Healthy, low-calorie, crunchy! A lot of good things can be said about food cooked in a wok — a large Asian frying pan with high, thin walls. But most importantly, it’s really delicious. The secret is in a special cooking technique. Chefs have long adapted the wok for boiling, simmering, and even cooking with the effect of a double boiler and a cauldron. But its key purpose remains a quick stir-fry.
This technique was born a couple of thousand years ago in crowded China, where it was crucial to feed numerous people at once quickly and satisfyingly. Usually, it was about the whole village. The stir-fry method solved this problem at once. The products did not require long-term heat treatment, and the dish turned out juicy and appetizing. In this article, we have compiled for you seven main rules for cooking in carbon steel woks from https://yosukata.com/carbon-steel-woks/ using the stir-fry technique.
1. Prepare All Ingredients in Advance
Cut them into small pieces or strips. Even a traditional cast-iron wok heats up in seconds. And even more so — a modern wok pan for an induction cooker with a ferromagnetic insert in the bottom. It is best to put the chopped ingredients in advance in small bowls.
2. Heat up the Wok to the Maximum
Any inhabitant of the Middle Kingdom will confirm that a cold wok kills food. After all, from the point of view of healthy nutrition, the main thing is to preserve useful vitamins and minerals in food. A well-heated wok instantly seals the juice inside the product, preserving its natural benefits.
3. Pour a Couple of Drops of Oil on the Bottom
The classic Chinese wok, which has been used many times, requires almost no oil. The surface is sealed with the remains of previous dishes, and new ones do not burn. A drop of oil is needed for a crispy crust.
4. Fry the Ingredients in Layers
First come the products that give flavor, for instance:
- onion,
- garlic,
Then add meat, poultry, or fish, cut into small slices. And now you can put the most delicate ingredients — vegetables or seaweed. The average cooking time is 7-10 minutes.
5. Add Sauce
Have you noticed how rich and thick flavors Chinese sauces have? The fact is that they are added to the dish closer to the final. The wok is now so warm that the liquid will quickly evaporate, giving the food all its shades and taste. Remember to stir the contents of the pan vigorously.
6. Do Not Use Dry Seasoning
From the intense heat, it simply burns out. This will spoil the taste and appearance of the dish. In addition to the divine aroma of a fried vegetable mixture with meat, fish, or poultry, a distinct smell of burning will be added.
7. Put Starchy Foods in the Wok at the Very End
A wok is an ideal dish in which disparate ingredients become a single dish. Half a minute — and you can remove the wok from the stove. By the way, in some original Chinese recipes, rice is served separately from the wok-fried mixture. Everything is mixed on the plate.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in the stir-fry technique. Try it, and it will surely become your favorite way to feed the whole family.
