Wok Out

mwraulst · February 2012

Got a Wok, seasoned it, and ready for 1st cook. What favorite recipe should i cook in it first?

Griffin · February 2012

I got mine yesterday, but didn't have time to season it.

Village Idiot · February 2012

Why don't you try Kung Pao Shrimp. It's one of the easiest stir frys to do and it's real tasty. This was a subject a couple of weeks ago, so I made a video of the cook to give you a feel for it.

Kung Pao Shrimp Video

And, here is the recipe.

Recipe

mwraulst · February 2012

def going to try the kung pao shrimp. Anyone have a good and spicy general tso's chicken recipe?

Village Idiot · February 2012

General Tso's Chicken

1 pound Chicken thighs or breast, cut into 1" chunks
5 Red chili peppers, dried
3 Green onions , sliced
3 Eggs, beaten
½ cup Cornstarch
Oil , for frying
-----Sauce --------
1 ½ tablespoons Rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Rice wine
3 tablespoons Sugar
3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
2 teaspoons Cornstarch

1.Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly. Let sit for 15 - 30 minutes.

2.Step 2: To make the sauce- in a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.

3.Step 3: Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels.

4.Step 4: Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.

5.Step 5: Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.

6.Makes about 2 servings

mwraulst · February 2012

thank you thank you, perfect friday night dinner.

Chubbs · February 2012

General Tso's Chicken

1 pound Chicken thighs or breast, cut into 1" chunks

5 Red chili peppers, dried

3 Green onions , sliced

3 Eggs, beaten

½ cup Cornstarch

Oil , for frying

-----Sauce --------

1 ½ tablespoons Rice vinegar

2 tablespoons Rice wine

3 tablespoons Sugar

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 teaspoons Cornstarch

1.Step 1: In a large mixing bowl combine cornstarch and beaten eggs. Mix well to create a batter. Add chicken bits and coat thoroughly. Let sit for 15 - 30 minutes.

2.Step 2: To make the sauce- in a small bowl combine rice vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.

3.Step 3: Heat deep fryer or wok to 375 degrees and deep fried chicken bits in batches. Drain on paper towels.

4.Step 4: Add 1-2 tablespoons of oil to your wok. Add dried chili peppers to your wok and stir fry for 30 seconds. Add chicken bits to the wok and stir fry for a couple minutes.

5.Step 5: Add sauce mixture to the wok and cook stirring until the sauce becomes thickened and bubbly. Garnish with green onions and serve.

6.Makes about 2 servings

@VI, looking to give this one a try this week. How much oil we talking about to "deep fry" the chicken in a wok. This one scares me a bit. Video please??!! [-O<

Just kidding on the video. Sort of.

:D

Village Idiot · February 2012

lol. No video. Truth be known, I usually deep fry the chicken in a deep fryer. We have a little one that doesn't use too much oil. But, I will be doing Cashew Chicken at Salado, and will be deep frying the chicken in a wok there.

The amount of oil is variable. If you cook all of the chicken at once, you need more oil. I usually will fry about a third of the chicken, then set aside, cook another third, and set aside ... etc. If you put it all in, the temp will drop too much and you'll get a soggy chicken.

To answer your question: I'd probably use about 4 cups (1 quart) of oil.

P.S. Be very careful when deep frying with a wok. Don't let young children near you while cooking. I had a friend who spilled hot oil on his daughter (not using a wok). Not a nice story.

Randy1 · February 2012

I did kung pao shrimp twice last weekend.....very good. As a beginner with a wok also very easy.

Chubbs · March 2012

@VI. I gave the generals tsos a shot today. It is really windy so I had a tough time getting the nice big open flame. It turned out pretty good. I cut up chicken thighs, and they were really good. My only issue other than the flame was I could not find rice wine. Do you know of a good substitute? Also, the sauce seemed a little chalky even though I blended the corn starch really well. Has that happened to you?

XLBalco · March 2012

time to get a WOK!

Village Idiot · March 2012

@VI. I gave the generals tsos a shot today. It is really windy so I had a tough time getting the nice big open flame. It turned out pretty good. I cut up chicken thighs, and they were really good. My only issue other than the flame was I could not find rice wine. Do you know of a good substitute? Also, the sauce seemed a little chalky even though I blended the corn starch really well. Has that happened to you?

Chubbs,

Dry sherry can be used as a substitute for Chinese rice wine. I'm fortunate. Houston has a great Asian supermarket, so I can get any ingredient I need. I use Shaohsing rice wine. Goggle it. You might want to order some online if you're going to continue Chinese cooking, because most of the recipes I've seen call for it.

Corn starch will tend to settle out if you don't use it right away. I usually stir it before putting it in the wok. After it's under heat, it should thicken your sauce somewhat. That is it's purpose.

Good luck.

Chubbs · March 2012

Cblii, You havent turned your neighbor on to eggin yet?!

Village Idiot · March 2012

Things got a little hectic at the end when I realized I had forgotten to bring out my serving plate :)

=)) Boy! Do I remember screaming to my wife "BRING ME A PLATE !! BRING ME A PLATE !! You only forget that once.

Glad you liked the Kung Pao Shrimp. By the way, I use Tien Tsin chiles from Penzeys. I seed them before putting them on the wok. I never eat them in the meal, but they add flavor and some heat to the dish. They have a Scoville heat unit of 60,000, which is a tad bit hotter than jalapeños (55,000)..

Village Idiot · March 2012

I'm sure they're fine, Clbii. They look dried and red, and since you said they burned a hole in your tongue, they're perfect. I'm in Mexican country, and sometimes I'll use arbor chiles (30,000) and get the same effect as tien tsin. Just don't eat them straight. :O

Griffin · March 2012

Can you use Mirin instead of rice wine?

Village Idiot · March 2012

You could use anything you want, but it wouldn't be the same. Mirin is sweet, ShaoHsing is not. Dry sherry is often used as a substitute for ShaoHsing.

I use Mirin in tempura dipping sauce.

Griffin · March 2012

You are a fountain of knowledge, VI! =D>

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