The Wok- first cook

caliking

Waded in today. 

(Clockwise, L to R )

Pico’s Not-So Bland Chicken
Sichuan Double-Cooked Pork Belly
Egg and Veg Fried Rice
Baby Bok Choy with Garlic

The chix was the star. I’ve wanted to learn how to velvet chix, and… wow! It was tender and delicious. 

This book is the shiznit re: technique. It’s a tome  to be studied. Has just about everything you’ve ever wanted to know about wok cooks, and a shite load of recipes from all over. Definitely worth buying. 

Also, if Sichuan cooking is your thing, I’d recommend checking out Fuchsia Dunlop    . Any one of her books + The Wok will keep you busy (and well fed ) for a good while. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

caliking said:

Waded in today. 

(Clockwise, L to R )

Pico’s Not-So Bland Chicken
Sichuan Double-Cooked Pork Belly
Egg and Veg Fried Rice
Baby Bok Choy with Garlic

The chix was the star. I’ve wanted to learn how to velvet chix, and… wow! It was tender and delicious. 

This book is the shiznit re: technique. It’s a tome  to be studied. Has just about everything you’ve ever wanted to know about wok cooks, and a shite load of recipes from all over. Definitely worth buying. 

Also, if Sichuan cooking is your thing, I’d recommend checking out Fuchsia Dunlop    . Any one of her books + The Wok will keep you busy (and well fed ) for a good while. 

Yes!

theyolksonyou

“Waded in”. Lol

The Cen-Tex Smoker

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

caliking

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Ha! MIL only eats chix, shrimp, some fish. caliprince fist pumps and whoops when he hears things like "we're having pork belly for dinner". So, had to make 2 proteins. 

We're still talking about the chix. Properly cutting it, and the velveting, definitely elevated it. 

Ozzie_Isaac

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Pretty soon Cali will have his own line of woks hand forged from iron ore he mined on a bit of property he purchased just for this.  Handles will be carved from trees he raised from seeds imported from a remote province in China.

caliking

Ozzie_Isaac said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Pretty soon Cali will have his own line of woks hand forged from iron ore he mined on a bit of property he purchased just for this.  Handles will be carved from trees he raised from seeds imported from a remote province in China.

You're closer to reality than you may think  

I do aspire to being a gentleman farmer first. But, that may take a while. Farkin' life gets in the way. 

Foghorn

caliking said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

caliking said:

Nice! We love this dish. Haven't made it at home much, though. 

Kenji seems to have caused quite a stir (fry?) with this tome. Apparently, he saved it from becoming a chapter in The Food Lab, because he saw it standing as a book by itself. 

How do the recipes compare to Fuchsia Dunlop's stuff? I've been on the fence about The Wok. Waiting to see if the library has it. 

Im not sure how the recipes compare but the techniques are great. 

I never took you for a library kind of guy. You strike me more as a “why borrow one when I could buy 2” kind of guy 😂

your garage don’t lie. 

Update:

Borrowed a copy from the library. Flipping through this book was like a wet dream. Wish I had it 10 yrs ago. 

Bought a copy on Amazon, and they damaged the binding because it was shipped same day (shipped in bags, not boxes). So, picked up a copy at Costco.

That means I currently have 3 copies in my posession...

Then, I went poking around in the garage, and found 2 woks. One is junk, the other one needs to be reseasoned. Not  counting the 2 concave comals, which are sorta like a wok. 

Moral of the story=  fvck you. I hate it when people know me better than I do. 

I've been pretty busy with work so I am just getting caught up on some threads.  I don't know if I've ever read anything on the internet that made me smile more.

RyanStl

caliking said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Pretty soon Cali will have his own line of woks hand forged from iron ore he mined on a bit of property he purchased just for this.  Handles will be carved from trees he raised from seeds imported from a remote province in China.

You're closer to reality than you may think  

I do aspire to being a gentleman farmer first. But, that may take a while. Farkin' life gets in the way. 

Landed gentleman, sounds great.

nolaegghead

caliking said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Ha! MIL only eats chix, shrimp, some fish. caliprince fist pumps and whoops when he hears things like "we're having pork belly for dinner". So, had to make 2 proteins. 

We're still talking about the chix. Properly cutting it, and the velveting, definitely elevated it. 

 Baking soda?  (I hear that’s out) or marinate, blanch or fry?

caliking

nolaegghead said:

caliking said:

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

theyolksonyou said:

“Waded in”. Lol

This is what it looks like when Cali “dips a toe in the water” to see how it is 

Ha! MIL only eats chix, shrimp, some fish. caliprince fist pumps and whoops when he hears things like "we're having pork belly for dinner". So, had to make 2 proteins. 

We're still talking about the chix. Properly cutting it, and the velveting, definitely elevated it. 

 Baking soda?  (I hear that’s out) or marinate, blanch or fry?

Kenji runs with baking soda, egg white, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine. And velveting in water vs. hot oil. Fuchsia Dunlop seems to prefer potato starch + Shaoxing wine, and velveting in hot oil. 

Kenji's method calls for a couple of extra ingredients, but all stuff that folks may already have. 

smbishop

I haven’t read through all the comments, but added the book to my amazon list.  I use my wok quite a bit, been thinking it is time to season a new one.  

Thanks for sharing!

Recent cook playing with my DJI Pocket 2:

https://youtu.be/h-JOqyp5Bjk

recipe:

https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-chicken-broccoli-brown-sauce/

caliking

Cool cook! I've made a few recipes from that site, and they've all been winners. 

NDG

Yes, I’m Reading it now !! , wife has some **** TV on, i am neck deep in thermal images of wok hot zones & “velveting” chicken techniques.  I flipped thru all grace young’s books, but so much of this is brand new to me, super interesting! 

* sorry sideways, pics are not needed so whatever

NDG

@caliking dude your all over this - amazing !!

caliking

NDG said:

@caliking dude your all over this - amazing !!

Just trying to keep up with Cen-Tex

Its one of the most fun cookbooks I've bought in a while. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

caliking said:

NDG said:

@caliking dude your all over this - amazing !!

Just trying to keep up with Cen-Tex

Its one of the most fun cookbooks I've bought in a while. 

Same. And you are way ahead of me. I’ve only cooked Beef Chow Fun 4X so far ha ha. It’s so good I can’t stop cooking it. And we are trying to perfect the noodles which has been a challenge. We do not have fresh Chow Fun Noodles in my little town of 10k people 

Ozzie_Isaac

At this point @caliking and @The Cen-Tex Smoker are both off-topic.  This thread is "The Wok - First Cook".  You guys are well past the first cook.

JohnInCarolina

Damnit if I’m not going to have to purchase this book - and a wok - now.

< shakes fist at sky, curses Cen-Tex >

theyolksonyou

JohnInCarolina said:

Damnit if I’m not going to have to purchase this book - and a wok - now.

< shakes fist at sky, curses Cen-Tex >

Agree button engaged

at least I own (1) wok, which I’ll end up replacing because it’s a d handle (as opposed to a d cup, that would be an upgrade)

FrostyEgg

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Ozzie_Isaac

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

It is a new healthy way to cook.  Doesn't she love you and want you to live a long and healthy life?  If so, then you really need a wok and a new burner.

FrostyEgg

Ozzie_Isaac said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

It is a new healthy way to cook.  Doesn't she love you and want you to live a long and healthy life?  If so, then you really need a wok and a new burner.

Good enough for me!

EDIT: didn't see a link posted. Where do I buy this 160k BTU jet propulsion system? Going to have a few more White Claws and see where my wallet takes me.

theyolksonyou

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Just do what I do. Say,”you’re not the boss of me! I’ll buy what I like!”

then go back into the living room and join her to watch HGTV and ask her nicely. 

Ozzie_Isaac

FrostyEgg said:

Ozzie_Isaac said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

It is a new healthy way to cook.  Doesn't she love you and want you to live a long and healthy life?  If so, then you really need a wok and a new burner.

Good enough for me!

EDIT: didn't see a link posted. Where do I buy this 160k BTU jet propulsion system? Going to have a few more White Claws and see where my wallet takes me.

https://outdoorstirfry.com/product/powerflamer-propane-160-long-lead-time/

Looks shady af, but it is legit and owner is super responsive.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

JohnInCarolina said:

Damnit if I’m not going to have to purchase this book - and a wok - now.

< shakes fist at sky, curses Cen-Tex >

< shakes fist at sky, curses Cen-Tex >

Get in line. 

caliking

theyolksonyou said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Just do what I do. Say,”you’re not the boss of me! I’ll buy what I like!”

then go back into the living room and join her to watch HGTV and ask her nicely. 

other options include:
1. Order item. When its delivered, go "Fvckin' Amazon! They delivered someone else's stuff here! AGAIN!" After a day or so, " I called Amazon, and told them they delivered someone else's stuff to us. They said keep the item. I may as well use it, right??" 

2. Have item delivered to a buddy. Go pick it up, and say " @Photo Egg said he didn't need this anymore, and cut me a great deal on it."

3. "Where did this come from? Honey, were you drunk on Amazon again?"

I can vouch that at least one of these works.

JohnInCarolina

caliking said:

theyolksonyou said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Just do what I do. Say,”you’re not the boss of me! I’ll buy what I like!”

then go back into the living room and join her to watch HGTV and ask her nicely. 

other options include:
1. Order item. When its delivered, go "Fvckin' Amazon! They delivered someone else's stuff here! AGAIN!" After a day or so, " I called Amazon, and told them they delivered someone else's stuff to us. They said keep the item. I may as well use it, right??" 

2. Have item delivered to a buddy. Go pick it up, and say " @Photo Egg said he didn't need this anymore, and cut me a great deal on it."

3. "Where did this come from? Honey, were you drunk on Amazon again?"

I can vouch that at least one of these works.

I have met caliqueen, and there is zero chance she would fall for any of this.  What I would believe is that she was comfortable rolling her eyes and just letting you believe the ruse had worked!

caliking

JohnInCarolina said:

caliking said:

theyolksonyou said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Just do what I do. Say,”you’re not the boss of me! I’ll buy what I like!”

then go back into the living room and join her to watch HGTV and ask her nicely. 

other options include:
1. Order item. When its delivered, go "Fvckin' Amazon! They delivered someone else's stuff here! AGAIN!" After a day or so, " I called Amazon, and told them they delivered someone else's stuff to us. They said keep the item. I may as well use it, right??" 

2. Have item delivered to a buddy. Go pick it up, and say " @Photo Egg said he didn't need this anymore, and cut me a great deal on it."

3. "Where did this come from? Honey, were you drunk on Amazon again?"

I can vouch that at least one of these works.

I have met caliqueen, and there is zero chance she would fall for any of this.  What I would believe is that she was comfortable rolling her eyes and just letting you believe the ruse had worked!

As recent times have shown, it's all about deflection.

FYI, #1 almost worked for a table saw I ordered. 

Ozzie_Isaac

JohnInCarolina said:

caliking said:

theyolksonyou said:

FrostyEgg said:

Any tips on trying to explain to the wife why I now need a jet engine burner and wok? 

Just do what I do. Say,”you’re not the boss of me! I’ll buy what I like!”

then go back into the living room and join her to watch HGTV and ask her nicely. 

other options include:
1. Order item. When its delivered, go "Fvckin' Amazon! They delivered someone else's stuff here! AGAIN!" After a day or so, " I called Amazon, and told them they delivered someone else's stuff to us. They said keep the item. I may as well use it, right??" 

2. Have item delivered to a buddy. Go pick it up, and say " @Photo Egg said he didn't need this anymore, and cut me a great deal on it."

3. "Where did this come from? Honey, were you drunk on Amazon again?"

I can vouch that at least one of these works.

I have met caliqueen, and there is zero chance she would fall for any of this.  What I would believe is that she was comfortable rolling her eyes and just letting you believe the ruse had worked!

She let him get a rice cooker.  She is twisted around his finger.