Wok Star Eleanor Hoh

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Wellness Getaway at Grand Velas Resort, Los Cabos (Updated)

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Traveling and teaching Wellness in exotic and serene surroundings is a dream come true and recently, I got to do it for the first time at Grand Velas Los Cabos, a $150 million all inclusive luxury spa resort in Mexico. Their Wellnessing Getaway with theme, Grateful Journey was so appropriate because I had so much to be grateful for: getting invited by Miami Curated to teach my delicious, no-recipe approach for a healthier lifestyle; my mom for teaching me how to cook; instant friendships made with fellow instructors at this Getaway.

Look at this view! Spa Atelier is on the left with Azul restaurant facing ocean views where I gave my class. On right are 3 infinity pools.
My Wellness Suite had 2 storeys with massage table and exercise room on top floor and bedroom opening out to plunge pool and ocean views!
My signature Rainbow Lettuce Wrap Appetizer, tasty, full of texture and colors with every bite and always a big hit. Photo: Grand Velas staff

Wellnessing Getaway at the Spa was a week full of activities guests could enjoy from Ceremonial Smudging, an ancient practice for energy cleansing to Mandala and fitness workshops, as well as yoga and meditation to finding your Dosha culminating with an Ayurvedic dinner which I’ll be posting in another blog. 

Ocean views from Azul terrace.
Azul terrace faces ocean and beach views.

My cooking classes were set up on the balmy terrace of Azul with ocean views.  Thanks to Chef Juan Licerio Alcala, Executive Chef at Grand Velas and especially to Chef Luis Quiroz, Executive Chef at Azul, responsible for gathering all my ingredients.  I got a chance to interview many of the restaurant chefs and discovered Chefs Juan and Luis had worked in the US (in separate blog soon.)

Chef Juan Licerio Alcala, Executive Chef of all 7 restaurants at Grand Velas, hamming it up. What an honor to meet him. He loved the ‘nice balance’ of my Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer. Photo: Ana, Grand Velas
Executive Chef Luis Quiroz toasting my pumpkin seeds for Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer!
Chef Christian helped prep my Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer. I discover he’s also a musician and loves Asian food. I gifted him Hoisin Sauce as a ‘thank you’!

The most rewarding part of this experience was hearing from guests who enjoyed my dishes and were surprised by how fast and easy wok cooking was with so few ingredients and seasonings. I was happy to debunk many misconceptions about wok cooking like the kind of wok and stove to use. I was also happy to encourage moms to cook with their kids at a young age. Giving them small tasks with prepping and the stir fry give them a feeling they can cook and they end up eating what they cook. The kids were definitely paying attention and amazed me with how much they absorbed like ‘using what you have in your fridge’ instead of hunting for ingredients from a recipe or ‘keeping everything dry for a stir fry.’

I’m looking forward to focusing on corporate wellness programs especially if they involve staying at stunning resorts like the Grand Velas Los Cabos, bring it ON!
 

Kids eager to learn and of course eat! Photo: Grand Velas staff
Lovely fun family! Photo: Ana, Grand Velas
Adorable, she ‘got it’! Photo: Ana, Grand Velas
Beautiful capture. Photo: Grand Velas staff

Ana Valdovinos, PR Grand Velas stir fries a Mexican version of Lomo Soltado! She’s gonna be a Wok Star! Thx Ana for all your help organizing my class and setup.
 
 
 
 
 

Facebook Live Wok Star Cooking Challenge, Nina Malavia -1

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Here’s my first Facebook Live Wok Star Cooking Challenge with Nina Malavia, talented Social Media Maven and ex-pastry chef.
She wokked up a dish using surprise ingredients I presented without using any recipes or measuring any ingredients, just like how she learned in my cooking class.
I hope to showcase more Wok Stars and want you to share your ethnic dish or something unusual you make in your wok. If you have my Wok Star Kit Bundle (cast iron wok and gas stove setup), click the contact tab at the top and let’s collaborate.
Look forward to hearing from you.  See what Nina wokked up…

and leave your questions, comments, feedback here

Shanti Christensen's Book Giveaway and Umami Kale (updated)

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Book Giveaway details below, ends tonight Sunday, April 16: 12am ET, good luck! 

If you crave real home cooked Chinese food, you can win Shanti Christensen’s book, “Family Style Chinese Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from My Culinary Journey Through China!” (see details below!) It’s a MUST.  Shanti’s quest to learn authentic Chinese cooking led her into 40 families’ homes over a 3 year period and culminated in this treasure trove of family recipes. Her superb story telling makes us feel like an extended family, privy to secrets that have been passed down for generations.

You’ll learn about Chinese traditions, the importance of family and with meager ingredients, you can cook up feasts. Lamb Fried Rice Xinjiang Style (p.161) and Braised Pork Ribs in Aromatic Sauce (p.111), umm, not bad bedtime reading or to dream about.

Simple, no frills recipes. They won’t intimidate you or make you keel over with impossible-to-find ingredients like many Chinese cookbooks. My favorite part of the book?  Reading Shanti’s endearing stories about the families gave me a sense of what life was like in China. I was born in China and left when only 9 months old. 

You can experience more of Shanti’s China trip here.

And if you’re lucky enough to live in San Francisco,
she produces outrageous popup dinners serving dishes from all over Asia.

To celebrate this book giveaway, I chose Shanti’s Stewed Kale (p.156) because the day I wanted to experiment from her book, that’s all I had in the fridge. And I loved that because it reflects my whole philosophy of using what you have and make the best and tastiest dish you can!

Creating a sauce to put over veggies is a very efficient way of adding flavor
to a big batch of veggies and gives them a different texture and flavor. 

As always, I couldn’t help being a Wok Star and put my personal spin on it… 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. kale (ready washed and torn into pieces)
Grape seed oil
Sesame oil

Sauce:
1 tsp Koon Chun brown bean sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp i.e. few dashes of sherry
1 tbsp i.e. few dashes of tamari
1/4 cup chicken broth

METHOD…

  1. Combine all sauce ingredients in bowl
  2. Heat cast iron wok till hot, add sauce and fry till fragrant
  3. Immediately add kale and cover with sauce.  Add broth, tamari and sherry.
  4. Cook till kale is wilted, taste for doneness, if not enough sauce, add a little more broth and cook till tender.

This kale goes well with ANYTHING.
I’d love to hear about some of your favorite ways for preparing kale in the comments.

Ready for Book Giveaway?  Keeping it simple, here you go:

1.  Subscribe to my free newsletter in right sidebar —->
2.  Follow Shanti Christensen on Instagram @showshanti
3.  Follow Eleanor Hoh on Instagram @wokstar and leave comment on Book Giveaway post
4.  Leave a comment below why you deserve to win Shanti’s cookbooks?  Then email me eh at eleanorhoh dot com so I have your email if you win.
5.  Eligibility:  Only for United States residents. Closing date:  Sunday, April 16 , 12 am ET. Check back here for winner announcements Monday, April 17.
6.  A random winner will be picked and contacted via email. Respond ASAP, otherwise I will pick the next winner.
7.  Your book will be sent directly to you, good luck everyone!

If you didn’t win, you can still buy Shanti’s cookbook here. 

Want more ideas for vegetable dishes?…

Simple Kale Stir Fry

Three Ingredient Broccolini

How about more Kale recipes?

Serious Eats: 15 Kale recipes

All the Kale Recipes You’ll Ever Need

Umami Stewed Kale