wok cooking

Easy Skirt Steak Stir Fry

February 13, 2013 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

The Chinese horoscope says Year of the Snake will be a roller coaster year, but for me 2013 started off with a NICE BIG BANG! Everything is flowing smoothly and seamlessly. Three little new words will be my new focus for Year of the Snake: Simplify, Eliminate and Delegate (SED.) These can apply to everything you do in life starting with cooking!

When cooking during weeknights, stick to simple one-dish dinners like this Beef Stir Fry so you can enjoy with family or friends or even on your own! This simple beef stir fry can be made in less than half an hour. Flap Steak or Skirt Steak are reasonably priced and good cuts for stir frying, there’s a little marbling to keep it succulent. ‘Marinade’ your thinly sliced steak with squirt, squeeze, shake of TSPC. No sauce, otherwise you’ll want rice or a starchy carb to mop it up. This simple beef stir fry can be made in less than half an hour. You can substitute with a variety of other meats like chicken, pork, lamb, shrimp or tofu and swap the veggies but use this same technique, you can’t go wrong and you’ll be able to build ‘hundreds’ of yummy weeknight dinners.

Watch out for a Chinese New Year Feast post, I’ll be having a second Feast this Sunday so I can celebrate with my sister and more friends. Happy Year of the Snake everyone, hope your year will bring you luck, good health and wealth.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Skirt Steak marinaded in TSPC
2 cloves garlic
thumb size ginger, shredded
1 medium size ripe tomato cut into wedges
2 scallions, sliced diagonally
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped

Tea Seed Oil for frying
Marinade:
TSPC: T=tamari, S=sherry, P=pepper, C=cornstarch
1/4 tsp. of Sambal Olek

Practice the following stir fry technique and you’ll succeed everytime:

1. Heat your cast iron wok till you see first wisp of smoke.
(Do NOT use teflon nonstick for stir frying, it can’t handle high heat and you’ll damage the material).
Add 3 swirls of oil, quickly add garlic and ginger so they don’t burn and turn bitter. Add beef and spread out in one layer so they all get some heat.
2. Flip the steak as soon as you see color turning! This doesn’t take long, otherwise you’ll overcook and becomes chewy.
3. Add wedges of tomatoes and swish around with beef till a bit wilted. Last, top with scallions and cilantro right before plating. Viola!
My dad was born in year of the snake! If you’re a snake, see if you share his characteristics!

Some celebrity Snakes: Audrey Hepburn, Jacqueline Kennedy, Oprah Winfrey; John F. Kennedy, Chris Rock, Marlon Brando

Snake traits: Acute, aware, charming, cunning, elegant, mysterious, passionate, proud, serene, and vain.

Best match: Ox, rooster. Avoid: tiger, pig
Forecast:
career: self improvement to make great achievements at work
wealth: financial fortune will come second half year
relationship: married folks prevent extra marital affairs, singles will meet loving ones.
health: control your emotions in case of unexpected hurt

Ancient Chinese wisdom says a Snake in the house is a good omen because it means that your family will not starve. People born in the Year of the Snake are keen and cunning, quite intelligent and wise. They are great mediators and good at doing business. Therefore, you should have good luck if you were born in the Year of the Snake.

This is a year of water Snake, and all things will be possible. Saving money and being thrifty should be your top priorities. Delusion and deception are common in the year of water Snake. Stay alert! To gain the greatest benefits from this year, you must control spending and use your talents wisely. If you are planning to get married or to begin a business partnership, be sure to thoroughly investigate the other person’s finances and background before you legalize the alliance.
Here’s more.

How to: Fry Eggs in your Wok

April 6, 2012 By Eleanor Hoh 24 Comments

When it comes to eggs, your cast iron wok is the best pan for doing it! You can never run out of ways to cook them and then there are infinite more ways to eat them on top of, with and inside something!
I’m constantly asked how I get my fried egg yolks so bright, beautiful and round. Here are a few tricks which I’ll share with you…
Use a wok, the dip in the wok keeps the yolk intact and round!
Use an efficient source of heat which means gas, it’s all about controlling the heat on a whim.
Use oil that withstands high heat: avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil.
Let the egg cook till it naturally ‘releases’ from the wok. If you keep poking or moving it, it will stick. Same technique with making omelets or for frying meat for that matter.
I slather some sort of chili sauce around the yolk or on top of the omelet like Lingham’s chili sauce or sriracha, it makes everything taste good.

WokEggPadThai — ‘park’ egg on side while heating up leftover Pad Thai!

WokFriedEgg — Different techniques: hubby spoons oil over the egg to cook it, while I use lower heat.

FRIED EGG:
1. Heat your cast iron wok or pan (please no non-stick) to medium heat, add oil so it drizzles down the sides and coat the sides so the egg doesn’t stick!
2. Crack your egg into the oil and push out the whites with your spatula. This way the whites cook quicker in a thin layer instead of bunched around the yolk. I like my fried egg sunny side up with slightly crispy edges. Be patient and you’ll be rewarded with a bright colored yolk.

JerkOmeletFry — Park warmed Jerky Pork on side while cooking omelet in wok. Use leftovers to add element of surprise in your omelet!

OmeletinWok — Park mini sweet peppers on side and cook omelet in wok. If you want cheese, add them in before you do the fold over.

OMELETS:
1. Crack your eggs (3-4) in a bowl.
2. Add chopped scallions, salt and pepper.
3. If you have fillings which can be leftover veggies or meat, warm them up a little first, no oil is necessary and park them on the side of the wok (see photos below.)
4. Add oil, then pour in the egg mixture, swirl around wok to widen the surface area. Turn heat down a little so bottom doesn’t burn before you’ve had a chance to cook the eggs. The bottom will release from the edge when you slide your spatula under omelet. When you flip over your omelet, there’ll be uncooked egg swirling, don’t panic, slide the cooked part up sides of the wok. You’ll get the hang of this with practice. Let the eggs cook a little, add your fillings in especially small chunks of cheese before folding over the omelet.
Here are more ways I’ve enjoyed my egg…

JerkyWokOmelet — Jerky Pork Cilantro omelet

FriedEggPancake — Fried egg on banana pancake

RedLightSpinachEgg — Red Light Restaurant’s Bacon, Spinach Salad with poached egg

Area31:PoachedEgg — Area 31’s poached eggm oyster mushrooms, faro, collard greens, mamey and smoked bread

JerkyPorkFry — Char Quai Teow with Jerk Pork

In Asia, it’s quite common to add egg to noodle dishes as in Quai Teow with Pork Jerky or How to Make Malaysian Street Food, Char Kuey Teow in your Wok, you’ll love it!

Do visit my #LetsLunch buddies posts below for their take on Chicken or the Egg theme this month. And if you’d like to join, go to Twitter and post a message with the hashtag #Letslunch — or, post a comment below.
– Charissa‘s Gluten-Free Leek, Ham & Pecorino Souffles at Zest Bakery
– Denise‘s Beet Dye & Pink Deviled Eggs at Chez Us
– Emma‘s Eggs In A Hole at Dreaming of Pots & Pans
– Felicia‘s Perfect Sandwich at Burnt-Out Baker
– Grace‘s Scrambled Eggs & Tomatoes at HapaMama
– Joe‘s Kim-Chi Deviled Eggs at Joe Yonan
– Karen‘s Molecular Gastronomy “Eggs” at GeoFooding
– Linda‘s Home-made Cadbury Eggs (Maple Chocolate Eggs) at Free Range Cookies
– Linda‘s Taiwanese Tomato Eggs at Spicebox Travels
– Lisa‘s Legendary Egg & Onion at Monday Morning Cooking Club
– Lucy‘s Old-Fashioned Boiled Dressing (& Chicken Salad) at A Cook And Her Books
– Nancie‘s Son-In-Law Eggs at Nancie McDermott
– Rashda‘s Bombay Toasts (Spicy French Toasts) at Hot Curries And Cold Beer
– Vivian‘s Oeuf Chaud Froid at Vivian Pei

Tips & Common Mistakes when using Iwatani Stir Fry Gas Stove

April 27, 2011 By Eleanor Hoh 3 Comments

To all new Wok Stars who’ve purchased my Wok Star Kit with round bottom cast iron wok and ready to start your wok journey using an Iwatani Stir Fry Gas Stove, here are two 15 second videos and photo tutorials that will pivot you into Wok Stardom!
For those who don’t realize your electric stove is one the main reasons for ruining your stir fry resulting in soupy veggies and chewy meat, this little Stir Fry Gas Stove is the answer!!! It will transform your whole experience with wok cooking!
I must say however, that it’s also important to have the right wok, techniques and using good brands so you experience success. It’s not just one thing, that’s why I put this Wok Star Kit together.
If you have any questions about this Iwatani Stir Fry Stove, leave a comment and I’m happy to answer them.
I explain all the reasons why this is the perfect solution for wok cooking under A Note About Your Heat Source.
See how I use this setup on top of my electric stove and leave it out at ALL TIMES so it’s convenient, accessible and practical? If you keep putting it away and you don’t see it, you won’t use it. So, what’s the point of having it, right?

Here are some unusual places Wok Stars have used their Wok Star Kit and gas stove setup…hey, it’s a traveling kitchen. Good for tailgate parties, camping, yachting, patio & poolside, hurricanes, power outages, it’s perfect when I go on TV shows, food and wine festivals, store presentations, so use your imagination…

Stephanie cooking in the Sierra Nevada mountains!

Dr. Maritza loves to entertain by the patio or poolside!

3 EASY STEPS TO INSTALL YOUR STIR FRY GAS STOVE:

Left is ON & OFF lever. Right is IGNITION, FLAME adjuster.

1. Take the red cap off the cartridge. Open the flap on the right of stove. Align cartridge with BIG ARROW and notch to a flat steel sticking out on the stove. Push left lever down to ON. You’ll see the cartridge move forward into the rod.
2. Turn round switch firmly to the left all the way down hard till you hear a CLICK sound. This ignites and starts the flame. Close the flap when cooking.
3. Start heating your wok on high heat but you can adjust flame height with this switch. When done cooking, flip left lever to OFF to release the cartridge.
TIPS:
1. If you don’t hear your food sizzling in your wok, it means your gas is LOW.
Always buy a batch of refills so you’re never out in your Wok Star moment, ha!
2. Remove your portable gas stove if you set it on top of your electric stove when you use your broiler or oven to prevent the heat from ruining the bottom of your portable stove.

3. I noticed some of you set your stove on your counter which is fine, just make sure you don’t have it too close to any overhead cabinets or curtains! Here’s a 15 second video on some safety tips…

4. I prefer setting my portable stove on my electric stove because the overhead vent will still work right above your wok. Remember, leave your wok and stove setup OUT at all times so it’s convenient. If you keep putting away, it becomes an obstacle to cook.
5. Do NOT cover the hole in the right hand side flap of the stove where you insert the cartridge, it is for ventilation.
COMMON MISTAKES…
Please be patient. It’s VERY SIMPLE and a matter of practice and using it. I’ve had someone tell me 3 handy guys couldn’t get the stove to work but I took one look and could see the cartridge was not aligned. It came on like a charm.
1. If your stove is not igniting when you turn the dial…
Is your cartridge aligned with the steel rod sticking out?
If it’s not aligned properly and you flip the lever down, it won’t turn on because it’s a safety catch.
2. Are you turning the dial all the way down hard to the left till you hear a CLICK? If you don’t use it often, you may not remember how to turn it on, it happens.
3. Is there “gas” in your cartridge?
Shake it, if you cannot hear any swishing in the can, you may be low, so there’s not enough pressure to start the burner. Buy new cartridge and get a few so you have some backup.

4. If you’ve done all the above and still doesn’t work?
Simply press the ‘reset’ red button just ONCE on the LEFT side of the cartridge looking at it front on. Viola!
Please try these before you call me, not because I don’t want to talk to you but so you don’t feel pressure. I GUARANTEE if you follow those directions, this stove works like MAGIC!!!
WHERE TO PURCHASE GAS REFILLS?
Use my Amazon affiliate link to purchase your gas refills. Yes, I would get a tiny commission if you use my link.
I do not sell or ship gas refills because I would need a license to do that. However, I do provide one for those purchasing at my class so you can start having fun right away!
Asian markets also stock gas refills. They’re approximately $2 each, so purchase 3-4 so you don’t run out in your Wok Star moment. I’ve heard funny or sad stories where folks were entertaining and ran out of gas as they were finishing a dish!
NOTE: There’s always a first, so a new Wok Star sent me a photo of a butane gas refill which is NOT correct for this gas stove. The nozzle is plastic and soft and does NOT fit into this gas stove. The brand is Bernzomatic, plse do NOT purchase this. Here’s what it looks like.

wok cooking

3 EASY STEPS TO INSTALL YOUR STIR FRY GAS STOVE:

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