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Wokked my heart out.

calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
edited February 2014 in EggHead Forum
The weather was absolutely gorgeous yesterday, so I just had to be outside. Figured I would try out my new wok from World Market. Picked out some recipes from Fuchsia Dunlop's "Every Grain of Rice" and got to work.

The menu:
Smoky eggplant with garlic
Broccolini in ginger sauce
Egg and vegetable fried rice with burnt garlic
Fish with black bean and chili

Fired up the small and smoked the eggplant first while I did some prep work inside and made the broccolini. I wanted the ginger sauce to steep for a bit, so I made this item first. 
image

Passed the eggplant on to SWMBO, so she could finish it inside. Recipe called for light soy, Chinkiang vinegar, chili oil, garlic, sesame seeds, and spring onion. I had initially planned to make "fish-fragrant eggplant", but we're not big on fried foods, so I skipped it. 

Next up was the fried rice. Bumped up the small to 500°F+. The wok fit like it was made for the small. Groceries included cooked rice, mixed veg, garlic, sesame and canola oils, light soy sauce, and eggs.

Mise en place:
image

Heated up some oil to "burn" the garlic first. The recipe didn't call for burnt garlic, but I love the flavor, so the recipe was tweaked. 
image

Things moved quickly after that. The veg went in after the garlic was done. Removed all of that from the wok, and poured in the beaten eggs, followed by the rice, soy, and sesame oil. Done!
image


Moving right along to the fish.  Mise en place:
image

 I had salmon filets in the freezer which I needed to use up. Cut them into chunks and marinated in salt and Shaoxing wine for a bit. Fried them up firstto get the skin nice and crispy.
image

Removed the fish and added the ingredients for the sauce: black bean paste, chili bean paste, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, chili flakes.
image

Finished! Not the best picture.
image


Plated shot. Trying to beat the clock because the little man's bath time was coming up, so the plated shot isn't great. Y'all are probably tired of my plates and kitchen counter by now, so I'll try and stage my shots differently in the future. 
image

Dinner was a big hit. Since some items (broccolini, eggplant) were not entirely made on the egg, I was able to fit a couple of more items into the menu for variety. The eggplant and broccolini turned out well, and offered differing textures and flavors to the meal. The fish was really good too - nice and spicy hot. Everyone liked the fried rice as well. 

Overall, dinner was a winner. I'm happy with my new wok, although I expect the helper handle to burn off in time (it was a just a wee bit  charred by the time I was done cooking).  

Thanks for looking!

#1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.

Comments

  • cazzycazzy Posts: 9,058
    Looking good! Nice job cali!
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • SkiddymarkerSkiddymarker Posts: 8,299
    Nice looking stir fry and no, never tired of great looking food that is well presented. (Calling it a stir fry does not seem appropriate for what you've done)

    Did you "burn" your garlic in a touch of sesame oil? Taiwanese friend suggests 5ml to 10ml of sesame oil pored over the garlic in its prep bowl prior to it hitting the wok.

    Have you tried cooking with a wok burner? As much as I like cooking over charcoal, stir frying is much better over an adjustable high output burner. 
    Delta B.C. - Move over coffee, this is job for alcohol!
  • calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
    @Skiddymarker - Burned the garlic in a couple of tablespoons of oil probably. I'll try your friend's tip next time.

    An adjustable wok burner would be neat, but one more piece of gear. I figure that the egg is sort of like a tao stove, so more authentic in a way? :)

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • CanuggheadCanugghead Posts: 6,155
    edited February 2014
    =D>
    We wok most of the time but usually on stove, charcoal consumption would probably increase tenfold if we wok in the egg 
    :\">
    SWMBO does a fish dish very similar to yours with slight variations ... similar sauce ingredients cut down by 50% for the amount of fish you have, substitute chili flakes with fresh minced chili; instead of stir frying, cover raw salmon with sauce and steam for about 15 minutes, serve with fresh white rice.

     


    canuckland
  • SkinnyVSkinnyV Posts: 3,392
    =D>
    Seattle, WA
  • calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
    @Canugghead - I hear ya. I don't wok that often, but I couldn't bear to cook inside yesterday.

     I overestimated the amount of salmon I had, so I doubled the recipe. Was a bit salty for my taste, so next time I'll just try less. I want more "masala"/sauce in the dish though. Should I add more cooking wine or just water and maybe some cornstarch to thicken? Also, do you use skinless salmon? I would like to skip the frying step, but had to since the skin was on and i had already cut the filets up into smaller chunks. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • TUTTLE871TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    Nice job sir! And the plated picture is awesome.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

  • CanuggheadCanugghead Posts: 6,155
    edited February 2014
    I stand corrected, actually it wasn't sauce per se ... more like lightly sauteed and spread over the fish, then pouring some oil, wine and soy over before steaming, natural juice from the fish provides plenty of flavourful non starchy gravy.  We've used both skinless and with skin (easier to remove scale before cutting up).

    Shaoxing often has high salt contents, just checked a bottle and found this interesting: 
    Front label says 18% alcohol, 2% salt, BUT nutrition facts on back label says 15% sodium?


    canuckland
  • CPARKTXCPARKTX Posts: 1,804
    Wow that is a great looking cook. Nicely done.
    LBGE & SBGE.  Central Texas.  
  • Cymbaline65Cymbaline65 Posts: 800
    Wow. That looked (and I'm sure tasted) great. BTW, I take the flag for amateur plating and photography. Yours looks much better.
    In the  Hinterlands between Cumming and Gainesville, GA
    Med BGE, Weber Kettle, Weber Smokey Joe, Brinkman Dual Zone, Weber Genesis Gas Grill and portable gasser for boating
  • RACRAC Posts: 1,688
    Nicely done! Your pictures are just getting better and better. Must be from all the practice with the new baby! How is he doing?

    Ricky

    Boerne, TX

  • chashanschashans Posts: 418
    Beautiful plate Caliking. Sure bet that it tasted good also. Looks like you have a pantry full Asian ingredients.
    LARGE, MINI BGE    SAN DIEGO, CA            An alcoholic with a barbecuing problem.

  • calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
    @RAC - the little man was the impetus (excuse?) for a significant upgrade in photography gear, hence the improvement in pictures :) He's doing well, and can't wait to get to Salado!

    @chashans - its probably our favorite ethnic cuisine, especially Sichuan food, so we have a pretty well-stocked pantry. SWMBO even learned how to make xiao long bao once, and a Kazakh friend taught her how to throw noodles from scratch. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
    @Canugghead - your comment about  the salt in Shaoxing wine reminded me that the fish was marinated in the wine and salt for 10mins. I added that marinade to the wok during the cook which probably contributed to the saltiness. maybe I'll leave that out next time. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • GQuizGQuiz Posts: 701
    @caliking Are you holding court in Salado? Would love to ask questions. Just bought the 19" wok and XL Woo 2 from CGS.

    XL BGE; Schertz TX by way of Stow OH. #egghead4life
  • calikingcaliking Posts: 10,713
    edited February 2014
    @GQuiz - I'm planning to! If he makes it to Salado, the man to mark will be Village Idiot. He's quite the wok master.

    A lot of people like Grace Young's Breath of a Wok for recipes and such.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • GQuizGQuiz Posts: 701
    Thanks. Want to learn how you shuffle through and how you prep. I'll have 2 wok masters to ping. Dish looks incredible. See you in Salado.

    XL BGE; Schertz TX by way of Stow OH. #egghead4life
  • henapplehenapple Posts: 15,983
    Nice
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • SkiddymarkerSkiddymarker Posts: 8,299
    Canugghead said:
    I stand corrected, actually it wasn't sauce per se ... more like lightly sauteed and spread over the fish, then pouring some oil, wine and soy over before steaming, natural juice from the fish provides plenty of flavourful non starchy gravy.  We've used both skinless and with skin (easier to remove scale before cutting up).

    Shaoxing often has high salt contents, just checked a bottle and found this interesting: 
    Front label says 18% alcohol, 2% salt, BUT nutrition facts on back label says 15% sodium?


    Just guessing here, but re the Shaoxing is it possible the 2% salt is by volume/weight, while the nutrition panel is the % of daily "requirement"?
    I use the real thing from Taiwan and it has no added salt. 
    Delta B.C. - Move over coffee, this is job for alcohol!
  • CanuggheadCanugghead Posts: 6,155
    Gotcha, thanks. 
    canuckland
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