Wok noodles are a hearty and vitamin-rich dish that is gaining popularity due to the variety of dietary recipes and the minimum cooking time. Previously, it was cooked in a wok pan, which has a hemispherical shape. At home, a frying pan with high sides and a non-stick coating will suffice.
What is a Wok?
The classic Chinese wok pan has a round shape, convex bottom, and high and thin walls. It is made of cast iron or carbon steel and has one or two handles.
In China, they often cook on special burners, in the center of which there is a recess in the shape of a semicircle. With its help, the blue carbon steel wok found on https://yosukata.com/carbon-steel-woks/blue-carbon-steel-woks/ gains stability, and a powerful flame quickly and evenly heats the walls.
For ordinary home cooking, a special household “European” wok with a flat bottom is made. This wok is suitable for standard gas and induction cookers.
These pans are mostly made of steel, aluminum, or stainless steel and coated with a non-stick coating. As a rule, they come with one long or two short handles.
What is a Wok Pan Used for?
The answer is simple. A wok is needed for quick cooking. Cooking in a wok usually takes less than 15 minutes, so the dishes are:
- Useful. Food cooked in a wok is healthier than in a regular frying pan, as the ingredients are fried for 1-3 minutes. With such a fast heat treatment, the products almost do not lose vitamins and nutrients.
- Not greasy. To fry all the ingredients of the dish, a tablespoon of oil is enough, and in cases of cooking fatty meat, you can do without oil.
- Crispy and flavorful. Meat and vegetables, when quickly fried, acquire a dense crispy crust and appetizing appearance.
Basically, a wok pan is used for quick frying — stir-fry, but you can also use it for:
- stewing meat and vegetables, covered with a lid;
- deep-frying;
- steaming;
- cooking soup.
How to Cook in a Wok? 6 Simple Rules
There is nothing complicated in this method, but for wok dishes to turn out crispy and not burn, you have to follow the following recommendations:
- The ingredients are pre-prepared. There will be no time for cutting and preparing food during frying. When choosing meat, give preference to tender pieces, such as pork neck or chicken fillet.
- The firmer the vegetable, the thinner it should be sliced. Large pieces of meat may remain raw inside, although they look cooked on the outside.
- Use vegetable oil (not olive one) for frying. Butter is not suitable for intense frying. Sunflower oil is a must-have, but if possible, opt for sesame, grapeseed, or liquid peanut butter.
- Before laying the ingredient, the wok pan must be properly heated on the maximum flame.
- The ingredients that take the longest to cook, such as meat, are always fried first.
- Ingredients during frying should be constantly mixed from the middle to the edges. This way, the components of wok dishes are cooked on a hot bottom and reach readiness on less hot walls.
A wok pan is a versatile kitchen helper. It can easily replace a regular frying pan, stewpan, or small saucepan.
