Hubs copied this trick. I HATE IT. It’s not an even flame. The center just becomes so over heated and it’s hard to control the heat of the wok. It’s probably great for super quick, shaking type of wok cooking style, but for something like searing tofu or creating a nice sauce in the wok… it just overkill. And yes, it is dangerous. He tried to do this at my brother’s place and the flame darn near hit the condo ceiling. Thank god he wasn’t there, we would have been kicked us out that second if he had seen it.
I don’t think this is a hot take… but maybe… The obsession with getting Wok Hei at home is misguided. Most Chinese/Taiwanese/Thai moms I grew up eating their food it did not have Wok Hei. They cooked with super high flames, but not in the spastic restaurant style. It was more about their mad chopstick skills rather than throwing and rolling the wok. Wok Hei is in the realm of the restaurant, it’s why it’s nice to go out and get an excellent pan fried noodle or Pad See Ew.
Yeah that is why my wok set up is outside. My mom just cooked on an old wire ring stove with a wok and the food was always fine, no wok hei but still tasty.
nicely done! Tip for next time, pound the chiles and garlic together in a mortar & pestle rather than cutting, helps with dispersal throughout the dish. Also a teaspoon each of dark soy and light soy goes a long way and helps with the sauce.
I did mortar pestle but I think my technique sucks with the chiles! The garlic smashes beautifully but the chiles just smeared and elongated instead of pasty.
ah, copy - a lot of that is dependent on the skin type/age of the chiles too. I honestly go with a mix of red fresnos (which break down great and add color and fleshyness) and then small circles of thai/red birdseye for best results.
Homestyle Tofu from “Woks of Life” with wok-fried tofu, dried wood ear mushrooms, red and green peppers, scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise and a sauce made with cornstarch, oyster-sauce, Shaoxing wine, light and dark soy sauce and sugar
Highly recommend the Mala Market’s Zhongba selections, Sauces & Pickles - The Mala Market
They are Chinese but superior to anything I have come across.
Two Ottolenghi recipes for dinner tonight - chickpea pancakes (chickpea flour, ginger, garlic, scallions, jalapeno, cornstarch, baking powder, apple cider vinegar, cumin, garam masala) with mango pickle yoghurt (yoghurt, mango, mango pickle, lime zest) and some crispy, fried curry leaves. Served with eggplants with herbs and crispy garlic (oven roasted eggplant mixed with mint, dill and cilantro in a vinaigrette made from garlic olive oil, white wine vinegar and jalapeño and topped with some crispy garlic slices)
Shalgam Gosht - Braised Lamb with Turnips and Mint - Lamb braised with black cardamom in a sauce made from bin bhuna hua garam masala (made by grinding coriander seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, whole cloves, green cardamom seeds, bay leaves and sirarakhong chili) and puréed caramelized red onions, garlic and ginger. Later you add sautéed turnips, cilantro and a mixture of pounded mint, tomato and dried chili) - served over rice
Curious to try chili with “fake” meat (beyond beef) and it wasn’t actually that bad. Chili made with red kidney beans, red peppers, diced tomatoes, onions, garlic, chipotle in adobo, chili powder, cumin, oregano, tomato sauce
Quick dinner, sometimes called Reispfanne in Germany - pretty much putting together what is in the fridge in a pan (Pfanne) and serve it over rice (Reis). Today it was ground pork, red and green peppers, tomatoes, bok choy, ginger, onion, garlic and some vegetable broth. Served with some sour cream (as every Reispfanne should be)
