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How hot is too hot when using a Wok
Ok so I just got a wok last night and have done two meals on it.
Both came out really well. What I'm experiementing with is how hot this thing should be. I have an electric stove and after reading that these aren't hot enough I figured I better put mine on high. But when doing that the peanut oil burns easily. What I've tried so far is keeping the heat on med-high and then pulling the wok off the burner when I detect burning oil and then back on again to maintin the heat. I've also tried putting the ingredients in one at a time, taking the previous one out and letting thw wok come back up to temp before putting the next in. I might think about getting a gas burner for outside cooking but not sure if that would be more trouble than its worth. Jesse |
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> wrote in message
oups.com... > Ok so I just got a wok last night and have done two meals on it. > Both came out really well. What I'm experiementing with is how hot > this thing should be. I have an electric stove and after reading > that these aren't hot enough I figured I better put mine on high. > But when doing that the peanut oil burns easily. What I've tried > so far is keeping the heat on med-high and then pulling the wok > off the burner when I detect burning oil and then back on again to > maintin the heat. I've also tried putting the ingredients in one > at a time, taking the previous one out and letting thw wok come back > up to temp before putting the next in. > > I might think about getting a gas burner for outside cooking but > not sure if that would be more trouble than its worth. > > Jesse I think your problem is that you are taking too long. When using a wok, you want it super hot. But, because of the high temps, you have to have everything lined up and ready to go. Once you start the wok, you are committed which means you have to have all your prep work done in advance and right there beside the stove. If you get a chance, watch Alton Brown's episode about woks on "Good Eats". If you think your electric stove is getting too hot, he's using a high powered propane stove deal which is about 10 times the BTU output of your stove. My gas stove doesn't get hot enough, IMO, and I have to slow down when I use the wok. I'm thinking of using my turkey frying deal (can't remember the damn name) the next time I break out the wok. YMMV, Bret ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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aem wrote: > > I think you're on the right track. I have had a couple of extended > periods when I had to use an electric stove, and it is a challenge for > wok cooking. My practice was the same as yours, except that I put the > burner on high and the wok directly on the burner, the main point being > to move the wok on and off the burner to control the heat. What you > want to prevent is too much cooling as additional ingredients go in. > > Don't assume that you need to lower the heat--i.e., take the wok off > the heat--just because you see some wisps of smoke. Stirfrying can > handle it. Home cooks in general are too cautious about heat--let her > rip and you'll like the result. If restaurant cooks used the moderate > flames that home cooks do, it would be routine to wait an hour for your > food. > > -aem Thanks I'll try that. My first attempt was deffinatly too low in heat as the food just kinda sat there without the sizzle I would expect from this kind of cooking. Tonight I did a bit better though. Part of my aprehension with having the stove on high was that it seemed to be burning the bottom of the wok (on the insde) and I didn't want the patina messed up. But I agree about being too cautious, I've noticed it seems to take my recipes longer than what I've seen on TV or even what recipes call for due to my not wanting to burn food. I guess the trick is to constantly turn it, especially with wok cooking. Jesse |
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Maverick wrote:
> > I think your problem is that you are taking too long. When using a wok, you > want it super hot. But, because of the high temps, you have to have > everything lined up and ready to go. Once you start the wok, you are > committed which means you have to have all your prep work done in advance > and right there beside the stove. > > If you get a chance, watch Alton Brown's episode about woks on "Good Eats". > If you think your electric stove is getting too hot, he's using a high > powered propane stove deal which is about 10 times the BTU output of your > stove. > > My gas stove doesn't get hot enough, IMO, and I have to slow down when I use > the wok. I'm thinking of using my turkey frying deal (can't remember the > damn name) the next time I break out the wok. > > YMMV, > Bret Thanks for the info, I'll keep my eye out on Alton's show. I did have all my prep done in advance this time. Last night I learned that lesson as I put the garlic and in turned around to finish some prep and when I turned back around the garlic was burned. What you said about Alton using the gas burner make sense and was what made me wonder why I thought med-high was the right temp. I looked at some gas burners and they were all rated around 100k btu so I figured an electric must be much lower and therefore even a setting on high shouldn't pose a problem. The particular recipe I had tonight involved asparagus. I had that cooking on med-high for a few minutes when I noticed the oil smoking a bit. It seemed like the asparagus wasn't enough mass to absorb the heat present so the oil was taking the brunt of the energy. This doesn't seem like it would be a problem with meat or bigger veggies. I did notice the dish ended up having a pleasant smoky smell, different than what burned oil normally tastes like. Maybe peanut oil can take the higher heat when it comes to its flavor being affected. As it was the asparagus was a bit on the crunchy side for what I prefer so I'm wondering how I'll be able to cook it long enough without burning the oil/spices. Any ideas om how I could have approached this differently or am I just being too cautious again? Jesse |
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> wrote in message
oups.com... > Maverick wrote: > >> >> I think your problem is that you are taking too long. When using a > wok, you >> want it super hot. But, because of the high temps, you have to have >> everything lined up and ready to go. Once you start the wok, you are > >> committed which means you have to have all your prep work done in > advance >> and right there beside the stove. >> >> If you get a chance, watch Alton Brown's episode about woks on "Good > Eats". >> If you think your electric stove is getting too hot, he's using a > high >> powered propane stove deal which is about 10 times the BTU output of > your >> stove. >> >> My gas stove doesn't get hot enough, IMO, and I have to slow down > when I use >> the wok. I'm thinking of using my turkey frying deal (can't remember > the >> damn name) the next time I break out the wok. >> >> YMMV, >> Bret > > Thanks for the info, I'll keep my eye out on Alton's show. I did have > all my prep done in advance this time. Last night I learned that > lesson as I put the garlic and in turned around to finish some prep and > when I turned back around the garlic was burned. > > What you said about Alton using the gas burner make sense and was what > made me wonder why I thought med-high was the right temp. I looked at > some gas burners and they were all rated around 100k btu so I figured > an electric must be much lower and therefore even a setting on high > shouldn't pose a problem. > > The particular recipe I had tonight involved asparagus. I had that > cooking on med-high for a few minutes when I noticed the oil smoking a > bit. It seemed like the asparagus wasn't enough mass to absorb the > heat present so the oil was taking the brunt of the energy. This > doesn't seem like it would be a problem with meat or bigger veggies. I > did notice the dish ended up having a pleasant smoky smell, different > than what burned oil normally tastes like. Maybe peanut oil can take > the higher heat when it comes to its flavor being affected. As it was > the asparagus was a bit on the crunchy side for what I prefer so I'm > wondering how I'll be able to cook it long enough without burning the > oil/spices. Any ideas om how I could have approached this differently > or am I just being too cautious again? > > Jesse I'm afraid I can't help you much there. I've never tried asparagus in a wok. I can tell you that when you use the wok, you start with the items that take the longest first. Give them a minute or two before adding the next longest items. I think you get the drift. Most recipes will tell you the exact order to add the various ingredients. From everything I read online and in cookbooks, garlic and high temps is very bad combination. The garlic can go from just right to total garbage in the blink of an eye. With the wok, I normal add the garlic right after I add the meat. With that being said, the meat is usually one of the last ingredients I add since the heartier veggies go first. Make sense? Bret ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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Karen AKA Kajikit wrote: > On 1 Mar 2005 20:13:43 -0800, wrote: > > > > > >Thanks I'll try that. My first attempt was deffinatly too low in heat > >as the food just kinda sat there without the sizzle I would expect from > >this kind of cooking. Tonight I did a bit better though. Part of my > >aprehension with having the stove on high was that it seemed to be > >burning the bottom of the wok (on the insde) and I didn't want the > >patina messed up. > > That's supposed to happen. As you use the wok it gets more and more > 'seasoned', and actually cooks the food better. A well-used wok is > black on the outside, and darkened on the inside with a natural > non-stick coating. NEVER scrub the wok to make it shiny, and rub a > light coating of oil on the inside when it's dry to keep it good. > ~Karen aka Kajikit > Crafts, cats, and chocolate - the three essentials of life > http://www.kajikitscorner.com > *remove 'nospam' to reply Karen, Hi I'm aware of the need to season a wok, but I thought burning it was not good. To me there seems to be a difference in how the season forms. When its burnt you just get carbon deposits which can flake off. I got this info from a search on this post by a mettalurgist who brought up that point. Jesse |
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On 1 Mar 2005 21:01:01 -0800, wrote:
>Maverick wrote: <keep things super hot> >Thanks for the info, I'll keep my eye out on Alton's show. I did have >all my prep done in advance this time. Last night I learned that >lesson as I put the garlic and in turned around to finish some prep and >when I turned back around the garlic was burned. As mentioned earlier, garlic should go in later as it only needs a minute or two in the pan. Add it at the very end of the alliums. >What you said about Alton using the gas burner make sense and was what >made me wonder why I thought med-high was the right temp. I looked at >some gas burners and they were all rated around 100k btu so I figured >an electric must be much lower Yes. > and therefore even a setting on high >shouldn't pose a problem. As mentioned upthread, have all your prep done, and the ingredients standing ready to go in quickly. I cook with my traditional style wok on my electric stove and do the following: a) flip the support upsidedown (larger circle on top) to get the wok down and in direct contact with the element. b) only cook with the wok on high, unless deliberately simmering. There is an adaptive electric element available that curves around the bottom of the traditional wok. I purchased one... unfortunately it didn't fit my stove.  A better piece of equipment for NorAminhabitants is a flat-bottomed wok. This pan is designed for both a) our home stoves and b) asian cooking. >The particular recipe I had tonight involved asparagus. I had that >cooking on med-high for a few minutes when I noticed the oil smoking a >bit. It seemed like the asparagus wasn't enough mass to absorb the >heat present so the oil was taking the brunt of the energy. This >doesn't seem like it would be a problem with meat or bigger veggies. I >did notice the dish ended up having a pleasant smoky smell, different >than what burned oil normally tastes like. Maybe peanut oil can take >the higher heat when it comes to its flavor being affected. Yes it can. Peanut oil has one of the higher smoke points of the commercial oils, other than lard itself. Look halfway down this page: http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/143 for a list. > As it was >the asparagus was a bit on the crunchy side for what I prefer so I'm >wondering how I'll be able to cook it long enough without burning the >oil/spices You're going to need to do it a couple of times to get the timing down. (Hardship? Asparagus?) Then, you'll be able to time your cooking so that you add your spices at the right point to avoid burning. As long as there is a substance at a cooler temp than the oil itself in the pan (the object being cooked) it shouldn't smoke. Do you have a stove hood? If so, crank that baby up to high, or open a window. > Any ideas om how I could have approached this differently >or am I just being too cautious again? Keep experimenting. It takes several shots to get a firm grip on a new cooking technique, so keep going! Shirley Hicks Toronto, Ontario |
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Maverick wrote:
> > From everything I read online and in cookbooks, garlic and high temps is > very bad combination. The garlic can go from just right to total garbage in > the blink of an eye. With the wok, I normal add the garlic right after I > add the meat. With that being said, the meat is usually one of the last > ingredients I add since the heartier veggies go first. > > Make sense? > > Bret I'll try that, although every recipe I've seen for wok cooking involves adding the garlic at the beginning to infuse with the oil. I thought that idea was then that everything you cooked in the oil would also get the garlic flavor. Jesse |
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jmcquown wrote: > > > You don't mention if you're actually doing "stir fry" - that is, keeping the > ingredients moving in the wok as you cook in it. As someone else mentioned, > unless you're actually simmering something in it (or deep frying) when > cooking in a wok add the longest cooking ingredients first to very hot oil. > Gradually add the other ingredients. But keep that food moving. > > Jill Yes I deffinatly had them moving constantly. |
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Lena B Katz wrote: > > > I'll try that, although every recipe I've seen for wok cooking involves > > adding the garlic at the beginning to infuse with the oil. I thought > > that idea was then that everything you cooked in the oil would also get > > the garlic flavor. > > don't worry aobut the garlic. I dice/mince mine. garlic loves oil, so > that's why they use garlic butter. > > definetely, add more food. a full bunch of asparagus could probably take > the stirfry better than just a few strands. > > Stirfry should take about five minutes to cook. Ultimate Fast Food! > > Lena Who uses garlic butter, Chinese cooks? I had about 2/3 lb of asparagus (trimmed of course). |
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> wrote in message oups.com... > I'll try that, although every recipe I've seen for wok cooking involves > adding the garlic at the beginning to infuse with the oil. I thought > that idea was then that everything you cooked in the oil would also get > the garlic flavor. Yes, but it depends just which "garlic flavor" you're after. When cooked, garlic tends to mellow out and develop an interesting, sort of "nutty" flavor, but loses that sharp tang that you associate with fresh, raw garlic. Both are good, so quite often you'll want to start out with some garlic in the oil (being careful not to burn it, of course), and then also toss in a little more right at the end. Bob M. |
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TheAlligator wrote: > wrote: > > 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool > and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better than > electric. Twist my arm why don't you. |
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wrote:
> >TheAlligator wrote: >> wrote: >> >> 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool >> and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better >than >> electric. > >Twist my arm why don't you. > Seriously, it was really cheap. And it's a LOT better than electric. Now, if I could just control the weather . . . |
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"TheAlligator" > wrote in message ... > wrote: > >> >>TheAlligator wrote: >>> wrote: >>> >>> 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool >>> and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better >>than >>> electric. >> >>Twist my arm why don't you. >> > Seriously, it was really cheap. And it's a LOT better than electric. > Now, if I could just control the weather . . . LOL. I'm known around these parts as the garage griller. If the weather is really cold or windy (we get sustained winds here on the plains of 40+ mph at times) I'll open the big garage door about a quarter of the way and fire up my grill but I'd never use my turkey fryer rig just to have extreme heat for woking in the garage. Oh, and before you guys start to jump my ass, I don't use the jet burner, that's it's name! Jet Burner!, in the garage. Deep fried turkey is great but it's extremely messy. I give myself about 10' clearance in all directions when I do a turkey. Bret ----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==---- http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- |
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> wrote in message oups.com... > Ok so I just got a wok last night and have done two meals on it. > Both came out really well. What I'm experiementing with is how hot > this thing should be. I have an electric stove and after reading > that these aren't hot enough I figured I better put mine on high. > But when doing that the peanut oil burns easily. What I've tried > so far is keeping the heat on med-high and then pulling the wok > off the burner when I detect burning oil and then back on again to > maintin the heat. I've also tried putting the ingredients in one > at a time, taking the previous one out and letting thw wok come back > up to temp before putting the next in. > > I might think about getting a gas burner for outside cooking but > not sure if that would be more trouble than its worth. > > Jesse > I can't believe there is such a thing as too hot a fire under a wok, after eating in streetside restaurants in Taipei years back. You could smelt ore on those roaring blue flames over those huge earth beehive firepots. We are talking air-injected wide-as-a-wok four foot high blue flame towers here. There are a couple burners each in those little restaurants. Odd part is, it seems efficient - you get your individually cooked order very quickly, like as in you pay and almost pick it up just after pocketing change, a couple words and now - as does the other twenty people in line paying. I would bet the house that if they left the wok on the flame for any time at all, in minutes it would turn red and yellow and melt. My propane boil-your-turkey-in-oil outdoor big-time cooker doesn't have half as much heat. One guy put the stuff in dishes and moved it to the next guy who does the wok cooking - he shakes the wok over the flame, or two woks over two flames (if it needs it, I guess) stirs as required, and if there ever was a grease fire, no one could tell because the couple tablespoons of grease gets blasted to dust in the flame tower and blown out the stack. Hell of a sight after being used to western cooking where we slowly heat the utensil to fry. So I would guess its not the heat source per se, its the time in a big enough heat source that counts. fwiw They put your stuff |
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TheAlligator wrote: > wrote: > > > > >TheAlligator wrote: > >> wrote: > >> > >> 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool > >> and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better > >than > >> electric. > > > >Twist my arm why don't you. > > > Seriously, it was really cheap. And it's a LOT better than electric. > Now, if I could just control the weather . . . Thanks for that link, they look like they have some cool stuff. What model did you get exactly? |
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wrote:
>Thanks for that link, they look like they have some cool stuff. What >model did you get exactly? > You really need to get their catalog. I have bought a LOT of stuff from them. This link should get you there, but be careful and paste it all together: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...5490&R=1549 0 35,000 BTU. Not HUGE, but better than electric. And only another gadget-geek could explain why, but we got one of these, too: http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...6707&R=1670 7 It's a lot cheaper construction, but we have used it for about 5 years with no problems. It's 15,000 BTU. The first one is more wok-compatible. Now if I only had about $20,000 to invest in a 7-foot long diesel generator and some trimmings . . . . |
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In article .com>,
says... > > TheAlligator wrote: > > wrote: > > > > 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool > > and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better > than > > electric. > > Twist my arm why don't you. > > In answer to the original poster - I've always read and observed that true woks should be kept on full blast heat. That's why the walls are so nicely curved and high. You can push that which you don't want to get the direct brunt of the heat up, while leaving the stuff you want to sear at the bottom. There used to be a walk in fast Chinese place I frequented. They cooked within visibility and was I ever impressed when I first saw them lift the wok out of it's recess and then saw the flames shooting out. That's how hot it should be. |
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In article >,
Tony P. > wrote: > In article .com>, > says... > > > > TheAlligator wrote: > > > wrote: > > > > > > 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool > > > and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better > > than > > > electric. > > > > Twist my arm why don't you. > > > > > > In answer to the original poster - I've always read and observed that > true woks should be kept on full blast heat. That's why the walls are so > nicely curved and high. You can push that which you don't want to get > the direct brunt of the heat up, while leaving the stuff you want to > sear at the bottom. > > There used to be a walk in fast Chinese place I frequented. They cooked > within visibility and was I ever impressed when I first saw them lift > the wok out of it's recess and then saw the flames shooting out. That's > how hot it should be. The problem is not how hot you can *get* the wok; it's how hot you can *keep* it after you dump stuff into it. Most domestic cookstoves just don't have enough heating capacity to do a first-rate job with a wok. A proper wok ring can deliver about 40,000-50,000 BTU; most cooktop burners are considerably under 10,000. A decent restaurant stove will still not crack 20,000. Isaac |
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TheAlligator wrote: > wrote: > >Thanks for that link, they look like they have some cool stuff. What > >model did you get exactly? > > > You really need to get their catalog. I have bought a LOT of stuff > from them. This link should get you there, but be careful and paste > it all together: > http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...5490&R=1549 0 > 35,000 BTU. Not HUGE, but better than electric. > And only another gadget-geek could explain why, but we got one of > these, too: > http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...6707&R=1670 7 > It's a lot cheaper construction, but we have used it for about 5 years > with no problems. It's 15,000 BTU. The first one is more > wok-compatible. > Now if I only had about $20,000 to invest in a 7-foot long diesel > generator and some trimmings . . . . Thanks I'll check out the catalog. Those are pretty cheap, I'll have to check my local asian mom and pop shop and see if they have a similar one for the same price. One last question though, how do you regulate the flame on one of those and is there any guidelines to how I should set it or do you just use it all out? |
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I agree with using high heat and there is what I believe is called "Wok Hay"
which is the steam and aroma that comes off the food when it is put onto the serving plate. Sit close to the door. -- Emil Luca "Tony P." > wrote in message . .. > In article .com>, > says... >> >> TheAlligator wrote: >> > wrote: >> > >> > 20-gallon propane tank connected to a burner I got from Northern Tool >> > and Equipment Company (northerntool.com). I like it a LOT better >> than >> > electric. >> >> Twist my arm why don't you. >> >> > > In answer to the original poster - I've always read and observed that > true woks should be kept on full blast heat. That's why the walls are so > nicely curved and high. You can push that which you don't want to get > the direct brunt of the heat up, while leaving the stuff you want to > sear at the bottom. > > There used to be a walk in fast Chinese place I frequented. They cooked > within visibility and was I ever impressed when I first saw them lift > the wok out of it's recess and then saw the flames shooting out. That's > how hot it should be. > |
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TheAlligator wrote: > Depends on how adept you are at using the wok. Like another poster > farther down here just said, it's not how hot you GET it, but how hot > you KEEP it. Using an electric burner even on high, if you throw in a > large quantity of food at once, it will just cool down and stew. I > originally used the 35,000 unit on pretty near full blast. I'm > ashamed to admit this, but I use an oven mit on my left hand because > the wood broke off one handle years ago - the flames were lapping a > little too high, and set the mitt on fire. Since then, I let the > flames lap up the side, but not so much. But I still never turn the > flame down. I do occassionally lift the wok and flip the food a bit > so the food still cooks while it cools some. YMMV. I don't really > know how to answer your question any better, because I've never paid > much attention. My rule has always been that, within reason, the > higher the heat the better. The food's not going to be in there very > long anyway. By the way I think I could live with nothing but a wok - > and a pot for pinto beans, of course. Hey no shame in using a mit, I'll probably be forced to as my wok doesn't have much of a handle (just a short metal one). But I get the idea now, generally as hot as you can get and regulate but stiring/moving the wok. Thanks for all thw advice. Jesse |
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"Emil" > wrote:
>I agree with using high heat and there is what I believe is called "Wok Hay" >which is the steam and aroma that comes off the food when it is put onto the >serving plate. >Sit close to the door. Ah, yes. Wok hay. "Come and eat NOW!" is the result. |
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TheAlligator wrote:
> people do. I found that if you marinate with corn starch in it, > cooking the meat leaves a junky residue which tends to burn, smoke and > make the wok hard to stir around in. Interesting comment. I have a few asian cooking books that suggest marinating this way. What is the point of using cornstarch as a marinade anyways? I've heard of a process called "looing" which is a way to marinate but not sure what it entails yet. I did order Gary Lee's Wok book which is supposed to be really good so maybe I'll learn some tips from that. |
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TheAlligator wrote: > wrote: > >Interesting comment. I have a few asian cooking books that suggest > >marinating this way. What is the point of using cornstarch as a > >marinade anyways? I've heard of a process called "looing" which is a > >way to marinate but not sure what it entails yet. I did order Gary > >Lee's Wok book which is supposed to be really good so maybe I'll learn > >some tips from that. > > > Looing is long slow cooking in a very flavorful sauce and results in > very tender, rich meat. I have never tried to do it, but it is quite > easy. For the cornstarch, > I'm not sure, but it makes chicken so good you want to die. I have a > LOT of recipes for the wok, but generally, I just use "whatever" and > have a basic marinade for chicken (what i use mostly) and a basic > sauce. I'm on a relatively low-salt diet and am used to fairly bland > taste, so you may want to use regular soy sauce instead. There are > countless versions, and for different meats, but I usually use chicken > and these are ones I use when cooking without a recipe. Ok so you do advocate cornstarch for marinating, I thought you were implying in that other message that it was a bad idea due to the stickyness. Have you ever tried palm sugar instead of white/brown? I got into that with Thai curry but I noticed that some sweet soy sauce I bought per a recipe had it in the ingredients. Either the palm sugar or sweet soy sauce are both really nice if you like things on the sweeter side (goes well with heat of course). Jesse |
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wrote:
>TheAlligator wrote: >> wrote: >> >Interesting comment. I have a few asian cooking books that suggest >> >marinating this way. What is the point of using cornstarch as a >> >marinade anyways? I've heard of a process called "looing" which is >a >> >way to marinate but not sure what it entails yet. I did order Gary >> >Lee's Wok book which is supposed to be really good so maybe I'll >learn >> >some tips from that. >> > >> Looing is long slow cooking in a very flavorful sauce and results in >> very tender, rich meat. I have never tried to do it, but it is quite >> easy. OK, here is a recipe for a basic looing sauce. 4 cups water, 1 cup light (not "lite") soy sauce, 1 cup dark soy sauce, 1 star anise, 1/2 cup chinese rice wine or dry sherry, 5 tablespoons sugar, 4 slices ginger. Mix it all in a non-reactive pot, add any meat (except fish of any kind). If you add fish, you'll have to throw the sauce out and start over, but with anything else, you can strain, refrigerate and re-use the sauce many times, adding equal proportions of all ingredients as replacements when neccessary for volume. I don't have all the particulars down, but the sauce and the following recipe for looed chicken are from the book "The Frugal Gourmet Cooks Three Ancient Cuisines". Yeah, I know, apparently most of you hate his guts, but I like him because he got me interested in cooking, not just surviving. LOOED CHICKEN Place the looing sauce in a 6-quart covered casserole large enough to hold a whole chicken. (OK, I would use a pile of my favorite select parts rather than a whole one). Bring the sauce to a boil and add the chicken. Cook for 30 minutes and turn off the heat, leaving the pot on the burner for another hour. Hack up the bird, garnish with green onions and sesame oil and serve. |
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TheAlligator wrote: > wrote: > >Ok so you do advocate cornstarch for marinating, I thought you were > >implying in that other message that it was a bad idea due to the > >stickyness. > > > >Have you ever tried palm sugar instead of white/brown? I got into that > >with Thai curry but I noticed that some sweet soy sauce I bought per a > >recipe had it in the ingredients. Either the palm sugar or sweet soy > >sauce are both really nice if you like things on the sweeter side (goes > >well with heat of course). > > > >Jesse > > > OK, you're apparently way ahead of me - I don't enven know where to > FIND palm sugar or sweet soy sauce. As far as the cornstarch - no, > it's not stickiness. You just need to cook the meat last because of > the bits of residue left behind when cooking the chicken. I think > using CS in the marinade sort of ends up creating the well-known > "velveting" process, commonly used for stir-frying shrimp. The > chicken is so tender and moist, you really can't believe it. Guess I'm lucky but we have a little Vietnese district near us and there's a great place with helpful people there to guide me (although they did try to sell me a teflon Wok, guess they didn't think I was serious about this stuff). One of the things I found out they sell is fresh lo mein, you just need to boil it for about a minute and then throw into the wok. Palm sugar is realy nice though, it's slightly brown and has a nice smooth taste, not overly sweet and more savory. Thanks for the tip on the CS, I've never tried it with shrimp, will have to soon. |
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