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For Great Flavor, Wok This Way

Photo by JADEN HAIR

By following a few simple steps, you'll produce perfect stir-fries regardless of wok material or size.

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By JADEN HAIR

Tribune correspondent

Published: October 10, 2008

People who want to get to know me always seem to ask that stupid question: What would you bring to a deserted island? As if the answer reveals the inner depths of my personality.

Really? Hmmm ... let's see ... a boat? A satellite phone?

Dostoevsky volumes I and II just don't seem the appropriate thing for battling extreme boredom and lack of Internet access.

OK, so I guess my answers really do reveal my personality. So if forced to choose my kitchen arsenal for a deserted island vacation, I'd most definitely pack my cleaver, tongs and a wok.

The wok is my "everything tool" - I can stir-fry, steam, braise and boil with it. Not only is it used throughout Asian cooking, but it's such a versatile piece of equipment, I've also been known to cook Italian pasta and fry steak for tacos in my wok. Julia Child, I know you'd be proud of my ingenious adaptation.

Choosing a wok is very much like matchmaking. One wok does not fit all, so inevitably when someone asks me, "What kind of wok should I buy?" I put my arms around their shoulders, lead them to the couch and begin analyzing their wok personality.

What's your equipment?

If you have a gas stovetop, you have the option of buying a round-bottomed wok and a ring that fits in place of the grate. But before you decide on this, check out how powerful and how high the flame on your stove is. If you have a lame flame barely stronger than a candlestick, your wok will never get hot. You're better off with a flat-bottomed wok with more surface area touching the heat. If you have an electric stove, your only option is a flat-bottomed wok.

Do you prefer high or low maintenance?

If you're the kind of person who hand washes and dries her pots and pans, then a carbon-steel or Chinese style cast-iron wok is for you. You'll have to do some work to scrub off the stubborn factory oil and properly season it. And it will also require constant care to keep seasoned, but like Grandma's cast-iron pan, you'll cherish it, and it will impart a home-cooked flavor to your food like no other. I have a beautifully seasoned cast-iron wok that I snagged from my mom's kitchen several years ago. For details on wok seasoning and care, come to www.steamykitchen.com, where I have more instructions, or grab the award-winning book, "The Breath of a Wok" by Grace Young.

For my low-maintenance friends, save yourself the headache and get a nonstick wok. Yes, I know many of you wok snobs will read this section in horror but, really, not everyone shares the same enthusiasm for kitchen care. For busy home cooks, the nonstick surface makes cooking and cleanup easy. Sure, you won't get the same browning results as a regular wok, but it's perfect for those intimidated by the prospect of caring for a wok.

How many do you cook for?

Woks come in all sorts of sizes, but I recommend a minimum diameter of 12 inches. Any smaller than that and you'll just end up making a big mess on your stovetop from tossing ingredients. For a family of two to four, a 12-inch wok is perfect. If you're feeding four big eaters or more, get a 14-inch wok. Any larger than 14 inches is really too big for a home stove (you won't be able to use the other burners) and will be difficult to manage. A wok with a long handle on one end with a helper handle on the other is preferred; the long handle gives you something to hold onto to steady the wok, and the helper handle is needed to lift and pour.

As long as you follow my rules for stir-frying, you'll produce perfect stir-fries regardless of wok material or size.

STIR-FRIED BEEF WITH NECTARINES

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 pound beef (top sirloin, flank, eye of round) cut into 1/8-inch slices

1/2 red onion, sliced into thin wedges

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

1 nectarine, cut into thin wedges or 1-inch chunks

In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, black pepper and the 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Add the beef slices and mix to coat well. Let marinate 10 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat a wok or large fry pan over high heat until a bead of water sizzles and evaporates upon contact. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl to coat.

Add the beef slices to the wok in a single layer, laying out the slices all around the surface of the wok or pan. Fry 30 seconds, flip and fry another 30 seconds to 1 minute, depending on thickness of your steak, until just cooked through. Dish out, keeping as much sauce and oil in the wok as possible.

Turn the heat to medium and add the red onions and the garlic. Fry for 1 minute. Add the nectarine slices and let those get nice and warm, about 1 minute. Pour over the beef slices.

Check out Jaden's blog at www.steamykitchen.com.

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