Out of breath, thanks to my wok
Right before I left Chicago last summer, I bought Grace Young's Breath of a Wok. I only made one recipe - Szechwan Peppercorn Chicken - but it was so good that the cookbook has haunted me for the last six months, and I've told everyone I know to buy it. After returning home, I finally got the chance to make a dinner featuring three of her dishes, after going on a short shopping spree at the new Golden Pacific Market on Broadway. The owner there is really friendly, and obligingly helped me locate ingredients like black soy sauce and shaoxing rice wine.
I haven't done much Chinese cooking in general, unless you count all the hippie stir-fries featuring burned brown rice and undercooked broccoli that we assembled in college. Um, yeah, that doesn't even come close to counting. I was surprised by the amount of prep work involved; I started chopping and cleaning at 3:30 and didn't get dinner on the table until 6:30. But once everything was assembled, I fired up the wok as hot as the burner could go and started throwing things in.
I don't think my parents' stove had ever seen such excitement. My poor grandma kept trying to engage me in a conversation, but I was so distracted by the heat and the flames and the endless tiny bowls of mise en place that she eventually gave up and went home, muttering, "Things are getting pretty scary in here" under her breath as she left. Sorry, Yi Yah.
The spicy eggplant was the clear winner with my family, but I have a soft, smooshy spot in my heart for soft, smooshy tofu dishes like Margaret Loo's Braised Tofu and Mushrooms. The texture winds up being similar to scrambled eggs, and oddly enough I have learned that many people find this quality unappealing. Oh well, more for me!
Cookbooks rarely elicit particularly strong reactions from me (maybe because I have so many, I never stick with each one long enough to fall in love!), but Alice Medrich's Bittersweet and Breath of a Wok are two clear standouts from the past year. These women have done their homework, and the results are delicious.
Ray Lee's Chicken and Choy Sum.
Spicy Garlic Eggplant.
Margaret Loo's Braised Tofu and Mushrooms.
I haven't done much Chinese cooking in general, unless you count all the hippie stir-fries featuring burned brown rice and undercooked broccoli that we assembled in college. Um, yeah, that doesn't even come close to counting. I was surprised by the amount of prep work involved; I started chopping and cleaning at 3:30 and didn't get dinner on the table until 6:30. But once everything was assembled, I fired up the wok as hot as the burner could go and started throwing things in.
I don't think my parents' stove had ever seen such excitement. My poor grandma kept trying to engage me in a conversation, but I was so distracted by the heat and the flames and the endless tiny bowls of mise en place that she eventually gave up and went home, muttering, "Things are getting pretty scary in here" under her breath as she left. Sorry, Yi Yah.
The spicy eggplant was the clear winner with my family, but I have a soft, smooshy spot in my heart for soft, smooshy tofu dishes like Margaret Loo's Braised Tofu and Mushrooms. The texture winds up being similar to scrambled eggs, and oddly enough I have learned that many people find this quality unappealing. Oh well, more for me!
Cookbooks rarely elicit particularly strong reactions from me (maybe because I have so many, I never stick with each one long enough to fall in love!), but Alice Medrich's Bittersweet and Breath of a Wok are two clear standouts from the past year. These women have done their homework, and the results are delicious.
Ray Lee's Chicken and Choy Sum.
Spicy Garlic Eggplant.
Margaret Loo's Braised Tofu and Mushrooms.
posted by cindym at 8:33 AM
11 Comments:
Oh my gosh...you're home. I'm so happy. Reentry sounds very painful. I know exactly what you mean about loud people who are broadcasting with no need of a microphone. It puts me in a road rage and I'm not on the road!
Ha ha! Dinner at 6:30pm! In France isn't that still lunch? But poor gran's got to eat! This meal sounds awesome and i love smooshy tofu too. Im glad to hear the cookbooks are great, i'll keep an eye out for them!
Hey Cindy,
Nice site...not sure if you remember me. We spoke a couple of times at the school as I was in the Ritz class in Nov/Dec.
If you are like me it will be weird at first but you will be back in the flow soon enough. Unfortunately this will be peppered with actual physical aching as you long for Paris and scheme to return and avoid a real job. See Ya and Good Luck.
Maybe you can come back to Paris and open a Chinese restaurant. And you wouldn't have to start feeding anyone until 8 pm. Except Michele and I, who would come by and bug you with questions...like a couple of grand-mères.
What is your wok of choice? From an Asian market? One that needs seasoning? Thanks!
Hi Janice - Yup, we are a loud people. We have a lot to say, I guess!
Michele - I know, I know. My parents ate at 5:45 the other night. I think I was still finishing up lunch at that point.
Hi Dennis! Of course I remember you. How are things going in Portland? Where are you cooking??
Good to hear from you!
Hi David - You two are always welcome in my Gringo Chinese kitchen ...
Hi Lu - Well, currently I am being very heretical and using a nonstick Joyce Chen wok that my mom bought in the mid-80s. But it has worked well for everything so far; it's flat-bottomed which is much better for the home cook who doesn't have a very powerful flame (or any flame, for that matter) coming off their stove. But I suspect a non-stick wok will probably be met with great mockery. My own wok is in storage and is just a typical cheapo one from an Asian market, with a conical bottom and a ring, and I find I get much better results with my mom's flat-bottomed one. There is a great wok shop in San Fran where the owner will help you pick out the perfect one for your needs: http://www.wokshop.com/
Oog, I don't like the smooshy tofu dishes. You can have mine and I will have your portion of the eggplant.
BTW, do many people from the Upper Midwest call their grandmas Yi Yah or some variant thereof? Where does this come from? I have heard it more than a few times.
And also BTW: happy to have you home.
If there is to be great mockery, then mock away towards me! I am currently using an ELECTRIC NON STICK WOK!!!! I've had it for years because I used to cook on an electric stove (ICK) and of course a stovetop wok just didn't work on electric. When we converted to gas stove, I still kept using my electric wok (also flat bottomed). So, that's why I am interested in a new one. The site you mentioned is great. Thanks.
Cindy,
Now that you're back you'll have a chance to dive into those great cookbooks you won in Does My Blog Look Tacky in This.
Hi Mrs. D - Yi Yah is actually a variant of Yia Yia (sp?), which is the Greek term for Grandma. We are not Greek, but for some reason I started calling my grandma this and it stuck. As far as I know it's not a Midwestern thing, unless it's just a Greek thing and lots of Greeks happen to live in the Midwest, which may be the case...
Hi Lu - Ha, well we can be mocked together for our woks.
Kevin - I will definitely cook some stuff out of my new fabulous (old) cookbooks. My Yi Yah and I looked through them, and she got a kick out of the photos - she said she remembered a lot of the recipes from the dinner parties she'd had in the 50's and 60's.
That is one of the best cookbooks, ever. Ever. Love it.
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