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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.

To stir-fry, heat oil in a wok or skillet over moderately high heat and then add aromatics such as garlic, ginger and shallots.

Allow the aromatics to become fragrant, about 30–60 seconds.

Add protein and/or vegetables as directed by the recipe and toss and flip quickly so all of the ingredients are cooked evenly.

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.

How to Deep-Fry

Who doesn’t love the first crispy bite of an egg roll or the satisfying crunch of a wonton? Many Chinese appetizers are deep-fried; in entrées like Lemon Chicken or Sesame Scallops, pieces of meat are battered and dropped into a hot oil bath until they achieve the ultimate golden, crunchy goodness.

The oil is hot enough when a 1-inch (2.5-cm) cube of white bread floats to the top immediately and browns within 60 seconds.

Place the item(s) in the oil. Make sure you don’t fry too many pieces at once or the temperature will drop, resulting in sogginess.

Turn the items to brown evenly.

Line a baking sheet with a paper towel in advance so you can remove browned items from the oil promptly to drain and cool.

Many people are scared to deep-fry. They think that oil will inevitably splatter all over the place, and that the food usually turns out soggy. Well, I’m here to debunk those deep-frying myths. First of all, you need to use a pan that’s deep enough to eliminate the splatter factor. It’s not necessary to use a wok when deep-frying, but you must always use a pan deep enough to adequately cover the item you are frying. For example, if you are using 2 inches (5 cm) of oil, you must leave 6 inches (15 cm) of space above the oil.

Secondly, deep-frying requires very high heat levels (350°F to 375°F / 175°C to 190°C). Use a deep-frying thermometer to monitor the temperature. If you don’t have one, you can determine when the oil is ready by dropping a 1-inch (2.5-cm) cube of white bread into the oil. If it browns in 60 seconds, you’re ready to proceed. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot, as that will result in food that’s overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside. If the oil begins to smoke, immediately turn off the heat for a few minutes and let the oil return to 350°F (175°C). Always heat oil uncovered to prevent overheating.

If the temperature is too low, the food will soak up too much oil. Adding too many pieces of food to the oil at once will cause the oil temperature to drop, so just cook a few items at a time. It’s also important to dry the food completely before deep-frying, especially before you dip it into batter or marinade.

I recommend using vegetable oil or corn oil for deep-frying. These oils have a high “smoke point,” meaning they don’t break down at high temperatures. Oils with a low smoke point, like olive oil, should not be used for deep-frying.

Lastly, always have a paper-towel-lined sheet pan ready to place your items on after they’ve been fried.

Steaming Successfully

Steaming is the healthiest method in Chinese cooking. When steaming, make sure to bring water to a rolling boil and maintain the heat level while cooking. It’s important to ensure there is enough water so it doesn’t evaporate and leave you with a scorched pot. If you don’t have a steamer, you can use your own stockpot and a heat-safe plate or platter to steam. Simply set two empty cans (such as empty tuna fish cans) in the pot to raise the plate 2 inches above the water. When steaming dumplings, you can place sliced carrots under the dumplings to prevent them from sticking, or set them on parchment paper with holes cut in it. Whether you use a wok, stockpot or traditional steamer, make sure the items are raised above the water and that the lid fits securely.

Eliminating Shrimp’s “Fishy” Taste

Ever wonder why the shrimp in Chinese dishes tastes so fresh? Well, my mother taught me a little secret: soak your shrimp in salt water before you cook it. The salt eliminates any fishiness, making shrimp dishes come alive with freshness and letting the shrimp’s naturally sweet and delicate flavor shine through.

Brine the Shrimp

For every 1 lb (500 g) of shrimp, place 2 cups (500 ml) water and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl. Stir to dissolve. Place the shrimp in the salt water for 5 minutes. Rinse with cold water and drain. Pat dry with a paper towel, and the shrimp are ready to cook!