The Breath of a Wok

Description

Award-winning author Grace Young celebrates and demystifies the art of wok cooking for the Western home cook. When Grace Young was a child, her father instilled in her a lasting appreciation of wok hay, the highly prized but elusive taste that food achieves when properly stir-fried in a wok. As an adult, Young aspired to create that taste in her own kitchen. Grace Young's quest to master wok cooking led her throughout the United States, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Along with award-winning photographer Alan Richardson, Young sought the advice of home cooks, professional chefs, and esteemed culinary teachers like Cecilia Chiang, Florence Lin, and Ken Hom. Their instructions, stories, and recipes, gathered in this richly designed and illustrated volume, offer not only expert lessons in the art of wok cooking, but also capture a beautiful and timeless way of life. With its emphasis on cooking with all the senses, The Breath of a Wok brings the techniques and flavors of old-world wok cooking into today's kitchen, enabling anyone to stir-fry with wok hay. IACP award-winner Young details the fundamentals of selecting, seasoning, and caring for a wok, as well as the range of the wok's uses; this surprisingly inexpensive utensil serves as the ultimate multipurpose kitchen tool. The 125 recipes are a testament to the versatility of the wok, with stir-fried, smoked, pan-fried, braised, boiled, poached, steamed, and deep-fried dishes that include not only the classics of wok cooking, like Kung Pao Chicken and Moo Shoo Pork, but also unusual dishes like Sizzling Pepper and Salt Shrimp, Three Teacup Chicken, and Scallion and Ginger Lo Mein. Young's elegant prose and Richardson's extraordinary photographs create a unique and unforgettable picture of artisan wok makers in mainland China, street markets in Hong Kong, and a wok-a-thon in which Young's family of aunties, uncles, and cousins cooks together in a lively exchange of recipes and stories. A visit with author Amy Tan also becomes a family event when Tan and her sisters prepare New Year's dumplings. Additionally, there are menus for family-style meals and for Chinese New Year festivities, an illustrated glossary, and a source guide to purchasing ingredients, woks, and accessories. Written with the intimacy of a memoir and the immediacy of a travelogue, this recipe-rich volume is a celebration of cultural and culinary delights. The Breath of a Wok Grace Young and Alan Richardson Acknowledgments Contents INTRODUCTION SELECTION, SEASONING, AND CARE EIGHT TREASURED TASTES ESSENTIALS THE ART OF STIR-FRYING Reverence Virtuous Wok Wok Buying Considerations When Choosing a Wok Equipment Choices Opening Basic Steps to Seasoning a Wok Wen Geng Lin's Chinese Chive Rub Hung Chong Chinese Chive and Oil Stir-Fry Julie Tay's Chinese Chive and Pork Fat Stir-Fry Basic Oil Method Tane Chan's Oven Oil Method Western-Style Oven Oil Method rhc Face ot a Wok W Ok H 3 y The Breath of Tastes The Master Lesson Florence Lin's Smoked Chicken and Eggs Smoked Striped Bass Smoked Striped Bass -ftif Pan-Frying Ginger and Scallion Oysters Lichee Garden Virginia Yee's Dry-Fried Sichuan String Beans Florence Lin's Tofu with Cilantro Relish Cousin Sylvia's Drumsticks with Caramelized Onions Auntie Bertha's Ginger Drumettes with Oyster Sauce Che Chung Ng's Water Chestnut and Pork Omelets Henry Hugh's Chinkiang Pork Chops •):£ Braising Auntie Betty's Cellophane Noodles, Mushrooms, and Barbecued Pork Chinese Barbecued Pork Cousin Doreen's Braised Spareribs and Asparagus Cousin Judy's Tofu with Black Bean Sauce Cousin Kathy's Lion's Head Henry Hugh's Cantonese Stuffed Tofu Curried Cauliflower, Napa Cabbage, and Carrots Tina Yao Lu's Shanghai-Style Crabs and Rice Cakes Margaret Loo's Braised Tofu and Mushrooms Uncle Lang's Three Teacup Chicken Danny Chan's Ginger and Scallion Crabs Uncle Lang's Oyster Sauce Mushrooms Virginia Yee's Beef Short Ribs with Scallions Martin Yan's Mandarin Five-Flavored Boneless Pork Chops Amy Tan tin (I the New Year’s Dumplings \z> Boiling Poaching Amy Tan's Family's Jiao-zi Jin Do's Tangy Ginger Sauce Homemade Chicken Broth Bernadette Chan's New Year's Poached Fish Nevin Lim's Luffa with Gold and Silver Garlic Winnie Hon's Silken Tofu with XO Sauce Ray Lee's Cantonese Steamed Chicken Danny Chan's Steamed Salmon with Lemon is„/1,r Dumpling Dough Dumpling Dough Chive Variation Scallop Siu Mai Spring Moon Classic Steamed Fish Spring Moon ,h Deep-Frying Scallop Crisp Spring Moon Vegetarian Spring Rolls Nevin Lim's Traditional Oyster Chicken Winnie Hon's XO Sauce Candied Walnuts Men us So ii ires I ndex