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"weeknight dinner"

Wok Steamed Chicken & Mushrooms

January 6, 2017 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Wok Steamed Chicken and Mushrooms is a simple, healthy and tasty dish to start your New Year Resolution right and you will be rewarded with loads of compliments!  There’s very little prep time and considering it’s only 2 main ingredients: organic chicken thighs and oyster mushrooms, it oozes with natural flavors.
It’s a very typical homestyle dish my mom used to make and instantly brings back vivid childhood memories when you take that first bite. I sent my sisters the photo collage and they all wanted it right away, it’s funny how food associations are so strong.

Wok Steamed Chicken-prep-dishBenefits of Steaming…
Your wok really is versatile, it’s not just for an Asian stir fry. The shape, depth and wide opening makes it a perfect pan for steaming. Steaming is a really fast way of cooking fish and chicken while retaining its natural flavors.

IMPROVISE…
My approach to cooking for newbies is to improvise with what you have and make it the best tasting dish, if you don’t have mushrooms, it will still taste good!  The dried oyster mushrooms are the ones that came in your Kit!  As with any of my  dishes, you can substitute with turkey, pork, beef, fish, tofu.
My personal preference is chicken thighs or drumsticks, they are more moist and tender compared to breast which can be dry and not as flavorful.  I just reminded my sisters what they said to me when I was young and would ONLY eat breast, “let her enjoy cause she’ll realize dark meat that’s good when she gets older!” Ha, ha and here I am.
Feel free to blanche whatever vegetable you have, I had green beans. It’s also a fast way to cook up a batch of vegetables if you’re in a hurry, I show how to blanche veggies here.

Wok-chicken-mushroomsIngredients:
1 packet organic chicken thighs deboned and skinned (Costco)
Earthy Delight oyster mushrooms, or a mix of enoki, shitake, whatever you like
knob ginger
2 scallions
handful cilantro

3/4 lb. green beans blanched in wok with drop of grape seed oil and salt
curry quinoa
Seasonings:
TSPC: tamari, sherry, pepper (ground white), cornstarch
grape seed oil
salt
curry powder
Prep Instructions:
1. Cut chicken into 3-4 chunks and put into coup dish, marinade with TSPC.
2. Trim mushroom stems and save steeping juice and stems for making stock if using dried. Add mushrooms to chicken and mix in.
3. shred ginger, chop cilantro and shred scallions, save a few for garnish. Add to dish and mix in.
4. Boil water in your wok, place steamer rack or wood chopsticks across your wok as shown (don’t use disposable because they bend). If your lid has a gap between lid and wok, drape a kitchen towel to prevent steam escaping.
Cooking Process…
1. Make rice or quinoa first, takes about 20 mins. You can cheat with making curry quinoa by sprinkling curry powder, coconut oil and salt once quinoa is cooked and combine well. (I like to fry my quinoa in a little oil when it’s cooled off and sprinkle curry powder, the aroma is exquisite.)
2. Blanch green beans in boiling water in your wok and squeeze a few drops of grape seed oil and little salt and put lid on. Taste for doneness, I like mine crunchy, remember they continue cooking a little, drain and set aside.
3. Place your dish of chicken and mushrooms on top of chopsticks and put lid on. Test at about 8-10 mins by cutting into one of the chunks for doneness (i.e. any red), you don’t need to turn over.  Don’t keep opening the lid while it’s cooking cause you’ll let all the steam out.
My Steamed Ground Turkey Meatloaf was pinned 106 times, woohoo. I also showed how to use your wok in 3 different ways in one dinner: steam, blanche and fry, so make use of that wok!
 

Filed Under: blog, weeknightdinner, wok cooking Tagged With: "easy dinner", "home cooking", "steam chicken", "weeknight dinner", wok cooking

Easy Dinner: Grilled Duck, Stir Fry Brussels Sprouts

May 5, 2016 By Eleanor Hoh 3 Comments

This easy weeknight dinner idea involves a little cheating and ghee.  Duck may seem a rather opulent weeknight dinner but it’s really not. Grilling duck while stir frying brussels sprouts will get your dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes AND you’ll be showered with loads of compliments!  At least, that’s what happens every time I serve duck.
WokStar-duck-brusselsprouts
Ready cooked meats…but good ones without processed chemicals is key to success with the cheating and Costco carries some really good ones.  Some I’ve tried are octopus, Carnitas and of course Maple Leaf Farm ready cooked Duck, it’s actually cheaper at Costco than buying directly from them!
Notes on duck, ghee and wok…
Duck is very rich, so you only need half a duck for 2 people, it’s all meat, no bones at only $8.  The duck comes in 2 half portions with orange sauce for about $15.99, so no more paying $27 at a restaurant for half a duck.
Ghee, clarified butter is excellent for a stir fry, it can handle high heat, coats your meat or veggies with a glossy sheen and makes everything taste good.  This article, 15 Amazing Benefits of Ghee will change all the misconceptions about it and if you want to make ghee yourself,  take an Ayurvedic cooking class with my chef friend, Sabrina Dora Lopez of Vesta Foods, it was amazingly easy.  The Truth About Fats and Oils will debunk all the old myths, read this.
Please do NOT use a nonstick pan or nonstick wok to cook in, it cannot handle high heat!  If you don’t have one of my lightweight, thin walled cast iron wok and gas stove setup, I’d rather you use a stainless steel pan or even pot to stir fry in.
Ingredients:
2-4 cloves garlic and 2 slices ginger shredded
6 grape tomatoes, halved
4 handfuls of brussels sprouts chopped
1 tablespoon ghee
dash of San-J tamari
dash of medium sherry
orange sauce heated for duck
Step by step how to…
1.  set underside of duck on a grill rack on a baking tray, use top shelf to broil till golden crispy
2.  wash & chop tomatoes and sprouts
3.  thwack garlic and ginger
4.  crank up your cast iron wok on high
5.  add ghee
6.  add garlic and ginger, then sprouts, hold the tomatoes.
7.  when sprouts are nicely covered with ghee, add about 2 tablespoons of water and cover with wok lid to steam fry. When texture is how you like your sprouts, add in tomatoes, add dash of tamari and sherry, swish around till tomatoes blister and soften a little. You’re DONE!
8.  remember to check your duck and flip over to grill topside till golden crispy.
9.  while plating, heat up orange sauce and pour over duck, wow, dynamite dinner!
Last thoughts…You’ll feel like you’re eating at a high end restaurant.  Serve this on your first date and I guarantee you’ll be a hit. I’ve yet to try using the ready cooked duck in a curry or other ethnic dishes because I just want to devour the duck just like it is, it’s so good! Of course, you can stir fry other veggies to go with your duck but brussels sprouts go really well.
WokStar-chopped-brusselssprouts-ghee
WokStar-stirfry-brusselssprouts
 

Filed Under: blog, cast iron wok, Easy Weeknight Dinners Tagged With: "brussels sprouts", "Easy Weeknight Dinner", "grilled duck", "ready cooked duck", "weeknight dinner", cast iron wok, stir fry, weeknightdinner

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