The following is excerpted from Katie Chin’s Everyday Chinese Cookbook: 101 Delicious Recipes From My Mother’s Kitchen with permission from Tuttle Publishing.
Basic Cooking Techniques and Tips
Many people’s attitude toward Chinese cooking is the same as their relationship status on Facebook: “It’s complicated.” A lot of people are intimidated by Chinese cooking because it seems so involved. The truth is, if you have the right tools on hand and learn the basic time-honored Chinese cooking techniques (which are used over and over again in this book), it isn’t complicated at all. In fact, you can make most of these recipes with the pots and pans you have in your kitchen right now. I actually just taught a Chinese cooking class for six twelve-year-old boys, and they couldn’t believe how easy it was to make Chinese food (I heard a lot of “Oh, so that’s how you do it…cool!”). They practically jumped for joy when they got to make their own dumplings. One mother was astounded when her son ate a dumpling filled with tofu and veggies; she called later that day to report that he had made the recipe again for his whole family! No matter whether you’re steaming, deep-frying or stir-frying, you’ll be able to master everything from Orange Chicken to Steamed Cantonese Whole Fish in no time if you use this section as your guide.
Seasoning a Wok
I’ve been asked if seasoning a wok involves spices! In actuality, seasoning a wok is a process that makes it rust-resistant while creating a natural nonstick finish at the same time. It also improves the flavor of stir-fried dishes. Only iron, cast-iron, steel and carbon-steel woks require seasoning, because these are porous materials prone to rust. You don’t need to season a nonstick wok.
The process of seasoning creates layers and layers of burnt oil coatings on the surface of the metals, which covers the pores and protects them from rusting or corroding upon exposure to water or acids.
Here’s How to Season Your Wok
1 If your wok is new, it will have a thin factory coating that must be removed before the first use. To do this, wash the wok inside and out with a stainless-steel scrubber, dish soap, and hot water. Rinse and dry it over low heat.
2 To begin the seasoning process, place the wok over high heat. Tilt and turn the wok as it heats until it becomes a yellowish-blueish color. Remove from heat.
3 Using a paper towel, wipe the inside of the wok with a small amount of vegetable oil.
4 Turn heat to medium-low. Place wok on burner for 10 minutes.
5 Wipe with a fresh paper towel. There will be black residue on the paper towel. Repeat steps 3 and 4 about three times, adding small amounts of oil, until there is no longer black residue on the paper towel when wiped.
6 Ta-da! You have seasoned your wok and are now ready to stir-fry.
Cleaning Your Seasoned Wok
Now that you’ve created a beautiful nonstick coating on your wok, you’ll want to protect it. Don’t use abrasive materials like steel wool when cleaning, and never use soap on your wok. Just run it under hot water and use a soft cleaning brush or sponge to remove food particles. You may need to soak it in hot water for few minutes to remove stubborn bits.
The best way to dry a wok after it’s been cleaned is to place it on low heat until all the water evaporates. If you put your wok away before it’s completely dry, it will develop rust spots.
Mastering Chinese Stir-Frying
Chinese stir-frying is all about the preparation. Once you have all your stir-fry ingredients cleaned, cut and ready to go, the rest should be easy-peasy and super-duper fast. I mean really, really fast. The key to great stir-frying is heating your wok or skillet up very hot so the proteins are nicely seared and the veggies are tender but crisp. You want to keep things moving. The term stir-frying is a bit of a misnomer because the action is more about tossing and flipping than it is about stirring.
It’s important to read each recipe carefully so you’ll see whether a certain vegetable should be blanched before it gets added to the wok or pan. For blanching, certain vegetables, like broccoli or snow peas, are dropped in boiling water for a minute or two and then placed into an ice-water bath. Blanching preserves the vibrant color of vegetables, cuts down on cooking time and ensures a tender-crisp result. Some vegetables take longer than others, so be sure to read the entire recipe carefully before you begin.
To save time, I often purchase my stir-fry veggies from the salad bar at the local grocery store. Not only is everything is clean and pre-cut, but it also cuts down on waste, especially when you’re cooking for one or two, because you only buy what you need.
I like to arrange all of my ingredients on a sheet pan in the order they’ll be added to the wok or skillet. This is really helpful, especially when you’re making multiple courses. If you’re really organized, like my nephew Logan, you can number the ingredients in the order they should be placed in your wok or skillet if you want—toddler flash cards come in handy for this. Also, have all your tools ready to go, arranged in the order you’ll be using them.
It’s also important to allow the wok or skillet to heat up before adding the oil; you then swirl the pan to coat the surface. The wok or pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles and evaporates right away. Ensure that your skillet has high enough walls so the ingredients don’t fly out as you’re turning them.
I also like to use a firm spatula, not a flimsy one. A sturdy spatula helps you take control of your stir-frying and allows you to get underneath the ingredients so you can lift them and flip them as they cook. After all, stir-frying is not about stirring; rather, you continuously toss and flip the ingredients so they are all evenly cooked.
Cooking a Perfect Pot of Rice
I’m going to let you in on a little secret: white rice needs to be washed before you steam it. This has been a life-altering discovery for some of my friends. When you wash your rice, you eliminate the excess starch that gets released into the water and reabsorbed during cooking, resulting in mushy rice. Once you get rid of that excess starch you will enjoy the lightest, fluffiest rice ever. (You can thank me later.) In many Chinese families, it’s the job of the youngest child to wash the rice. Being the youngest in my family, I’m a bona-fide rice-washing expert!
How to Wash Your Rice
Fill a pot with 1 cup (185 g) raw long-grain white rice and cool water. Swirl the water around with your hands and wash the rice by rubbing it gently between your fingers, then drain. Repeat this process until the water runs clear, usually about 5 or 6 times. After the last rinse, carefully drain all the water from the pot.
Measure Water the Mount Fuji Way
I learned to measure the water for preparing rice with a method used in many Asian households, sometimes called the Mount Fuji technique. With the tip of your index finger just touching the surface of the rice, add water until it reaches your first knuckle. You may feel most comfortable using a measuring cup or going by the lines on the side of your rice-cooker bowl, but know that millions of Asian families swear by this technique. Only use the Mount Fuji technique for preparing white rice—not brown, black or red rice.
How to Cook Your Rice
Add water to the washed rice using the Mount Fuji technique, or add 1 cup (250 ml) water. Bring the rice and water to a boil over high heat. As soon as the water boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook at a gentle simmer until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes with the lid on before serving. One cup (185 g) of raw rice will yield 3 cups (450 g) of cooked rice.
If you’re using a rice cooker, wash the rice in the rice-cooker bowl. Use the 1 cup (185 g) raw rice to 1 cup (250 ml) water ratio and cook according to the instruction manual.
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Listen to the full interview with Katie Chin in the top right hand player, or on iTunes, Stitcher, and Spotify (simply search the mobile app!). Don't forget to sign up for the forthcoming Clever Cookstr newsletter, full of tips and tricks from the kitchens of the world's best chefs.
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