Secrets and Recipes for Cooking in a Wok
A wok is a traditional Chinese frying pan with a unique shape that has been used to cook food since ancient times. In Asia, the wok had been known for 200 years before our era, and became widespread throughout the world in the 70s of the last century, having come to the kitchens of restaurants in America and Europe.
A wok is a large, round pan with high rims, a very narrow bottom, and two small handles on the sides, or one long handle. This seemingly simple device is suitable for preparing a variety of dishes: in a professional wok from Yosukata, you can cook not only the main course but also sauces and even soup. Due to the peculiar design, the process of cooking food in a wok has many features.
Peculiarities of Woks
The first step is to choose the right wok pan. When buying, pay attention to the material: cast iron and stainless steel are best suited. The ideal diameter of the pan for home cooking is 30 cm, while the lid of the wok should be convex.
Under authentic conditions, the wok is cooked over high heat, which licks the bottom of the wok. Therefore, electric stoves are not very suitable for cooking in it: gas burners will create more similar conditions in the kitchen.
What to Cook in a Wok
The very process of cooking in a wok requires the observance of some tricks:
- You need to cook in a wok quickly and on the highest fire.
- Based on the first point, you need to cut the food into small pieces, otherwise, they will burn on the outside and remain raw inside.
- It is crucial to follow the sequence of adding ingredients: some are cooked for a long time, while others — almost immediately.
- You should always fry in a wok with vegetable oil, for example, sesame, which gives the dishes a special taste.
Since the range of dishes that can be cooked in a wok is truly wide and varied, we will only consider frying. But remember that stewing, boiling, and roasting can also be done in a wok.
Wok noodles
Any type of noodle is suitable for this dish: glass, buckwheat, wheat, rice. Fry vegetables in a wok, such as green beans, carrot, onion, bell pepper, and zucchini, in a small amount of vegetable oil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add peanuts and chili sauce, followed by tamarind paste and soy sauce. As the vegetables are ready, add pre-boiled noodles and also fry non-stop for one to two minutes.
Salad in a wok
You can even make a salad in a wok! Cut the carrots into long thin strips and fry in vegetable oil over high heat. Cut the onion into half rings, add to the carrots and fry everything together for another 5 minutes. Rinse the spinach and arugula, dry and put on a plate, cut the cherry tomatoes in half, cut the baby corn into small pieces and add to the salad, put the fried vegetables on top.