We have already discussed the many uses of the wok, and suggested that you could use a heavy cast iron skillet to achieve the same result almost as well. In this chapter, I offer some words about how to stir-fry, deep-fry and steam foods.
Stir-frying
First, some basics:
Use oil, not butter. The Chinese do not use butter, and the taste of butter would seem quite odd ion most Chinese recipes. Also, butter smokes and deteriorates at too low a heat for proper stir-frying. Use peanut oil or corn oil, two choices that tolerate high heats very well.
Never place too much food in a wok or skillet at a time. Food must sear all over, not steam from being buried under too great a layer of food. Also, too much food at once lowers the temperature of the wok too much.
Be
completely prepared to cook everything before you start cooking at all.
Stir-frying is a very quick process, so the food must be cut and arranged
handily, ready to be cooked. Sauce ingredients should also be mixed together and
ready to add to the wok.
Cut all the pieces of food approximately the same size. This ensures even cooking.
When ready to begin cooking, pre-heat the wok without oil, then add the recommended amount of oil (usually just a tablespoon or two) and swirl it around gently to coat all sides, wait until it just begins to smoke, and begin to stir-fry. I usually cook the meat first, then set it aside while I cook the vegetables. This helps cook the vegetables thoroughly on the lower heat of western stoves without the meat overcooking or getting in the way of properly stir-frying the vegetables.
Never add more than a cup of meat at a time to the wok. Add the meat, wait just a second, and stir. Continue stirring every few seconds, then when the meat appears done, remove it with a mesh frying scoop or slotted spoon, and continue in the same way with the vegetables (all at once), then return the meat, add the sauce ingredients, and let them thicken (they need only come thoroughly to a boil if the thickening agent, cornstarch or the like, is already in the sauce mixture) — plate and serve. You may need to scrub residue from one course from the wok before you begin another dish, but that won't take too long, nor will bringing the wok back up to stir-frying heat again. I usually find no reason to keep the first dish warm while executing the second, the process is that quick. Chinese restaurants have long water faucets right over the stove, set to rinse the wok quickly and let the chef get on with the next order. But remember, get bold with your wok - at the very best, your stove will deliver 16,000 BTU/hr of heat, while Chinese restaurant ranges deliver 160,000 BTU/hr.
Deep-frying
I recommend deep-frying in a separate pot or even an electric deep-fryer. You will find large amounts of very hot oil are most conveniently and safely left to cool without having to clear them from the wok so you can do the rest of the dish or the next dish. Never fill your frying pot more than 1/3 or ½ the way with oil — the last thing you want to risk is a boil-over or a spill from adding too much food to the fry pot. Heat your oil to 350°-375° for efficient frying with minimum oil retention. Food to be fried should be room-temperature and DRY! Wet food causes the frying oil to foam up and quickly rise over the sides of the pot, causing a grease fire, and water in the fryer also cools the oil too much, making the resulting dish greasy and oil-laden. The Chinese bamboo-handled wire skimmer is an ideal frying utensil, easily lifting food from the oil without retaining oil. If your dish involves a large quantity of fried morsels, don't be afraid to fry them in batches rather than crowding the fry pot.
Steaming
For
best results, the water should be boiling when the food goes into the steamer
and the flame should be high enough to keep it boiling. Have a kettle of boiling
water nearby so if water under the steamer evaporates you can add more without
reducing the heat. (Be cautious; steam is hot. ) Try to keep moisture that
condenses inside the lid from dripping on the food when you remove the lid. See
that the water level stays an inch or so below the food, or you will boil it.
In Chinese Home Cooking, Helen Chen suggests starting to cook at medium-high heat and then adjusting the temperature up or down as needed. Another option is to have a second burner set on medium heat that you can quickly move the wok to if you feel the food is cooking too fast.