Wok Hei, or Burning Down the House

[weinoo]

Apologies to David Byrne et al.

 

In an attempt to become as annoying as Alton Brown, Kenji writes about how to achieve that elusive wok hei at home.

 

Quote

 

“Seeing home cooks outside of China being obsessed about wok hei has always been kind of bewildering to me,” she added.

 

She has a point. Most folks in China don’t have restaurant-style equipment at home, and even the concept of wok hei is not widely known outside of the Cantonese regions of Southeastern China.

 

 

Exactly what @liuzhou has been telling us for years. And as an old (er) home cook, I try to make great food at home for sure - but I don't try to be a restaurant.

 

Well - this is for those who do...

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/dining/stir-fry-recipe-wok-hei.html?action=click&module=Features&pgtype=Homepage

[TicTac]

Something I have been doing at home for many years and a lot easier than most would think.

 

Just get your pan searing hot (2-3x longer than perhaps you typically would) and only add the oil once heated, I coat the pan and remove the excess (you do not want burning oil, even if using a high smoke temp one like Rice bran oil or grape seed) - then get your veg in there and SEAR it!  The browning is what you are looking for.  Cabbage for example takes on fantastic nuances when prepared this way.  Mushrooms, even more so!

 

The article is a bit much, no blowtorches required - trust me.

[dcarch]

My uneducated opinion:

 

1. I have never seen browning vegetables in a Chinese restaurant. Browning food is generally considered unhealthy and to be avoided.

2. Blast furnace hot stove creates appetizing aroma in the air (wok hei?). 

3. Blast furnace hot stove for restaurants cooks food faster, and therefore faster customer turnover.

4. In the old China days, pork fat was used frequently for cooking, and fatty meat was preferred. Yes, extreme heat makes lots of aromatic hydrocarbons and Maillard reaction with fat. But high heat does not much to lean chicken white meat cooked in vegetable oil.

 

dcarch

[liuzhou]

1 hour ago, dcarch said:

In the old China days, pork fat was used frequently for cooking, and fatty meat was preferred.

 

Still true.

[weinoo]

57 minutes ago, liuzhou said:

 

Still true.

 

That would certainly boost the flavor, wok hei be damned!

[TicTac]

2 hours ago, dcarch said:

My uneducated opinion:

 

1. I have never seen browning vegetables in a Chinese restaurant. Browning food is generally considered unhealthy and to be avoided.

2. Blast furnace hot stove creates appetizing aroma in the air (wok hei?). 

3. Blast furnace hot stove for restaurants cooks food faster, and therefore faster customer turnover.

4. In the old China days, pork fat was used frequently for cooking, and fatty meat was preferred. Yes, extreme heat makes lots of aromatic hydrocarbons and Maillard reaction with fat. But high heat does not much to lean chicken white meat cooked in vegetable oil.

 

dcarch

 

Burnt food is indeed unhealthy,  *IF* carbon is being created - however, Wok Hei is the searing / slight browning of anything (I suppose?), thus creating a smokey/toasted aroma.  Pre-carbon creation, no doubt. Take for example Beef Ho Fun - the noodles especially are to be toasted to create a bit of browning, as are any veg, thus the Wok Hei technique is accomplished.

 

Same concept for the aforementioned cabbage example, browning/blistering the veg not only caramelizes the sugars,  but will also create a smokey note - which is the essence of Wok Hei.

 

 

 

 

[weinoo]

If there's one big Chinese restaurant thing I miss, it's the taste of a well-made, restaurant made, beef chow fun. 

 

But like I said, my home kitchen isn't a restaurant's.  And beef chow fun (from a place whose name I shall forget, but on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale, back in the go-go 80's) isn't necessarily my only madeleine.

 

And I miss a lot of other things more.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

I dunno.    I haven't the patience to become a good cook of Asian dishes.    But I do crank up the exhaust fans and heat the wok to smoking, sear veg and quickly brown marinated meat and chicken.    It may not reach the heights of wok hei, but it's enough to create memorable flavor and even more lasting kitchen schmutz.   

[shain]

On 9/8/2020 at 3:21 PM, weinoo said:

 

Quote

 

“Seeing home cooks outside of China being obsessed about wok hei has always been kind of bewildering to me,” she added.

 

She has a point. Most folks in China don’t have restaurant-style equipment at home, and even the concept of wok hei is not widely known outside of the Cantonese regions of Southeastern China.

 

 

 

I think a large part of this is that us Westerners are much more exposed to restaurant style cooking and street food than we are to home cooking. This is also visible in going for particular type of dishes (e.g. stir fired noodles, dumplings) rather than others (e.g. broths, simple cooked vegetable dishes).

 

As to cheaters wok hei, I often brush a few of the ingredients with oil before lightly charring them on a flame. Then I chop them as needed and stir fry over high flame as usual. This usually gives enough of the smoky flavor for my taste.

[weinoo]

In their continuing pursuit, yet another Times' writer writes about wok hei, and also some of her guilt for not being more Chinese? And maybe for not even using a wok...

 

The Smoky Taste of Wok Hei, Without a Wok

 

We have carbonara as often as we do dumplings, cereal for breakfast and P.B. and J. for lunch. In only a generation and a half, it feels as though our ties to our heritage are slipping. I was born in California to parents who had immigrated from Hong Kong and who fed us Cantonese food most nights. When I began cooking for myself, I started with the dishes I grew up eating.

But then I had three kids in three years while juggling multiple jobs and struggling to build a career. The demands of real life dictated mealtime, and roasting ingredients on a sheet pan felt easier than stir-frying and steaming. Part of what kept me from reflexively cooking Chinese each night was the belief that I had to stick to the way it had been done, to be “authentic.” In short, to use a wok.

 

And a recipe for that most classic of Chinese vegetables, Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts:

 

Brussels sprouts caramelize to a deep, delicious brown while retaining a fresh bite in minutes when cooked on the stovetop. In this adaptation of wok stir-frying, the sprouts quickly sear in a single layer in a skillet, then steam through with a splash of water to tenderize their tough cores. Crushed garlic cloves release their aroma into the hot oil, but are in chunks big enough to not burn and get bitter. A final sprinkle of sugar, soy sauce and red-pepper flakes give the sprouts a nice balance of sweet, salty and spicy. You can eat this with other stir-fries and steamed rice or alongside any main dish. Leftovers, reheated or cold, can be tossed into grain bowls and salads.

[haresfur]

On 9/9/2020 at 11:40 AM, Margaret Pilgrim said:

I dunno.    I haven't the patience to become a good cook of Asian dishes.    But I do crank up the exhaust fans and heat the wok to smoking, sear veg and quickly brown marinated meat and chicken.    It may not reach the heights of wok hei, but it's enough to create memorable flavor and even more lasting kitchen schmutz.   

 

Yeah I have a wok burner on my cooktop (not the highest end one they make) and the filters on the exhaust fan get disgusting.