Wok Wednesdays: The Breath of a Wok | Susanna Foo’s Tofu, Eggplant, Mushrooms, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

 
Four score and seven years ago . . .  actually it was four stores and a few days ago that I found the Chinese eggplant I needed for this recipe. I was set on omitting the eggplant after store number two, but I feel the need to make a recipe as instructed the first time around unless it is unavoidable, such as unavailability of ingredients or at times in my case, laziness.

Store number one had Italian eggplant which I came very close to purchasing, fine it would have been I'm sure. I recalled seeing Chinese eggplant earlier in the week at store two, however this day it looked past its prime, as did store number three. Store four (as did store three) had Japanese eggplant - close enough!

This stir-fry is loaded with delicious vegetables - or fruits, depending on how technical you want to get.  :)

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Garlic, jalapeño pepper

Bowl 2: Eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes

Bowl 3: Tofu, mushrooms, bell pepper

Bowl 4: Soy sauce, vodka, balsamic vinegar, sugar

Bowl 5: Zucchini, sugar snap peas

Tastes as good as it looks and then some.

Tofu is one of those foods people either like or they don't; for me it depends on how it is prepared. I have had some tofu dishes that turned me off, and others like this stir-fry that makes me ask why I don't eat more of it.

I served this alongside some jasmine rice which made for a most delicious meal. This is one for the repeat list.

If you get overwhelmed with the different choices of tofu, check out this informative article on The Kitchn's website with tips from Andrea Nguyen, author of Asian Tofu, among others.



As much as I want to share the recipes from this book with you, we have been asked not to post them on our blogs. 

If you have been enjoying these Wok Wednesdays posts, consider purchasing Grace's book(s) and you too can make these wonderful stir-fries at home. 

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Wok Wednesdays is an online group of wok devotees that are cooking through Grace Young's The Breath of a Wok. All are welcome to join along - no blog required. :)

Wok Wednesdays: The Breath of a Wok | Liang Nian Xiu's Snow Peas, Tomatoes, and Chilies

As I mentioned in my last post, we have finished cooking our way through Grace Young's Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, and so we begin a new odyssey with her book The Breath of a Wok, an IACP Cookbook Award winner.

Most people think of only stir-frying when they see or hear of woks; but there is so much more that can be done in this amazing vessel which we are soon going to discover - such as steaming, braising, boiling, poaching, deep-fat frying, pan-frying, and yes, even smoking in the wok, proving that the wok is quite the versatile pan to have in your kitchen arsenal.

Oh, and it makes great popcorn too!

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Bacon, ginger, garlic, chili

Bowl 2: Snow peas

Bowl 3: Tomato

Bowl 4: Salt, sugar

We started with a simple vegetable stir-fry of crisp snow peas, sweet tomatoes, and smoky bacon - what a wonderful fusion of flavors.

This makes a great side dish or even a light lunch served alongside some rice.

The recipe can be found on page 132 of The Breath of a Wok, which you may just want to pick up at your local bookstore for it is more than just a cookbook, it even has a whole chapter dedicated from finding the perfect wok to seasoning and caring for your treasured pan - a wok manual of sort and is filled with personal stories and gorgeous photos from Grace's travels during her research in wok cooking and culture, which sadly is becoming a lost art; but hopefully there will be a resurgence in authentic wok cooking thanks to Grace and her books, and the Wok Wednesdays group which is just shy (and by shy I mean 6) of 2000 members as of this posting.


We have been asked not to post the recipes on our blogs, so why don't you grab the book and join in on the fun and become a Wok Wednesday member yourself! Come check us out on Facebook.

Wok Wednesdays | Stir-Fried Baby Bok Choy with Sichuan Pepper and Salt

WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge

by Grace Young

 Such a simple and beautiful stir-fry.

 Baby bok choy.

Shanghai baby bok choy (source).

Shanghai baby bok choy is most commonly found in our grocery stores. It has smoother, lighter green leaves and pale green stalks. The bok choy I used, I found at my local Asian market.  Either variant will work in this stir-fry.

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Ginger

Bowl 2: Carrot

Bowl 3: Baby bok choy

Bowl 4: Salt, Sichuan peppercorn

Bowl 5: Chicken broth, dry sherry, cornstarch

This stir-fry takes all about three minutes (if that) to cook; stir-frying continues to amaze me.

The ginger slices are sautéed first, then the carrots are added and given a quick swirl around the wok. Next up is the bok choy, salt and peppercorns, these are stir-fried for about a minute before the broth is swirled in and the mixture briefly steamed, and I do mean briefly - for a whole thirty seconds! Then the vegetables are stir-fried for a short time more - just until the bok choy is crisp-tender. And there you have it!

I actually made this twice. The first time I found it too oily. I should have went with my instinct to not add the remaining oil at the time the bok choy went in. My wok still had a good sheen of oil going on at this point.

The second round, the wok started to look a bit dry shortly before the bok choy was ready, so I added a few sprinkles of oil (maybe a teaspoon?) at that time. Much better result for me.

This recipe can be found on page 189 of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge.

 

We as a group have agreed not to post the recipes on our blogs. 

Wok Wednesdays | Stir-Fried Cauliflower with Rice Wine

WW wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

 

Here is an incredibly easy and surprisingly tasty stir-fry. I say surprisingly, because really, there isn't much to this recipe, as you will see below.

 Mise en place.

Bowl 1: Ginger

Bowl 2: Blanched cauliflower

Bowl 3: Rice wine (I used dry sherry), rice vinegar

Bowl 4: Salt

I had some sliced scallions hanging out in the fridge, so I tossed a handful on for a little color; taste wise - the cauliflower doesn't need it. Who knew that so few ingredients would add so much to this under-appreciated vegetable. 

We are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 214 of  Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed.  

 

The recipe is also available here on Google books. 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

Savory Vegetable Bread Pudding

Recipe found at Taste, Love & Nourish

Andy, had a Christmas party to go to for his rock crawling group (yes, I was invited. Been there, done that.. not my thing.) and I sent him with a pot full of chili and a couple of (small) loaves of bread that we purchased at the farmer's market - one sourdough loaf, and the other a garlic loaf. Probably half of each came home, however, they did devour the chili. :)

 Rock crawling

(That's my hubby)

What does one do with a bunch of leftover bread - besides making croutons? Make bread pudding; of course it would have to be a savory type, with the garlic and all. 

A quick Google search led me to this delicious recipe. It was even better the next day when we had it for lunch. There was still plenty left over, so one of our employees took the rest home for him and his wife for dinner he liked it so much.

Sauté some onion, celery, red pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, tomato, garlic and thyme.

Toss the bread cubes with some olive oil and bake until golden.

In your largest baking dish, toss the sautéed vegetables, bread cubes, cheese, and egg mixture together and top with some additional Gruyére cheese.

Enjoy.

WW: Stir-Fried Lotus Root with Bacon and Vegetables

Wok Wednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

This recipe could not have come at a better time. I have been lacking in the vegetable department lately. Felt good to get something healthy in the belly.

I have to say this has been the most challenging recipe from the book for me, in terms of unfamiliarity with ingredients.

The recipe consists of cloud ear mushrooms, lotus root, Chinese bacon, chicken broth, rice wine, soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut oil, ginger, snow peas, carrots, salt, white pepper and scallions.

Trying to find the cloud ear mushrooms was most difficult, and I don't think I ever got the right ones. Grace says they are thin and delicate, and when pressed between your fingers, they will crumble like a potato chip. I'm pretty sure what I purchased (twice) are wood ear mushrooms, which are thicker and tougher. I even brought in a picture that a fellow blogger posted to the WW Facebook page to show to the sales clerk what I was looking for, and she assured me they were the same, although I have my doubts - for the mushrooms were not as delicate as Grace mentioned.

The mushrooms: The dried on the left, and reconstituted in water on the right. I let them soak in a bowl of water for two hours. If I had the correct mushrooms, the instructions say to let them soak for thirty minutes.

Lotus Root

I have seen this in stores, but have never cooked with it before now. It is crunchy, much like jicama, but it is starchy like a potato - it will start to discolor when the flesh is exposed to air. I love the lacy look after slicing.

When using in a stir-fry, make sure it is dry as possible! I received my first splatter burn (Ouch! This after a whole year of wokking) due to my lotus root not being dry enough.

 

  Did you know that this vegetable is actually the rhizome of the beautiful lotus flower? 

(photo source)

 Chinese Bacon

The Chinese bacon has a hard rind on one edge that needs to be removed; and Grace likes to remove the fat as well. I had two strips of bacon, the second mostly all fat. There would not have been anything left to cook after removing the fat. Good thing one strip was enough.

The bacon lends a chewy texture to compliment the crunchiness of the snow peas, carrots, and lotus root. 

The recipe calls for the ginger to be sliced (about the size of a quarter) and smashed - which I did. However, I have decided that I would prefer minced ginger, for I like a stronger ginger essence than the smashed ginger gives.

This has to be one of the most beautiful stir-fries we have made to date. 

The book says this will serve four as a side dish. We had this as our main course served alongside some brown rice. This made for a healthy dinner, and there was even extra for Andy's lunch the next day.

We are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 193 of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

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Book 105: Jerusalem

by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi

I  originally went to the bookstore to purchase two books: Plenty from the same author as this book, and Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single Cook by Joe Yonan. I love the Plenty cover, and I'm a sucker for a beautiful cover (this the reason I went to purchase Eat Your Vegetables: Bold Recipes for the Single cook - and I am not single.)

However, Plenty is an all vegetable cookbook, as is Eat Your Vegetables mentioned above - so I decided on Jerusalem. A very good call. And I've only made this one recipe so far. I am so looking forward to several other recipes from this book.

These were incredibly easy to make and delicious to boot! Each time I had the book open to this recipe or had a photo of the burgers on the screen, my husband would say "those were really good".

I definitely will be making these again.

We had these awesome "burgers" for dinner (they are quite small - only a couple inches in diameter - the instructions even refers to them as meatballs, though they are a flat in shape, not round), served with a simple green salad. These would also make for a delicious hor d'oeuvre to bring to a party. You could even make them ahead. My husband said they were still just as tasty the next day; and the book mentions you can have them as a snack from the fridge.

The burgers are served with a sour cream and sumac sauce. Sumac was the only ingredient that was not readily available at any of my local grocery stores. But after a quick internet search, I discovered a small Mediterranean deli and market one city over. I was ecstatic to say the least - bring on more of these delicious recipes!

Yes, these are good. You gotta make em.

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The makings of the sour cream and sumac sauce. 

The raw meat patties where quite delicate. I had to reform some of them as I picked them up to place them in the pan.

Out of the frying pan, and into the oven to finish cooking.

How delicious does this look?

WW: Hot Pepper Beef

Wok Wednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young 





美味!
(Chinese)

Herkullista!
(Finnish)


Lecker!
(German)

Delizioso!
(Italian)


Utsökt! 
(Swedish)   



No matter what the language, it translates to delicious! 
                                                                                                                                                                                                 (English)


(Translations taken from Google Translate)

Mise en place

Bowl 1: flank steak, garlic, soy sauce, cornstarch, rice wine, s&p, water, sesame oil

Bowl 2: red onion, ginger, red pepper flakes

Bowl 3: bell pepper, zucchini (I had a lonely zuke hangin' in the fridge that needed using up - tossed that in. The recipe calls for green bell pepper, though Grace herself will sometimes use a mixture of green and red. Me, I always switch out green bells for red - a personal preference.)

Bowl 4: salt

Bowl 5: ketchup, hoisin sauce, rice wine

You start out by searing the meat first. Then remove from the wok and set aside.

Toss the aromatics (onion, ginger, red pepper flakes) till fragrant, add the vegetable(s). Stir-fry for about ten seconds, then return the meat with their juices to the wok, along with the salt and ketchup mixture, and heat till the meat is just cooked through.

 

Serve, and be delighted!

This dish has amazing flavor.

One rule of the Wok Wednesdays group is we are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 85 of Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find it at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like information about joining us, click here, or visit us on Facebook. Would love for you to wok along with us!

 

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WW: Velvet Chicken and Asparagus

Wok Wednesdays wokking through Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge
by Grace Young

This recipe takes a little bit of advance planning before you can start the actual stir-frying; the asparagus needs to be blanched and the chicken marinated (not for adding flavor, but to create tenderness) thirty minutes prior to cooking - a process called velveting.

If like me, you fail to read the recipe beforehand, you can still get this on the table in a reasonable amount of time - oh the joys of stir-frying!

Chicken breast can and usually turn out dry, no matter how you cook it - until now. To velvet chicken (or other meats/fish) you combine it with some egg white, cornstarch, rice wine, salt and oil. Chill for thirty minutes then give it a quick blanching in some water that oil has been added to. The result after stir-frying is amazing; tender, soft and silky smooth.

I only wish I could use this technique with chicken that I plan on barbecuing. It is not advised to "brown" the meat you have velveted - I'm not real clear as to why not. It has something to do with overcooking the velveting ingredients themselves.

Once again, we have another successful recipe from the book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge (a must have!).

Success meter (1-3): 3

 The chicken in the "marinade".

Asparagus is blanched and dried. With stir-frying you want to make sure your ingredients are dry as possible to avoid hot oil splatters and the braising of your dish. I find using a salad spinner works well at getting the water off of the vegetables.

 You can almost see the silky smoothness the chicken has obtained after marinating.

Trust me - you'll get past the eating of "white" (not browned) chicken with the first bite. The velveted chicken is sublime.

A career in food styling is not in my future...

One of the rules of the Wok Wednesdays group is we are asked not to post the recipes here on our blog. If you would like the recipe, you will find it on page 128 in Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge, which you can purchase at your local bookstore or find at your local library. I highly recommend purchasing the book - you won't be disappointed. 

Wok Wednesdays is an online cooking group. If you would like to join us or just want more information, click here or visit us on Facebook.