOMS…

Wok Stars, you already know about Earthy Delights’ Shiitake or Oyster Mushrooms that come in your Wok Star Kit. Mushrooms are so versatile, they can go in a stir fry, soup, stew, risotto. And so handy cause they never spoil. Check instructions on packet how to rehydrate them. 

Recently, I’ve been using Shimeji Mushrooms which have changed my life. Since I started making Buddha Bowl soups, I throw a bunch of Shimeji and Enokis in right at the end. They cook really fast whether you add to soup or stir fry. 

Shimeji Mushrooms changed my life!
Click to see how you make this yummy Classic Wok Steamed Chicken with Mushrooms!

Chili Threads!

Earthy Delight first introduced me to these wonderful Chili Threads and now I am hooked and they don’t stock it, phooey. You can find at Asian markets as well. Top on any dish and you’ll be considered a gourmet chef! Keep them in dark area, away from heat or they lose their flavor. 

They add STYLE, HEIGHT, VISUAL INTEREST and a slight hit of spiciness.

Crispy Shallots/Red Onions

Crispy shallots or red onions give so much flavor and kick as a topping. Don’t sprinkle till right before eating cause they tend to get soft.  For soups, I put them in a small sauce plate to savor separately. 

You can find them at Asian markets also, check the labels, you don’t want any MSG or chemicals. The less ingredients, the better. Mine only listed soybean oil and shallots or red onions, yum. 

Crispy shallots or red onions give so much flavor and kick as a topping.

Note: this post contains Amazon affiliate links or partner links.

Filed Under: blog, chilies, Cooking Tips, grilling, resources, spices, Tips Tagged With: "cooking tips", chili threads, crispy shallots, flavor, grilling, mushrooms, seasonings, spices

Why Grill and Stir Fry in one dinner?

July 3, 2014 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Even though I teach easy, healthy, one-dish wok meals, here’s a simple weeknight dinner idea that will make you a rock star and that’s to grill and stir fry in one dinner!  Grilling a batch of protein is a very efficient way to produce many meals.  While the grill is going, fry up some veggies.  Grilling and stir frying in one dinner is one of my favorite weeknight ways to keep it simple and stress free and don’t we all want some of that?

One of my favorite mix of veggies!
Stir fry action with baby bok choy, mini sweet peppers and Earthy Delight’s gourmet oyster mushrooms
Grilled leg of lamb using Myspicesage Curry Powder on right and Flavorgod Everything Seasoning Spicy on left.

My preference is grilling rather than roasting.  I like the texture better, meat is crispy outside and tender inside and colors come out so much brighter. Grilling uses same technique as stir frying, high heat seals in the flavors and retains the colors. I find dry spice rubs work best as wet marinades tend to make meat tough and chewy (same with stir frying meat.)
WokStar-EleanorHoh-grill-porkbelly
Grilled pork belly using just Flavorgod everything seasoning spicy.

I wish I could bottle the smell of lamb being grilled, because it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and hungry!  Grilling a whole leg of lamb is super practical since I make lunch for my hubby to take to work and for myself.  It’s so easy to stir fry whatever vegetables I find in my fridge. Stir frying isn’t just for an Asian dinner, you can fry veggies for western style grilled meats,  it’s nice to mix and match east and west!  There are no boundaries when it comes to cooking and you’ll be surprised at how well this works, try it!
Disadvantage of grilling:
Grilling (i.e. broiling in the oven) tends to heat up the kitchen unlike wok cooking which doesn’t generate outward heat and is so fast anyway.
Advantages of grilling:
1. you’ve got a load of meat to last many meals and saves you cooking everyday!
2: you can grill all sorts of protein like salmon, pork shoulder (one of my favs), leg of lamb, organic chicken thighs, skirt steak, tofu, whatever you want basically.
3: you can cut the grilled protein in different ways e.g. chunks for lunch, strips if I use in a stir fry with veggies and slices for dinner.
Some of my favorite spice rubs for grilled meats!
My favorite cut to grill is pork shoulder, it has marbling so keeps meat succulent. My latest craze is using Flavorgod’s spice rubs.
Earthy Delight’s Exotic Moroccan Spice Rub which I put in a grinder, makes it easier to dispense

Here are some of my favorite spice rubs to try, from left to right:
BBQ Spice Rub from Stubbs (I found at Fresh Market)
Everything Seasoning Spicy from flavorgod.com (this is really addictive)
– curry powder from Myspicesage.com (very fresh and intensive flavor)
– Jerk seasoning from Ocho Rios (available in most supermarkets incl. Publix, Winn Dixie, I am not an affiliate but should be, right?)
– Moroccan Spice Rub from Earthy.com
Most rubs already have salt in them, so all you need is to:
1) switch broiler on
2) rinse meat under cold water, pat very dry with paper towels
3) sprinkle spice rub to cover meat completely on both sides
4) zing under broiler on top rack close to the heat
5) Use your eyes and nose to judge when it’s done. Here’s a simple rule, first, you’re going to smell the incredible aromas from meat grilling, usually in about 10 minutes. Go check and see!  When the first side gets nice and toasty with crispy edges, flip it over. Second side won’t take as long and also depends how thick the cut is.  When golden and slightly crispy round edges, stick a fork or steel skewer in the thickest part to test if done.  If there’s blood running, it’s still a bit rare so I switch the heat off and let it sit under the broiler. If you cook till there’s no blood, it’s overdone, cause meat continues cooking.
6) stir fry your veggies while meat is grilling. See below for veggie combinations and how to do it!
7) let the meat rest about 5 minutes before carving and digging in.
In a future post, I’ll show how to do it the other way round: Grilling veggies while stir frying meat!
Looking for more ideas…
4th of July, Spicy BBQ Hoisin Spare Ribs
Grilled Hoisin Pork Chop with 3 different veggie sides
Grilled salmon and stir fry bok choy
Grilled Swordfish with stir fry zucchini
Even more ideas…
Cheated with leftovers from a Japanese BBQ, hangar steak, pork belly, beef tongue, shisito peppers and a little grilled haddock which I reheated under broiler. Stir fried some veggies.
Grilled pork shoulder with Flavorgod Everything Seasoning Spicy with veg medley.
Another cheat meal: ready cooked roast duck and crispy skin pork belly from Asian market. Stir fried baby bok choy and mini sweet peppers plus grilled purple cauliflower.

Filed Under: blog, grilling, spices, stir fry, technique Tagged With: "Flavorgod seasonings", grilling, stir fry, technique, tips

Stir Fry Veggies, perfect with hoisin pork

October 19, 2013 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Three different stir fried veggie side dishes with grilled hoisin pork bistec done in half an hour surprised me too, so I wanted to share!
3veg-hoisin-pork
Pork ‘Bistec’ is spare rib steaks with lovely marbling but thinner not chunky chops so they cook much faster, perfect for quick weeknight dinners. I really had a craving for hoisin and used same 3 seasonings for my signature Hoisin Spare Ribs, you can  get how to make the marinade here.
While the hoisin pork bistecs were grilling, I prepared my veggies. I decided I didn’t want all my veggies in one dish. So, it was a matter of frying them separately which I do anyway so as not to lower the heat of the wok and cause veggies to sweat and become soupy (a very common mistake!)
Chinese eggplant & red bell pepper went together, then Shanghainese Bok Choy & scallions and last I blanched some ready chopped kale left from a soup I made.
When you can smell yummy grilled pork, it’s time to turn them over & grilled till sauce looked cooked and slightly crispy edges. Not too long cause chops are thin.  Get your butcher to get these chops for you if you don’t see them, they’re the answer to quick, tasty dinners! I switched off grill and let them sit till I finished stir frying. They were perfectly done, tender & juicy.  I hate ‘tenting’ which is covering your meat with foil to let it continue cooking, it never works for me, it’s too scientific.
hoisin-pork-3veg-plate
Hubby and I shared one chop with a spare chop for our lunch, yippee. Another tip: always cook more to save time and effort! Enjoy.

Filed Under: blog, grill, hoisin, pork, stir fry, wok cooking Tagged With: grilling, hoisin, pork, stir fry, wok cooking

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