Wokin' the Wok

Finally I have a carbon-steel wok!

It only took me three orders to get. The first I ordered from Amazon which arrived with a broken helper handle. I sent this back to be exchanged and the second one arrived with a cracked helper handle. Apparently this is a common problem with the Joyce Chen wok, this I find out reading the reviews after my purchase. I highly recommend you don't purchase this brand!

I ended up ordering a wok from the Wok Shop in San Francisco, CA. I placed my order around 10:00pm on a Tuesday night and it arrived on Thursday!! I was thrilled to say the least. The Wok Shop rocks!!

I already had a stainless-steel wok when I joined the Wok Wednesdays cooking group that I have been using with fine results. However as I was reading through Grace Young's book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, I came across the section about seasoning your wok and how it develops a nice patina which forms a natural non-stick surface; and seeing fellow bloggers having the same wok, to say that I was feeling a bit jealous is an understatement. I was so craving for that blackened surface on my wok which it would never have being made from stainless-steel.

I have been trying to be less wasteful by not purchasing items I really do not need. My stainless-steel wok was working just fine. To justify my purchase I told myself that the patina this new wok develops will mean less oil is used, which translates to healthier meals. Another plus is it will boost my iron intake!

Cannnot wait to make our next recipe in my new wok!


Seasoning my new baby:

Boil water with 1/4 cup salt to remove the

 manufacturer's film/coating on the wok.

Nastiness..

Hmm... interesting.

Ginger and scallions for seasoning the wok.

Stir-fry with a couple tablespoons oil, making sure

to push the vegetables up and around the edges.

I think I took the term "stir-fry till charred" literally.

On its way to developing a beautiful patina.