We bought a wok a few months ago at an Asian specialty grocer in Suva. We’ve never had one before and discovered there is a bit of a learning curve.
We did an initial pre-heat treatment on the stove top, which temporarily causes dark spots in the carbon steel. Over time, the wok should get darker with increasing use.
I made the initial mistake of washing the wok with soap and water after our first few uses. This led to rusting.
Turns out you have to treat the wok similar to cast iron: wipe it with a paper towel after use, gently scrape off any remaining food bits, wipe a little oil over the inside of the wok, and give it a final heat treatment on the stove, then cover and store.
Now that we’re getting the hang of taking care of the wok, it’s become a lot of fun to use. The basin is so wide and deep that there’s a lot of room to toss and stir ingredients.
I made a vegetarian stir fry for a recent dinner and broke out the wok to cook it in. It makes for a fun, easy and delicious weeknight meal.
I used a popular Filipino noodle called “Pancit Canton” (see cute branding on package below). It’s like a lighter spaghetti noodle, and it works well in this stir fry.
Ingredients:
1/2 pack Pancit Canton noodles
1/2 head garlic, minced
1 can jackfruit, hand shredded
1 can button mushrooms
soy sauce to taste
sesame sauce to taste
sesame oil to taste
sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh parsley for garnish (optional)
Place the noodles in a large bowl. Bring water to a boil and pour over the noodles. Let sit until noodles soften (less than 1 min.). Drain and set aside.
Heat up canola oil in the wok and toast the garlic. Add the jackfruit, mushrooms, noodles and seasonings, mixing thoroughly.
Serve with garnish.
For more vegetarian recipes, click here.
ATB 