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wok cooking

Testimonials from Wok Stars

September 22, 2022 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Every time we cook “The Eleanor Hoh Wok Star System” ( I just named it ) we are at awe how well it works. It is not just the Cast Iron Wok or Butane Stove, it is the entire System that you have so thoughtfully put together. We see years of training and experience in each thoughtful element. You have added a wonderful new element to our routine cooking and dining as well as a bump to our many dinner parties. Bill & Judy

Bill excited with his new style of cooking!

World Wok Cuisine

“Thank You Eleanor for giving me the simplest, most impactful way to make flavorful memories! I give you Indian, Italian, Chino Latino and any cuisine you can fathom…it’s always Wok Cooking! This handy dandy cast iron wok has its own suitcase and I never leave home without it! Camping, beach, hiking or let me cook for you at your house! It is the single most important pan for cooking for me! “ Henri

Henri cooks dishes from all over the world in his wok!

Creative, Fun and Healthy Family Gift

“Mark opened his Christmas gift this morning and loved it. Thanks so much for this creative, fun and healthy gift for our family. We made our first meal tonight (turkey lettuce wraps and extra veggies), our girls were eager to help. The meal was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Eleanor (9) cooked the veggies and Annabel (7) cooked the turkey.” Heather & Mark

Annabel, Mark and Eleanor, fun time cooking dinner together as a family!

Put FUN back into Cooking! 

“You’ve made cooking fun again. Wok so much, can’t tell you how much you have changed my eating habits and inspired so much enjoyment for cooking. 🙂 The best part about your no-recipe technique is the technique is so easy to learn and build on without needing any cooking experience at all. I’ve gotten great results with every kind of meat and every kind of vegetable.” Dr. Eric Runyon

Dr. Eric Runyon finds cooking relaxing!

Filed Under: blog Tagged With: cast iron wok, Eleanor Hoh, testimonials, wok, wok cooking, Wok Stars

How I learned to Cook Like a Wok Star from my Mom!

September 21, 2022 By Eleanor Hoh Leave a Comment

Mom, pianist
Eliza Hoh
Mom, Eliza Hoh
Mom, Teacher

I learned to cook from my mom, whose instructions were, “it’s just a little bit of this and a bit of that.”  Who knew, decades later, what she taught me became my mantra too. 

My mom was born in Singapore and met my Dad in Malacca.  When my parents moved from Malaysia to China, then Hong Kong, she had to make do because she couldn’t find many Malaysian ingredients. 

Cub Master
Malaysian Kebaya
Kimono, gift from Japanese neighbors

It was fascinating and hilarious to hear mom’s stories of chickens laying eggs on her pillow. She didn’t learn to cook till after she got married and she didn’t enjoy cooking at the beginning. My mom was multi talented, I don’t know how she juggled 5 kids, taught at a Boy’s School, gave private tuition, was a Cub Master, as well as taking lessons in crochet, ikebana, cooking and piano. She had such an infectious laughter, she would set off and get us all in hysterics.

Mom looked gorgeous in a Chinese Cheong Sam as well as in western outfits.
Mom enjoyed entertaining with lavish dinner parties and decorating.
I think my sisters and I picked up many of her talents.

When my sisters and I were shipped off to boarding school in England, circa 1970’s, we were at a loss how to imitate her delicious dishes we grew up eating. We would call her up and I’ll never forget a simple thing as using the right vinegar could make or break a cucumber, tomato, onion pickle!  She served that with Spicy Malaysian Chicken Curry or Char Quai Teow to cool us down. We were hooked on that pickle and to this day, I make this whenever I’m making a spicy dish. 

Malaysian Chicken Curry bowl
Malaysian Chicken Curry
Malaysian Chicken Curry on banana leaf and newspaper setup
Street Food Style
Rempah and curry paste for Malaysian Curry Chicken
Rempah and curry paste

Some of my fondest and best childhood memories were of cooking with mom and my three sisters. What a blast, there was so much giggling and silliness going on, we wondered how we ever got dinner made. To this day, those memories come up whenever I cook. Certain smells of curry leaves, sour tastes from tamarind, sounds of a sizzling hot wok and even the way I peel and score down the cucumber to make a pattern and release its flavors bring back such vivid associations of food I grew up with. 

Char Quai Teow
Banana fritters
Singapore Noodles

Just the act of preparing dinner for my husband and myself makes me feel I’m taking care of our health and our well being and my mind goes into a state of a relaxation. Being in the moment, appreciating the action of chopping vegetables or stir frying in my cast iron wok, the wok my mom introduced me to using all those years ago!

My wedding day with mom.

Now, decades later, whenever my sisters and I have our reunions, we always cook together and reminisce about how fun it was cooking with mom.  And now, I get to share everything I learned from my mom including that same cast iron wok she taught me to cook in as well as a few essentials to help you cook at home the same way I learned from her, except easier and faster.

I’m telling you this story because if you knew cooking with your family can bring such joy, creativity, happiness, and incredible memories, you’ll be inspired to start your cooking journey and experience those feelings I have when I cook.   

Filed Under: blog, Home Page Tagged With: "cook like a wok star", "learn to cook", Eleanor Hoh, wok cooking

Iwatani Gas Stove, Best for Home Wok Cooking!

July 10, 2020 By Eleanor Hoh 2 Comments

Love Chinese food but never succeeded in getting it to taste like your favorite Chinese restaurant? 

Tried various permutations of woks and stoves and still never figured where you’re going wrong?

IT’S NOT YOU!

There are many reasons why you’ve not been successful in wok cooking at home. HIGH HEAT is one of them, I’ve resolved that with this portable Iwatani VA-30 gas stove, the other three are good ingredients, the right technique and the right wok, that’s why I put together a WOK STAR KIT.

As a cooking teacher and entrepreneur, it’s important to recommend tools that function efficiently and help to solve problems. I remember growing up in Hong Kong, everyone in Asia uses a gas stove for wok cooking, so this was an AHA moment and it will be for those of you who’ve tried every permutation to fry up your favorite Asian dishes at home and not succeeded.

You don’t need a 40,000 BTU gas stove for home cooking, that’s an overkill. If you have a residential gas stove at home, make sure it’s at least 10K or else you won’t be successful. Check this post how to figure out the best burner to fit your wok.

This Iwatani portable gas stove together with my WOK STAR KIT has basically transformed wok cooking at home.

Advantages of this Wok Gas Stove:

FOCUSED HEAT – 2 3/4″ diameter burner where heat is needed most.

TASTY FOOD – high heat gives your food FLAVOR, TEXTURE & COLOR.

TRAVELING KITCHEN – together with my WOK STAR KIT, this stove has its own carry case. It is perfect for boating, RVs, tailgate parties, picnics, entertaining friends poolside or just out on your balcony.

CONTROL – switching to high or low heat is instant.

FIT – snug fit with my 15” lightweight, round bottom, thin walled cast iron wok.

SAFE – good for indoor use, caterers and restaurants use them.

STURDY – steel casing and compact. 

WINDGUARD – prevent flames blowing out when you use it outdoors. 

PRACTICAL – cheaper than piping in gas, it’s light to move around. A stir fry takes very little time, so you will get many meals from one refill. Gas cartridges last about 1 hour and cost about $2-$4.

CONVENIENT – leave out on your counter or on top of electric stove so you’ll use it for cooking everything. Has rubber feet so it won’t scratch your electric stove. You’ll have BEST OF BOTH heat sources, gas for wok cooking, electric for flat pan cooking.

LIFESAVER – during hurricanes and power outages, you’ll rely on this stove to make coffee, lunch & dinners.

Always, always get backup gas cartridges so you don’t run out of gas in your Wok Star moment!

I am an Amazon affiliate, I will get a commission if you use this link to order gas cartridges and I hope you will. 

Here’s a short video how to install a gas cartridge in this stove and a longer, detailed version on Youtube. 

Enjoy! Happy to answer questions in comments below.

How to install gas cartridge in Iwatani VA-30

Filed Under: gas stove, wok cooking Tagged With: "Wok Star Kit", butane gas stove, cast iron wok, gas burner, Iwatani Gas Stove, Iwatani VA-30, portable gas stove, wok burner, wok cooking

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