Search the Community

The original cacciatore recipe is from perhaps my most treasured cookbook, Romagnolis' Table. My contribution is the mushrooms. One of my most favored cooking vessels is a Thai stir-fry pan from Williams Sonoma. Envision a relatively small wok. Make sure the chicken thighs and mushroom slices are dry. Necessary only if you value skin -- yours, not the chicken's. Stir-fry the sliced mushrooms in olive oil and transfer to a bowl. Over high heat add a bit more oil to the pan and brown the chicken pieces thoroughly. Add chopped or sliced garlic and rosemary to taste. Not to mention, salt. Quench with white wine vinegar, and when the vinegar mostly evaporates, with wine. I like Soave, myself. Reduce heat, cover and braise about twenty minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to the bowl with the mushrooms. Over reasonably high heat reduce the pan liquids to a syrup. Deglaze with water and add back the mushrooms and chicken pieces to reheat. Serve with good bread. I think you can do that.

I had arranged a friend to give our 1/4 Chinese grandson Mandarin lessons as I only speak Cantonese and Toisanese. After the lesson, he wanted to cook more noodles. I had made Yaki Udon for our supper the other night, and he wanted to cook some himself. Started by cooking the Chinese sausages, then added the veg and some siu yook (from my freezer). Once done, he put all that onto a plate, cleaned the wok, then stir-fried the udon noodles. Added oyster sauce, light soy, then mixed in the veg and meat. He was quite pleased with the results. We had lunch with his teacher, a former student of mine from China who is now the coordinator of International Students at our local university. I used to always cook extra and feed her while she was a homesick student far from home.

Always hot oil in Chinese cooking. Heat the empty wok, then add oil, when shimmering / beginning to smoke it's ready to fry.

I think it depends on your kitchen and the type of cooking you typically do. 90% of mine is wok based. There is no way I can do that sitting down.

Most dishes containing Shaoxing wine only have about a tablespoon of the wine in a marinade, or even just a splash to deglaze the wok and add a bit of flavour. However there are two classes of dish which use much larger quantities of the wine - up to 2½ cups or 250 ml per serving. These are the "drunken" dishes and the "hong shao" dishes. Often said to be of Shanghai cuisine they are certainly popular there, but also in a wider area. What they have in common is Shaoxing wine. These are examples of when you really need to splash out on a good 5 year minimum huadiao wine to do justice to the dish. I use an 8-year old. Your cheap every day Shaoxing isn't going to work well. The classic "drunken" dish is "drunken chicken" or 醉鸡 (zuì jī), a cold appetizer. However, there are almost endless variations such as drunken fish, drunken shrimp, drunken tofu etc. The drunken chicken is simply cooked in boiling Shaoxing wine for a few minutes, then the heat is turned off and the bird left in the hot liquid until cooked through. There are many recipes on the internet, but I can't really recommend any that I have read. I suggest Fuchsia Dunlop's recipe in Land of Fish and Rice (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) is your best bet. Drunken Chicken The second group are 红烧 (hóng shāo), literally red-cooked. Again pretty much everything can be red-cooked, which means simmering in a stock coloured with soy sauce. The peak of inventiveness in this group is 东坡肉 (dōng pō ròu) from Hangzhou near Shaoxing. 2 inch cubes of fatty pork belly with skin are fried, then red cooked for about 2½ hours in a mixture of soy sauces and a copious amount of quality Shaoxing wine. The resulting dish is rich and unctious. This dish is best made the day before eating and left overnight to chill. Remove the fat on top of the chilled meat. Again I recommend Ms. Dunlop's book rather than the internet. Dongpo Pork There are other dishes using Shaoxing in large amounts, but these are the two classics.

So once you've sorted out your Shaoxing according to taste or budget what do you do with it. I use it in almost every meal I cook. A tablespoon or so (I always eyeball it) in marinades is de rigeur. I always use it to deglaze the wok. And sometimes in dips. It is also used in larger quantities in certain dishes, a subject I shall return to.

Golden Fried Rice (cooked rice tossed with egg yolk, egg whites are deep fried in wok until puffy and then mixed in, along with scallion greens added at the end) with celery, bell pepper, and spiralized carrot added.

I agree that a lot of Kindle books are poorly formatted, but at these discount prices it's nice to have an electronic copy alongside a print one. It's particularly true for oversized books — titles like Kenji Lopez-Alt's The Wok are great to look at but lousy to read in a comfortable chair. That said, if you're willing to at least check them out, a lot of libraries now will let you borrow e-books through services like Overdrive; most have a "Read with Kindle" option. That would let you weed through them without obligation.

Yes, no issues from Ian. The water was choppy yesterday with a lot of seaweed and some flotsam washing up, but today it is flat calm and the water is clear from debris. I can see through my binoculars that a big milk crate washed up overnight, so I am going down to clean up the beach by filling it with plastic this morning if nobody else on the bay gets to it first. I have not actually eaten the sushi rice here to my recollection! My niece usually orders some but I am more drawn to the local fish if it's available. We are going to New York City next weekend and I think all of our reservations are at sushi restaurants so the odds of my trying any this trip are pretty slim too. Bermuda fish sandwiches do not typically have cheese. It's fish (fried or grilled, but usually fried), and slaw on raisin bread. Sometimes extra slaw sauce and/or hot sauce are added. Most places offer the option of getting regular bread rather than raisin bread, but I like the raisin bread. Yesterday we went out to breakfast. We normally would not, but we have been unable to find any butter on the island for the bread I bought! Granted, we have not looked too many places, but the market within walking distance does not have any, and I had groceries delivered from the large market in Hamilton yesterday, and they did not have any butter either! So we walked over to the Reefs hotel and had breakfast at their restaurant Aqua Terra. Here's the view And the menu. They also offered a buffet, but we opted for a la carte. Three of us ordered the avocado crush. Nicely poached eggs My niece got the coconut french toast She also ordered a side of bacon. Do you think they brought her enough? 🤣 The day was very uneventful and spent swimming in front of the house and reading. For dinner, we went to Blu at the Newstead Hills golf course. Here's the view My sister and husband both got the same cocktail, a cucumber margarita The menu was eight pages long, so no pictures of that! We ordered a wahoo carpaccio to share. It was beautifully presented: We also ordered some fried calamari. Well, we ordered a Thai-style wok stir-fried calamari, but they brought us this one instead. Oh well, it was still tasty. My sister ordered the fish special, which was pan-seared local snapper with lemon risotto Husband had local lobster thermidor I ordered the seafood mixed grill (clams, calamari, snapper, wahoo, shrimp, and scallops) and, despite the large and delicious sounding sushi menu, my niece chose Mongolian beef The sun went down as we enjoyed our entrees They brought out some cookies while we contemplated the dessert menu My niece chose the chocolate souffle and the rest of us got the lemon soufflé to share Overall, it was a lovely (though expensive) evening, and some of the best food we have had in Bermuda.

Just in time for Halloween/All Saints/Samhain/Dia de la Muertos comes this wok cauldron. $20. It was cleaned and smoothed, so now seasoning starts. Thing's a beast, 7" deep and about 24" wide. I had been looking for a discada, but this is just as good. Playing with fire on the tao burner. Before and During pics.

I found a 12" bamboo steamer at a yard sale a couple decades ago. A ticket on it's carrying bag said it was made in 1982. I always put it in an inch of water in an old enamel lobster pot and it finally unraveled. I just got this 10" model today from Amazon and it's already upped my game: a steaming ring fits my carbon steel wok perfectly...

I’ve a jet engine wok burner, love the thing to bits! i use all suitably sized cookware on it on low or just above. It’s brilliant to boil a stock pot will bring it to a ferociously rolling boil in no time and bring it back to the boil in half a minute. The only issue will be you can use small pots, however a wok is a fantastic pan for more then just stir frying, sear a steak, deep fry, steam and sauté a wok very versatile item. Oh and get a Korean bbq rack thing for bulgolgi the burner will nicely char the meat. it’s also great cooking outside although I’m in Brisbane so I don’t get snow.

Sorry this response isn't more timely, but I didn't see it until just now. The short answer is that you can definitely use non-woks on wok burners. I've only used a stock pot and a carbon steel paella, but they work fine. I can't say about the Eastman unit (which seems pretty sweet) but the burner output on the jet engine wok burners is so high that you shouldn't run the burner on high when using normal cookware (obviously) and you should allow your pans adequate time to preheat on low heat to avoid warping. Paired with the right pan, it can function as a pretty epic outdoor sear station. It's not impractical or a pain in the butt, but you will probably want to move it inside to avoid rust issues. And breaking down/setting up a burner like this is a bit more involved than using something like, say, the Iwatani 75FW portable butane burner. That's what I most often use to sear outdoors and it does a fantastic job. Not quite a high output wok burner, but easy to set up and use basically anywhere.

My new built in oven finally arrived after 2.5 months wait, then 2 weeks waiting for electrician to come, install, and hook up. So I've run a few tests, but mainly baking. First thing was a roast chicken as my s-i-l dropped off 2 fresh ones. Just tucked in Kaffir lime leaves, a cut up lime in the cavity, salt and pepper. I don't have a veg garden but I did plant some Romano Beans along the back of my flower bed. They were successful. I had lots of wonton filling left after making 2 doz for our electrician who was a former customer in our restaurant. He and his Dad also did a lot of work in the restaurant and our house. Rick was moaning about missing the deep fried wontons, so I made him some as he showed up on the day and time he said he would! Bribery? You bet! With the leftover pork, shrimp, and waterchestnut filling, I make Tofu Skin pork rolls. They were deep fried then steamed, with oyster based sauce added after steaming. They were easy to eat. Left over pork rolls were added to chicken broth, egg noodles, lettuce, and shrimp for a soup supper next evening. Superstore had bone-in cooked ham on sale. I picked one up and baked it in the oven, with a marmalade, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and rum glaze. It was way too big for the two of us, and we can only handle a couple of meals, so the big portion, along with the bone, went to our son's house. Also made scalloped potatoes. Forgot I had another fresh chicken still in the fridge. Cut it up, used half to make Spicy Chicken and "clean out the fridge" mixed vegetables. Simmered with Toban sauce and eaten with Jasmin rice. Love these one wok meals! Dessert, a couple of hours later: my "3rd ever in my life" buttermilk biscuit and black cheery jelly from my neighbor. The biscuit turned out well. My previous attempts, years ago, were golden hockey pucks!

Quick stir-fry in the wok with pork tenderloin, red pepper, carrots, snap peas, bean sprouts, corn, pineapple, ginger, garlic, chili and sauce made from soy sauce, rice wine, light brown sugar, corn starch, white wine vinegar - served over rice

Resurrecting this thread with a question about the versatility of these outdoor burners. For the next year I'm in a townhouse with a weak gas range and no venting exhaust fan, but with a convenient uncovered back deck. Would a portable unit like the Eastman Kahuna be able to handle not just wok cooking, but also cooking (or at least searing) steaks, chicken etc on cast iron and stainless steel pans on a regular basis? I've seen precious little on these units being used for anything other than wok cooking and turkey frying. Beyond it being possible, is it practical or a pain in the butt?

I've only made popcorn once in that wok - it was a complete disaster. The wok is thin carbon steel and it burnt (or I did rather) the crap out of the popcorn.

Have you ever made popcorn in that wok after making your fish dish? Seems to be a thing these days.

@Kim Shook " just tender " yup. but still w some crunch for ' Wok-style ' dishes.

Those who've read my Singapore (and other) food blogs might know how much I love (Old) Lai Huat's sambal pomfret. They take the whole fish and fry it, then cover it with this crazy savory sambal. The fish is basically just a sambal delivery mechanism. I'd be happy eating their sambal with just some rice, or even just licking it straight from the plate like a dog. Needless to say, I've been trying to recreate it at home for years and never really been happy with it. This is the closest I've come - it's pretty close. Makes 2 meals for 2 people 100g medium size dried shrimp 10-15 (depending on size) dried puya or prik chee faa chillies - or other mildly spicy chilli 160g shallots, chopped 1 head of garlic, deskinned and crushed 200g spur chillies - mildly spicy long red chillies, deseeded 2-3 Thai chillies 30g belacan (shrimp paste), toasted then crumbled Rice bran oil or other high heat oil for frying 1) Soak the dried shrimp for about 20 minutes, then drain 2) chop then pound them in a mortar and pestle - you don't want it too fine 3) Destem the dried chilli and snip into short lengths removing the seeds and soak for about 20 minutes, then drain discarding the soaking water 4) In a food processor or blender, grind the shallot and garlic together to make a paste 5) Separately, grind the drained dried chillies and fresh chillies together to make a paste 6) In a wok, heat about 1/4 - 1/3 C oil, then fry the shallot/garlic paste until quite fragrant - about 3-4 minutes 7) Add the chilli paste and stir to combine, fry for a minute or two 8 ) Add the pounded dried shrimp and crumbled belacan, stir to combine 9) Keep frying over medium heat, stirring to prevent scorching 10) When the oil first starts to come out of the paste, turn the heat to medium low and keep going until the sambal is quite dry It should look kind of like this - or maybe even a little drier.... Try not to splatter your wall like I did... 11) Season - it should only need a little salt (both the belacan and dried shrimp are salty) and maybe a little sugar, then reserve and keep warm 12) season your fish (I used mahi mahi which worked well) with some salt, then coat in 50/50 cornstarch/rice flour... or all rice flour... or wondra flour.... 13) Heat some oil in the wok and shallow fry the fish until done 14) Drain the fish, then top with a generous coating of sambal. Serve with rice/stir fried veggies Edit: increased the amount of dried shrimp

This could have gone into several different topics, but it's been fun for us...so here it is in this topic. The story begins with my husband's passion for hash, and his insatiable desire to perfect it to his tastes. The potatoes must be crisp but not oily. The sausage must be cooked, and slightly browned. The onions must keep their crunch. I could go on, but that tale has dragged on in the Camping, Princess Style topic for years. A year or three ago, his daughter gave us (him) a used pan that met most of his needs. it had a huge base. It had straight sides, so he could run the spatula under the ingredients and turn them. He is not of the "do that pan flippy thing with the contents" persuasion, so rounded edges are contraindicated. Two problems: the interior non-stick became sticky, and -- much more important -- the bottom was no longer flat. When he put oil into it for his beloved hash, he had to deal with an interior island. Think of a reversed wok, and you'll have it about right. I loved this pan. I loved its (original) shape, its very long and strongly angled handle. it was a wonderful traveling companion, and it hung without complaint on the wall of our house when we were home. But its contents stuck, and its warped bottom made an island in the oil. I looked for Vollrath (the parent company) and Ameriware, and various offshoots, to no avail. I looked at World Market, where I'd purchased a smaller but similarly excellent pan. No luck. Enter Amazon, of course. I found several candidates, based on size and shape. I ordered several candidates. For this purpose, GreenPan (eG-friendly Amazon.com link) won.* Our GreenPan skillet made its debut tonight. The sides are right-angled. The bottom is flat. The entire interior is as slick as an Antarctican ice rink in winter. My darling is used to measuring oil with the interior island in mind, and there may need to be adjustments. Still. The potato layer perfectly spread across the bottom of the pan. There was a bit more oil than necessary, but not much. All went well on this maiden voyage. "All went well" is, in truth, an understatement. He's in ecstasy! *The other candidates found homes here too, but they won't be his hash pans.

Yeah, as soon as she said 'wok', I thought "that's perfect". Just need to find a suitable lid.

I've made black pepper shrimp in one form of another occasionally but it's never been the same twice. Last night's version was a keeper, so I'm putting it here so I can do it again. Black pepper shrimp exists in both Singapore and Vietnam (and I'm sure elsewhere as well) - this version is basically the Singapore version with added herbs. Recipe is for 2 people, to be had with rice. The sauce is really thick and strong, so you only need a bit with the rice - it goes a long way. 12 Extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined, then sliced 3/4 of the way through from the back. You could also use shell on shrimp (how it's done in Singapore) but then the sauce clings to the shell rather than the meat. Season with a little salt and let sit while prepping the other ingredients 1 T whole black peppercorns (I use Vietnamese) pounded or ground coursely, dry fried to release the aroma 1 small handful medium size dried shrimp, soaked for 20 minutes in water, then drained, chopped and pounded - not to a paste, but small pieces 1 normal size shallot, finely chopped 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 Thai chilli, minced 1 sprig curry leaves 2 garlic chives, cut into 1/2" lengths 2 t oyster sauce 2 t sweet soy sauce 1 t dark soy sauce 1 t light soy sauce Pinch salt slightly larger pinch sugar small handful cilantro, chopped a few sprigs laksa leaf (rau ram), picked and chopped 10 Thai basil leaves, chiffonade Rice bran oil (or other high temp oil) for frying, plus maybe 1 t butter later 1) in a hot wok, at a few T of oil and sear shrimp on both sides, then reserve saving the oil 2) in the same wok with same oil (add a bit more if needed) on low to medium heat, fry the pounded dried shrimp until golden brown and crispy. Drain, reserving the oil. Clean the wok to make sure you don't get any burnt bits 3) Heat the wok over medium heat, add back a couple T of the shrimp oil plus the butter and sweat the shallots until translucent and just starting to brown 4) increase the heat a bit and add the garlic/chilli/curry leaves/chives plus the dry fried black pepper. Stir fry until fragrant 5) add the fried dried shrimp and mix thoroughly 6) add the sauce and mix to combine - it should boil pretty furiously when added and turn thick and syrupy fast 7) add the seared shrimp and mix to coat evenly and just reheat 8 ) turn off the heat and add the herbs

I used to use a wok for popcorn when my kids were little. The heat and oil and unpopped kernels stay at the bottom of the wok, where the heat is, and the popped kernels sit above them and are safe(r) from being scorched after a moment's ill-timed inattention (which happened frequently when my kids were little). It sounds odd, but it's actually quite functional.

I actually can't see how a wok is great for popcorn. A flat bottomed pan will heat much more quickly and evenly over the bottom, which is what I think I want for popcorn. Like that old Revere saucepan and lid.