Introduction
The first time I ate Chinese food in the UK in 1970, it was really unattractive. Everything was served with a gloppy sauce and seemed to taste the same, because of the excessive use of mono sodium glutamate, which is supposed to taste good, but really is awful. Then in 1980 a new type of Chinese restaurant has arrived, which provided easier tasting Chinese cooking recipes. There was one disadvantage however, these new type of restaurant's were much more expensive than the original cheap bland tasting ones. Therefore, I thought how nice it would be to cook Chinese food in the comfort of my own home, but I had no idea where to start until I started watching the cooking network.
Carbon Steel Wok
The Food Network presented Chinese cuisine in an easily understandable manner, demonstrating techniques and suggested different ingredients than you could by at your local grocery. I am thankful for this great show and what it brought to the table in terms of Chinese Cuisine.
To help you on your way to cooking Chinese food in the comfort of your own home, I will briefly describe the basic utensils, ingredients and methods you need to know in order to produce simple and tasty dishes. We hope this article inspires you to get in the kitchen and cook for yourself.
Equipment
Although there are many tools and equipment you can buy, to start on the way to cook Chinese food for yourself, you really need a couple good knifes and a wok. Woks come in all shapes and sizes, can be anti-adhesive, flat bottom, and some may even be electric these days, but I prefer my old wok made of carbon steel, with its big round base and a wood handle. This is referred to as a Pau wok. These are available in Chinese supermarkets throughout the country and are much less expensive than most other brands. It is an important task, but before you are ready to cook with the wok, you need to properly season it. You have to scrub with soap to remove all traces of machine oil, and dry thoroughly. Place wok on the stove over low heat. Rub the inside of the wok with three tablespoons of cooking oil using a paper towel. Let the wok heat slowly for ten to fifteen minutes, then wipe the interior of it with a kitchen towel again. The paper will come off black. Continue coating, heating and cleaning off until the towel is clean. Your wok is now ready for use. After using, wash in water without detergent and dry thoroughly on low heat. You can also use a little oil if you wish. This should help the wok from rusting out. If it develops rust, just rinse and repeat the above process.
All woks need a wok support, especially if you have an electric stove. This keeps the wok stable if you use it for braising or frying.
You also need something to stir with - a spatula, slice or a skimmer will do - for a metal wok metal and a plastic or wooden stick for a no stick wok. Hopefully some of these simple utensils will help you on your journey to cooking better Chinese Food.
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