"Stir-Fry Sensation"
February
18, 2010 - Volume 1, Issue 03
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West, Meet
East
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Fast, delicious and
healthy! What's wrong with this picture? Not much! We're
a huge fan of stir-fried meals where the delicious
flavors of vegetables and meats are sauced in the
magical flavors of Chinese cuisine. No longer do you
need to satisfy that craving for Chinese food by going
out or picking up the phone, you can easily have it at
home.
This issue provides some of the
secrets for making a great stir-fry with hints for how
to cook quickly on high heat. We set you up with some of
our best tool picks for increasing your stir-fry
prowess. Finally, we demystify some of the secret
ingredients that are the key to great Chinese stir-fry
dishes. To get you started on your journey to the East,
we feature three recipes from Helen Chen, the daughter
of the famed Joyce Chen, that are perfectly designed for
the Western cook wanting to create some great Chinese
stir-fries. Mouth watering yet? It will
be!
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Ken's
Notes:
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Try Pecan Oil - Helen
Chen suggests a couple of good oils for stir-fry in her
book, but she missed a  great one that we've been
using in our test kitchen in the store (and selling a
lot of) - Pecan Oil! It has a higher smoke point than
corn, peanut, soybean or canola oil, a neutral flavor
with no after taste, and it's healthy!
Where to Find Stir-Fry
Ingredients - If stir-frying and Asian cooking is
new to you, you may not know where to get some of the
"hard to find" ingredients. Next time you're in Vienna,
stop by the Far East
Market at 3203 Grand Central. It's a small place,
with odd hours, but you'll be amazed at the variety of
product they have.
 Become a Fan! - Are you
on Facebook? It's an amazing way to stay in touch with
family and friends. I've been on so long that when I
started my personal Facebook page I did a search for
college and high school friends and found that
absolutely no one was involved. Now, five years later,
besides being able to keep in touch with my kids at
college, I've reconnected with all kinds of old friends.
What has this got to do with The Cook's Shop? We now
have a fan page for the store! Search for "The Cook's
Shop" and show your support for us by becoming a
fan. It took only two days to get our first hundred
fans. With your help, we should be able to hit at least
500 by the end of next month!
Launching our Bridal
Registry - We've worked out all the details for
our Bridal Registry and hope to have the first one
online this weekend. If you or your friends are getting
married in the next year we invite you to stop in and
register.  As always, we offer free gift
wrapping and shipping at cost. If you're interested,
just call for an appointment. We'll work around your
schedule and have no problem staying open late to
accommodate
you.
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Stir-Fry
Techniques
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With the
imminent arrival of spring, this is a great time to adopt and
develop some stir-fry cooking skills. Make it your "thing" to
master this season! Stir-fries hold the possibility of endless
variety; they're easy to make several times a week while
producing very different meals each time. Here are some tricks
to cooking hot and fast:
Prep Everything First -
Cooking over high heat makes things happen quickly. Peel,
chop, cut, measure EVERYTHING in the recipe first. This is
essential for good stir-fry results and allows all of the
ingredients to be at their prime in the finished
dish.
Size Ingredients
Evenly - When prepping the ingredients, dice, cut,
chop, or julienne each ingredient into bite-sized pieces of
relatively even sizes. Choose to prepare your ingredients in
thin slices or matchsticks so that the heat from the surface
can quickly get to the center of the food.
 Plan the Sequence of Events
- With all of the ingredients prepped, literally line
everything up in the order that it will go into your wok or
pan. Some vegetables will take longer to cook than others. For
example, beans, peppers, broccoli, asparagus will take longer
than sprouts, zucchini, cabbage, or bok choy.
Start Hot, Keep it Hot -
Before adding any food to the pan, allow the pan to become
hot, add any oil to the pan and allow it to become very hot -
about 30 seconds. To test if the pan is ready, flick a minute
drop of water in the oil; it should sizzle vigorously. When
adding the different layers of ingredients during cooking,
allow the pan to return to full heat before adding more
ingredients. Start it hot, and always keep it
hot!
 Keep it Moving - Because the
pan is very hot, it is essential to keep the food moving while
cooking. This is what's behind the technique's name
"stir-fry." The surface of the food becomes hot quickly and
transfers the heat inward.
Center the Action - Beginning
with the ingredients that take the longest to cook, keep the
primary cooking action in the center of the pan - that's where
it's the hottest. Move the cooked ingredients up the sides and
add the next layer to the center of the wok stirring
vigorously in that sweet spot.
 Don't Overload the Pan - A
good stir-fry result depends on the food contacting the
cooking surface. Avoid the temptation to pile in ingredients -
you will have a "steam-fry" instead of a stir-fry! If needed,
remove a layer of ingredients to a plate while cooking the
next set of ingredients. Keep in mind that the offloaded
ingredients will continue to cook, so remove just prior to
doneness, and spread in a single layer to release any excess
heat. At the end of cooking, add all layers back into the pan
to combine and reheat.
Adjust the Recipe - Many
recipes prescribe cooking times for each stage of the
stir-fry. Use this information as a starting point and adjust
based on how the food is cooking. This variability arises from
the differences in food temperature, quantity of food, your
pan, and the type of heat source.
Remove Quickly - Once the
stir-fry is complete, remove from the pan, and serve
immediately. Hot food left to sit will continue to cook and
challenge the desired crisp-tenderness of the vegetables. In
fact, stir-fry tradition calls for everyone being seated at
the table before the cooking
begins!
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Wok
& Roll!
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Great stir-fry results are accessible to anyone with
minimal investment! In fact, you can make a great stir-fry in
any skillet or pan, but a great wok certainly eases the
process and enhances the outcome.
The Wok
The idea behind a wok is its deep, rounded shape that
provides a lot of cooking surface without requiring a large
burner or flame. Heat transfers quickly from the concentrated
source at the wok's bottom and up its steep sides. It's the
original energy efficient pan! Besides stir-frying a wok is
versatile for braising, simmering, steaming, and deep-frying.
It's truly the "all-in-one" pan that millions of families have
counted on for many centuries.
 Choosing a
Wok
When choosing a wok, there are a few characteristics to
consider. The first consideration is what heat source will be
used with the wok - gas or electric burners, ceramic top, or
induction stovetop. Different woks are specifically made and
matched to different heat sources.
Shape -
Woks have rounded bottoms and either set atop a ring for
stability over the burner, or on a specialized burner grate.
Obtain a wok ring that best matches your burner's
configuration. Other woks have a flatter bottom that sit like
a more traditional pan on top of a burner, yet still feature
high, concave sides. Size -
Choose a size of wok that meets your most common cooking
requirements. A 12-14-inch wok is usually perfect for home
cooking and meals for 2-4 people. Material -Carbon
Steel and Cast Iron - Traditionally, woks have been
made of carbon steel or cast iron. This type of surface
requires seasoning and re-seasoning to prevent rust and to
foster a naturally non-stick environment. Many woks in the
West go unused because of the diligence involved in seasoning
the pan and keeping it in top-notch condition. In Asian
cultures, wok maintenance is not an issue - the wok is used
frequently enough that the pan becomes seasoned and stays
seasoned with no effort. Material -
Nonstick Surfaces - For many of us, a nonstick wok
offers just the right amount of practicality and purpose.
However, choose a non-stick wok wisely; some nonstick surfaces
are not suitable for high temperature cooking. Newer, safer,
nonstick surfaces are now available and have been applied in
some great new wok styles.  With nonstick surfaces, very
little oil is required allowing the stir-fry dish to be a
healthy preparation. Handle
Style - When cooking with high temperatures, handle
considerations become an important feature. A long handle with
an opposing helper handle works well. Stirring
SpatulasTo keep things moving while stir-frying, a
good stirring utensil is essential! A good utensil for
stir-frying has a long-handle to keep the hand a safe distance
from the high temperatures. Traditionally, bamboo or wooden
spatulas have been used in wok cookery and still prove a good
choice. Many of the newer silicone spatulas also work well at
high heat, and have a bit of flexibility allowing them to
conform to the curved shape of the pan.
 Spiders
A "spider" is a very good wok tool! The broad basket of
this long-handled utensil features an open weave resembling a
spider's web. Food scooped with a spider drains very quickly.
Beyond pairing it with a wok, a spider is versatile in
scooping any food from boiling water, or a handy strainer when
draining a pot.
Ginger
Grater
Among the aromatics in stir-fry dishes, ginger is a
frequent contributor. Working with ginger and its odd shape
and coarse, stringy pulp often poses a conundrum. A ginger
grater solves the problem by ingeniously extracting the potent
pulp and liquid leaving behind the peel and fibers. There are
several styles of ginger graters but all work similarly
through a rubbing motion on top of a bumpy
surface.
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Flavor
Secrets for Chinese Stir-Fries
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The
craving for Chinese food can be strong! What's behind these
urges? We think it's a unique combination of flavors and a few
secret sauces that characterize American Chinese dishes as
irresistible. With just a bit of explanation and
experimentation, you can become comfortable with some of the
basic flavor secrets in Chinese stir-fries.
 Soy sauce - Like many other
foods, special yeast and microorganism fermentation processes
turn grain or soybeans into a rich brown liquid that is salty
and full of the "fifth taste," umami. There are many
variations of soy sauce specific to different regions of the
world.
Hoisin
Sauce - While "hoisin" means seafood, there is no fish
present. This sauce includes water, sugar, soybeans, vinegar,
rice, salt, wheat flour, garlic, and chile peppers. The sauce
may be used for glazing, dipping, or as a sauce component.
Oyster Sauce -
This sauce is made from broth leftover from cooking oysters.
The broth is greatly reduced from its original state until it
becomes a dark, viscous sauce. It does not have a fishy smell
or flavor, but is full of rich flavors that complement many
stir-fries.
Black Bean
Sauce - This sauce is also an essential condiment in
many Chinese stir-fries. It is made from fermented black beans
that are salty, bitter, and sweet all at once. Garlic and soy
sauce are added to form a thick sauce or paste. A little goes
a long way with this magical ingredient.
 Ginger - This aromatic
provides essential flavor to many stir-fry dishes. Peel away
the thin brown skin on the nubby surface by scraping it away
with a spoon. Buy small, usable quantities. Leftover ginger
may be stored in an odor-proof bag or container in the
refrigerator or freezer.
Rice Wine - Most stir-fries
in Ms. Chen's cookbook use just a teaspoon or two of rice
wine. This mildly flavored wine serves to dissolve the
essential flavor oils found in the other ingredients. Such
oils are only dissolvable with a bit of alcohol - oil and
water won't unleash their flavors. The alcohol will evaporate
away, but only after working its extra bit of
magic.
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Smart
Stir-Fry Tips
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Tip #1: When serving
rice with your stir-fry, start it first before starting your
prep work. In a microwave, the rice will cook quickly and hold
well as you assemble your stir-fry.
Tip #2: Check out Asian
specialty markets for unique ingredients. You'll find a wide
selection of many key ingredients and usually at a lower price
than the supermarket's specialty food aisle.
Tip #3: Use oil that
can tolerate high heat well when stir-frying. Oils with high
smoke points (the point at which they begin to burn) include
these refined oils: canola oil, safflower oil, peanut oil,
soybean oil, and corn oil. Oils with lower smoke points should
be avoided in stir-frying; they include olive oil, butter,
sesame oil, and many animal fats.
Tip #4: If liquid is
gathering in the bottom of the pan while stir-frying, this is
an indication that the pan is not hot enough or that it is
overloaded. The wok or pan should be so hot that any water in
the ingredients evaporates quickly while cooking.
Tip #5: When starting a
stir-fry, once the pan is hot, drizzle any oil being used
around the pan. This will heat the oil faster compared to
pouring the oil into one location all at once.
Tip #6: After washing
or cleaning any vegetables, pat them or "spin-dry" them to
remove any excess water. This will help reduce any water
accumulation during stir-frying.
Tip #7: To easily slice
meats into thin, thin sheets for stir-frying, freeze the meat
for 30-45 minutes, or allow frozen meat to partially defrost.
Slice the meat across the grain to create naturally tender
pieces.
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Q
& A's
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 Q: What is the difference
between light and dark soy sauce?
A: Light soy sauce
comes from the "first pressing" of the fermented beans.  Dark soy sauce is darker, thicker, and
aged longer. Light soy sauce is saltier than dark and is used
more as a condiment or table seasoning. Dark soy is sweeter
due to added molasses and used more in cooking than at the
table.
Q: In the
ingredients list on my soy sauce, I see acid-hydrolyzed
vegetable protein. What is this?
A: This is a protein
form that has been broken down into components through the
introduction of water and acid. This ingredient is often used
in soy sauces that skip the fermentation step and have
garnered the nickname of "cheap man's soy sauce." The dark
color in these sauces is not natural, but added caramel
coloring. Read the label before buying.
Q: How do I season a carbon steel
wok?
A:
Seasoning is easy and an important step for setting up a new
wok, or refurbishing an older steel wok. Clean a new wok well
to remove any waxy, protective coating from the manufacturer.
This will expose the bare metal. Rub heat-tolerant oil into
the surfaces of the metal. Facilitate the bonding of the oil
to the pan by heating it and rubbing on the inside surface.
Allow the pan to cool, then rub away any excess oil. Repeat
this process three or four times. Keep the wok in a seasoned
state by avoiding detergents and soap when cleaning. Simply
wipe the wok clean, rinse with plain water if necessary, and
dry immediately and thoroughly.
Q: What is proper chopstick
etiquette?
A: Stir-fries are a
great opportunity to practice your chopstick skills! To learn
how to eat with chopsticks, check out this link: "How to Use Chopsticks." Use the wider ends
of the chopstick to serve food from a shared bowl to your own
plate or bowl. Never place the chopsticks straight up in your
bowl of food; this is considered bad luck. Never point or
gesture with your chopsticks. It's ok to hold a bowl in your
hand and bring it closer to your mouth when eating with
chopsticks; this minimizes spilling and is considered the
polite thing to do in many
instances.
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Cookbook
Review
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Easy
Chinese Stir-Fries by Helen Chen. Photography by Jason
Wyche. Copyright 2009. Published by John Wiley & Sons,
Inc., Hoboken NJ.
This little cookbook is a gem! With
its singular focus on Chinese Stir-Fries, it allows the
Western kitchen access to the wonderful flavors of
American-Chinese cuisine. Ms. Chen comes by her expertise
honestly. As the daughter of the famed Chinese cook and
restaurateur, Joyce Chen, Ms. Chen carries forward the
long-standing family tradition of popularizing Mandarin
cuisine in the  American culture. The beginning
chapters of the book focus on setting the stage with succinct
and informative discussions of stir-fry technique, equipment,
and key ingredients. The recipe chapters that follow
categorize a whole host of stir-fry inventions according to:
Chicken, Pork, Beef, Seafood, Bean Curd, and Vegetables. Each
recipe is written simply and expertly. The simplified
ingredients make each of the recipes accessible for the
average cook without compromising delicious results. The
step-by-step instructions are equally clear and explanatory.
The typical American cook suddenly feels quite apt and able to
tackle their favorite Chinese dish at home! As is often the
case with us, we were especially taken by the beautiful,
close-up photography that accompanies nearly every recipe. We
enjoyed experimenting with many different Chinese stir-fries
with this book as our tutor, and think you will
too!
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Recipes for Easy Chinese
Stir-Fries
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Recipes excerpted from Easy
Chinese Stir-Fries by
Helen Chen. Copyright 2009. Published by John Wiley &
Sons, Inc., Hoboken NJ. Reprinted with permission of the
publisher. All rights reserved.
Stir-fried
Pork with Asparagus
 With asparagus season just around
the corner, put this stir-fry on your "must-try" list. The
hoisin sauce added just a hint of sweetness that complemented
the pork perfectly. The seared asparagus concentrated the
vegetable's flavor and the pork browned quickly over the high
heat. The light covering of sauce exceeded our expectations in
taste and flavor.
Click here to view the full,
illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the recipe. (PDF format)
Stir-fried
Broccoli Beef in Oyster Sauce
 Another favorite for just about everyone,
this easy beef and broccoli dish will become a regular at your
table! We served this stir-fry over rice noodles, which made
for a little extra fun. The sauce is based on prepared oyster
sauce, but lends no fishy component whatsoever. We purchased
double the beef, sliced it all, and froze half in a thin
package for a quick supper sometime in the near
future!
Click here to view the full,
illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the recipe. (PDF format)
Kung Pao
Chicken
 This perennial take-out favorite
is now within easy reach at home with this recipe! This
stir-fry has a few more ingredients compared to the other
stir-fries, but the result is worth the effort! We served this
chicken dish over a mound of rice and thoroughly enjoyed each
chopstick-full. The recipe provides a solid base that begs for
further experimentation and personalization.
Click here to view the full,
illustrated recipe.
Click here for a
printable
version of the recipe. (PDF
format)
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