*crispy waffle*

One of my favorite pieces of cookware is my carbon-steel wok. You've seen these before: if you've ever walked into a Chinatown grocery store, they are in the aisle on the far wall, near the soup bowls and such, usually teetering haphazardly in stacks. They are really cheap-- usually unber 20 euros-- and come in loads of different sizes.

There are problems with these woks when you first bring them home. They have a nasty metallic smell. They rust instantly. They usually have cheap wooden handles that instantly turns black. But once properly seasoned, they are the most excellent cooking utensils for anything stir-fried.

You may ask, why go through the trouble? Why not buy a super nice non-stick wok made by All-Clad or Calphalon? I admit, I have a non-stick wok. But I use this almost exclusively for garlic fried rice (Filipino sinangang - yum) or making omelettes (yes, it sounds weird, but my non-stick wok is the easiest thing for cooking eggs-- they are really easy to flip!). However, the carbon steel wok is the hero of the stir fry-- you can use it over the highest heat you can get, and if it's well-seasoned, it will not only make the food taste better (all the little browned caramelized parts everywhere), but it'll be naturally non-stick as well. This applies as well to a well-seasoned cast iron pan: anyone who's used one knows that non-stick cookware is not a substitute.

I've actually combined two methods of seasoning: 1) rubbing oil into the wok surface, and 2) deep-frying chinese chives. I've never actually tried the deep frying of chives by itself, but I've heard that this is a good way, by itself, to cure a wok. I feel as though it gets rid of that weird metallic smell and taste. The thing to remember is to discard the chives rather than eating them.

Once you've seasoned the wok, whip up a batch of snow peas. This is one of the simplest things I know how to make, and the flavor is best in a wok. Plus it has the added value of continuing to season -- a seasoned wok only gets better with use.

How to season a carbon steel wok

Scrub the brand new wok inside and out with hot water, dish detergent and a scouring pad. Set on a burner over medium heat.
Using tongs, dip a wadded-up paper towel into peanut oil. Rub it around the inside of the wok until it 'drinks' up the oil.
Switch to a new wadded-up paper towel and rub the oil all around the inside of the wok. Once it seems like it's absorbed all the oil, repeat step 2.
Keep doing steps 2 and 3 until the paper towel no longer turns black when rubbing. This should take about 15-20 minutes, and will be about 3 or 4 repetitions of steps 2 and 3.
You should have a blackened area in the center of the wok - after lots of use, your wok will eventually look entirely like that.
Heat the wok again over medium heat. Add 1 cup peanut oil and a large handful of chinese chives. Fry for about 10 minutes. Discard.

To care for your wok, rinse it each time immediately after frying in it without using dish soap; just a soft sponge. Dry it on the burner rather than using towels or dish racks-- this will prevent rusting.

Stir-fried snow peas
Don't substitute snap peas. Those are delicious too, but they need to be cooked differently. They will become instantly mushy in a high-heat stir fry.

Ingredients
250 grams snow peas
2 cloves garlic, minced
about 1 teaspoon Maggi sauce

Rinse the snow peas and drain in a colander (it is good if they have a bit of water clinging to them.)
Heat the wok over high heat. When it is totally hot, add 3 tablespoons peanut oil and swirl around the entire wok.
Add the snow peas and stir fry for 2 minutes, or just until they turn bright green.
Add the garlic and Maggi sauce, fry for another 30 seconds or so, then turn out onto a plate and serve immediately.

Labels: recipes, the savory and salty

posted by sheryl | 9:57 AM | comments (0)