Just got a Wok

cleinen · January 2010

Just got a wok and have never cooked on one before. Looking for some easy starter recipes to try out. I would really like to try fried rice.

SoonerChris · January 2010

cleinen wrote:

Just got a wok and have never cooked on one before. Looking for some easy starter recipes to try out. I would really like to try fried rice.

Search is your friend. When I searched for fried rice I got 156 hits.

Fried Rice

Boilermaker Ben · January 2010

I'm sure you'll get lots of recipes. I'll just give a couple tips.

Don't fear the heat. When you stir fry (meats, especially) you want a screaming hot wok. It took me several cooks to get up the courage to get the fire and the wok REALLY hot, but it makes a huge difference.

Have everything you need pre-cut, pre-measured and organized so you can use it quickly. Because you're using so much heat, wok cooking goes very fast. You need to be organized and ready to move. This includes having empty bowls ready to receive cooked ingredients, if you're cooking in batches, like most stir-fries work, and a serving bowl for the finished dish.

While it's called "stir frying" don't start stirring right away when you are searing meat. Add the meat and let it sit for several seconds (depending on how hot your wok is) before you start stirring. If you don't let the meat sear well first before you flip/stir it, you'll lose out on the great flavor of the wok, and the juices will run out. You'll wind up with grey meat.

Fried rice should be made with leftover rice. If your rice is too wet, it will stick to the wok. Make rice the day before, then put it in the fridge. The next day, take it out and if it's in a compressed lump, break it up before cooking.

Don't crowd the wok whenver you're searing something. When you're combining everything at the end, it's ok to have a full wok, but if you're searing meats or veggies, work in small batches.

Richard Fl · January 2010

hERE IS ONE.

Rice, Fried, Pork

The secret to making perfectly cooked fried rice is to use rice that has been cooked and cooled a day in advance. I like to use day old rice because when I stir in the soy sauce, it is not as readily absorbed and therefore does not make the rice mushy. High volume restaurants use the new stuff and that works well just be careful about the liquid amount or you will have mush. You may also take the eggs, scramble them and then drizzle over the rice in the wok and stir rapidly on high heat. Add the egg last.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4-1/3 Lbs Sliced Pieces of char sui roasted pork or Lup Cheong Chinese sausages
1 Tsp Medium-Dry Sherry
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Water chestnut powder or corn starch
2 Tbs Water
1 Tbs Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbs Oyster Sauce
1/2 Tsp Sugar
5 Tbs Peanut oil
2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 Cup Mung Beans or Bean Sprouts
1/3 Cup Sliced, Scallions
1/2 Cup Red Bell Peppers, chopped small
1/2 Cup Zucchini, 1/2 inch pieces
3 Cups Cooked White Rice

Procedure;
1 Beat eggs and 2 tbs water together just to blend; set aside. Heat oil until hot in large wok over medium heat. Add green onions and stir-fry 30 seconds. Add pork and other veggies and soy sauce and other liquids and cornstarch paste. cook and stir until thoroughly heated.
2 Stir in rice and cook until heated, gently separating grains
3 Add eggs and scramble.

Yield: 6 Servings

Recipe Type
Meat, Side Dish

Recipe Source
Source: Egg Foo Looey's, Richard Howe, 1994/05/25

Serial Griller · January 2010

Congratulations on your wok.
Got to the library and check out The Breath of a Wok and a good book to buy is The Foods of Vietnam
Fried rice is very easy and fast.
Cook one cup Jasmine or long grain white rice the day ahead and refrigerate.Makes about 3-cups cooked
Shrimp fried rice
2-1/2 tbls oil
2 eggs beaten
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion chopped
10 medium shrimp chopped
2 scallions thinly sliced
1- med. carrot 1/4 " dice
1-tbls oyster sauce, Hoisin sauce, or soy sauce
cilantro sprigs for garnish

Heat your wok until a few drops of water vaporize in a second or two.
add 1-1/2 tbls oil
pour in egg to make one thin omelet
remove to bowl
add 1 tbls oil add garlic and half the onion cook stiring about 1 minute.add shrimp and cook until done.transfer to bowl with egg.
heat another tbls of oil add rest of onions, scallions, carrots .Strifry about 1 minute.Add rice and heat through stiring constantly .
Add shrimp,egg, sauce and stir fry until rice turns golden brown.
Note: never add more than 12 oz of meat, 16 oz of chicken, or 4cups of vegies to a 14 " wok.too many ingredients lowers the temp causing food to steam rather than stir fry.
Have fun.You'll never order take out again.
shrimp

veggies

Misippi Egger · January 2010

Great tips. I just got a Wok also - haven't seasoned it yet.

What are the best tools to get to use in my Wok?

fishlessman · January 2010

wok shovel that serial griller has posted, the wire strainer for fried foods, aluminum wok cover if you can find the right size

Boilermaker Ben · January 2010

Woks are pretty low-maintenance. Not a whole lot of "tools" you'll need.

I use a bamboo spatula-type thingy that came with my first wok...a flat-bottomed stovetop wok from Joyce Chen. I still use it in my round-bottomed wok, simply because I haven't bought a metal wok-spatula like you see in Serial Griller's photos. Those metal spatulas are sized to fit the curvature of your wok, so if you get one, you'll need one that fits your wok. There are also wok ladles, but so far, I haven't made a recipe that would utilize one.

Similarly, lids are sized to fit each wok-diameter. A lid is a good idea.

If you're going to do any steaming in the wok, a bamboo steamer is a good idea. Again, diameter matters.

My wok doesn't fit in my cabinets, so I bought a hook so I can hang my wok in the pantry.

You'll need a plastic scrubby pad for anything that gets stuck on your wok. Never clean your wok with soap or detergent (aside from getting the factory oils off initially), just hot water and soft scrubbing (if necessary). You'll season your wok initially, but it will continue to season over time as you cook. Expect some food sticking initially...over time your wok's patina will improve and improve and less food will stick...you'll also need less oil to cook with.

Lots of little bowls for ingredients.

Gloves. I like welding gloves, as they resist the extreme heat from the egg, but allow for better dexterity.

A side table of some sort. You need your ingredients close at hand...so if your egg isn't in a table, and you don't have the nest-mate thingies, you'll need some other table to put ingredients.

I also love having an oil bottle with a spout. I use peanut oil for almost all frying, so I buy it in big jugs. I've got a tall, thin glass bottle with a metal spout that's great for getting the right amount of oil in the wok, and I can grab it and use it quickly in the wok.

I also keep a cup of water by the wok for cleaning out afterwards. The easiest way to clean a wok is to add water immediately after you finish cooking.

That is literally everything I can think of that I use with my wok. oh gosh, I nearly forgot a couple of the most important...the spiders! One being the spider rig that holds the wok down over the coals, the other is the spider spatula/ladle thingy for scooping stuff out of frying oil. That's it, I think.

Misippi Egger · January 2010

Thanks, Ben. Great advice! I got my Wok from Tom (Ceramic grill Store). i will go to the "wok store" web site and look for tools.

Questions:
1) Is the spider/spatula/ladle thingy different from the spatula in Serial Griller's post?
2) When you add the water for cleaning, do you just swirl it around then and dump, or actually take it to the sink to clean? I am on a screened kitchen/porch with no nearby sink.

Thanks!

fishlessman · January 2010

after its seasoned alot of cooks you can just wipe it clean with paper towels. if something sticks, bring it up in temp and hit it with just enough water to lift what stuck, similar to making gravey, and as it burns off you can wipe it down with the towells again, in the house my wok and CI never leaves the stove top. thwe shovel posted has a round edge that fits the round wok whereas a spatula with a stright edge doesnt

Boilermaker Ben · January 2010

1) yes, it's different. His is a regular wok spatula (or wok shovel, as fishless called it). There are also utensils called spiders that are shaped like a wide, flat ladle, but are made of interwoven metal wire. They're great any time you're frying anything (wok or otherwise) for fishing food out of the fryer, and leave the oil behind.

2) depends how bad it is. I wok out on the deck too, and have to take the wok back into the kitchen to dump the water. Since I've got the bamboo spatula, scraping away at bits with the spatula is safe for the patina (no scratches) I don't know how that would work for the metal wok spatula. I usually swish the water in, scrape around with the bamboo spatula, and then take it into the kitchen (carefully) to dump it and check to see if I need to hit it with the green scrubby pad (careful! it's hot!!).

When I cooked with the wok at an eggfest last year, and I was doing batch after batch after batch, I had a big squeeze bottle of water, and a rubbermaid washing tub. I'd spray some water in, scrub with the spatula, and dump into the tub. Repeat if necessary. Wipe it out with a paper-towel. Then on to the next batch. Your patina will improve with time, and you'll have to do less and less scrubbing. My initial seasoning wasn't very good, and had been flaking off...but by the end of the fest, after cooking all those batches, the seasoning was much better!

cleinen · January 2010

Thanks for the tips and help. Looks like the first thing I need to do is make some rice today so I can wok tomorrow.

fishlessman · January 2010

heres the spider thingy.
http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=411297

Misippi Egger · January 2010

Thanks, Ben (and fishless). Great advice. That's why I love this Board.

outrageous · January 2010

just got a wok last week. and a spider this week from tom at ceramic store, great service. can not wait to use spider this weekend. this is shot with 16 inch wok on large .

Just got a Wok

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