"wok" news and stories

There is something joyful about a stir-fry -- the percussive tap of a wok chuan (spatula) sliding vegetables around carbon steel, the hiss and spit as the food cooks, the fragrance of citrus in a spicy orange-beef-and-broccoli medley or the smell of the sea in a combo of scallops, cilantro and black bean sauce. Blogger qlinart swears this Thai-inspired stir-fry of Asian eggplant, chicken, red peppers, chiles and basil can be prepared in less than a half hour, and that the recipe is easy enough for a novice cook to make.

Years ago, I was given a copy of Irene Kuo's The Key to Chinese Cooking. Her detailed illustrations and step-by-step guides -- plus her amazing recipes -- taught me well. For more on the lure, and lore, of the stir-fry, pick up Grace Young's beautiful The Breath of a Wok.

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There are certain things for which a recipe seems silly because it's more of a formula with variables rather than a specific set of ingredients and techniques -- a salad, sandwiches, casseroles, and in the case of Asian cuisine, fried rice. Fried rice is just something you throw together, pulling various ingredients from whatever choices you have in the fridge. You start with a base of leftover rice, then go from there. Meat? Pick one from what you have. Vegetables? Use whatever you have. Seasoning? Well, this one is a little tricky, but it always comes down to your personal preference. Jaden of food blog Steamy Kitchen always uses fish sauce, but I simply splash in some soy sauce, butter, and of course, my favorite hot sauce, sriracha.

Is this loaf of bread -- deliciously domed, fabulously textured, stunningly browned -- not absolutely gorgeous?!?!

The funny thing is, it was baked in a wok.

Lindsay, who blogs over on Chopstick Beaten Eggs, had a recipe for bread from her boyfriend's chemistry professor. They were excited to try it, but didn't have an enamel cast iron pan in which to bake it. Being the innovative students they are, the two used the closest thing they had to cast iron - the wok. Given that this was something done as improvisation, I think it might be a good method to use going forward for the beautiful round loaf it produces!