THE PLEASURE OF EATING
WOK THIS WAY
Recipes for easy wok cooking
- Published: 14/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Brunch
Christopher Milne, Alastair Grahame, Tessa, Theo and Ophelia Dahl must be among the world's luckiest children. These children grew up with bedtime stories that were not from the pages of any books. They were created on the spot for their exclusive amusement by their fathers: A A Milne, Kenneth Grahame and Roald Dahl. These bedtime stories grew into some of the best loved children's classic literature, namely Winnie the Pooh, Wind in the Willows, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, et al. Alice Liddell, although only a friend's daughter, also inspired impromptu tales from Lewis Carroll when on an afternoon boat trip together, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland went on to "revolutionise children's literature with fantastic plots and brilliant use of nonsensess".
Beef fillet with black pepper sauce.
My 1984 edition of the Oxford Companion to Children's Literature is already nearly 600 pages long. Newer editions would have entries like the Harry Potter series and many, many more. This is a field of writing burgeoning with new works. Seth Lerer, in publishing a book called Children Literature: A Reader's History from Aesop to Harry Potter, intends to prove that "children's literature has become the most active and energetic testing ground for cultural studies". Even looking at it superficially, as I am no scholar, I can see that he makes a good point. Not only do I not have a bedtime story telling father, or mother, I and all the children of my generation, and probably all the generations back to Sukothai, grew up with a truly starvation diet of Thai children's stories. It is certainly not part of our culture to read to children or to create special stories to help form their minds. The only one I remember vaguely is called Golden Goby in which someone's mother gets turned into a fish. All I can recall is that it is a tear-jerker. I'm not even sure if there's a happy ending. And if ghost stories count as children's stories, then of course we all know the one that is constantly being made into films and opera and now a stage musical - Mae Nak.
It must be this deprivation that turned me when no longer a child to children's literature written in English or translated into English to slake my thirst, and to discover that it's never too late to fall in love with "a bear of no brain at all", and Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rat, Mole, Badger, Toad, The BFG, Danny, the Champion of the World, and even the White Queen who can believe six impossible things before breakfast. Now that my nephew Louis has a baby girl, making my sister Sanny a grandmother, I live in a state of happy anticipation. My store of children's books will be put to good use once again by Grandma Sanny, who can't wait to read bedtime stories to her granddaughter.
Tomato and coriander omelette.
We have also to take care not to be overzealous in feeding our own love and passion to one so young. Although quite mesmerising, I found Lord of the Rings fairly difficult when I first read it in my twenties, yet it began life as a children's book in the same vein as The Hobbit. Let's learn to walk before we learn to fly, as the Chinese say, and start my grandniece with Mother Goose for a bit of nonsense to tickle her imagination, then maybe on to Little Red Riding Hood, to start preparing her for the big bad wolves in life. As in cooking, we would start with wok wielding before moving on to roast sucking pig and Peking duck. The one thing to be aware of is that wokking can produce such glorious results, at such speed, that you may never want to move on.
Five minutes prep time, 20 minutes marinade, and two minutes cook time will give you a very satisfying dish of beef fillet with black pepper sauce. The price of beef fillet being what it is, you will want to make it go far by serving a lot of rice with it.
An addition of a dish of stir-fried calamari with chilli and black bean sauce on the table at the same time will make it a feast. End with Cantonese fried rice with chicken, salted fish and green beans, and it is a banquet.
Reserve the tomato and coriander omelette for when you simply want a one dish meal. Two eggs for eating alone, four for lunch or supper a deux, and six for a crowd. Another wok creation that you only have to try once to make it your favourite is minced pork tossed noodles. The secret is in choosing the right noodles. I find that the best for this dish is what are now famously called pad Thai noodles, a rice noodle strips that must be boiled until softened. But once ready, it retains a texture even more admirable than al dente. These noodles have a mild elasticity that make very pleasant chewing. It's impractical to make a small bowl of noodles. So throw a party.
Stir-fried calamari with chilli and black bean sauce.
BEEF FILLET WITH BLACK PEPPER SAUCE
To serve two
INGREDIENTS:
250g! beef fillet, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm cubes!
2 tbsp! Shaoxing rice wine!
1/2 tsp! ground Sichuan peppercorns!
2 tsp! oyster sauce!
2 tsp! light soya sauce!
1/2 tsp! sugar or to taste!
80ml! chicken stock!
vegetable oil for frying!
1 tbsp! finely chopped garlic!
2 tsp! coarsely crushed black peppercorns!
!sliced long red chilli, to garnish
steamed or fried rice to serve
Cantonese fried rice with chicken, salted fish and green beans.
PREPARATION:
1. Combine beef and rice wine in a bowl, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stand for 20 minutes to marinate. Combine Sichuan pepper, oyster and soya sauces, sugar and chicken stock in a bowl.
2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat and deep-fry beef for 30 seconds or until lightly browned. Remove, using a slotted spoon, and set aside. Remove all but one tablespoon of oil, reduce heat to medium, add garlic and fry for a few seconds or until golden brown. Return beef, add sauce mixture and crushed peppercorns and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Scatter with chilli and serve with rice.
STIR-FRIED CALAMARI WITH CHILLI
AND BLACK BEAN SAUCE
To serve three to four
INGREDIENTS:
350g! calamari, with tentacles, or use baby squids, cut in rings!
80ml! vegetable oil!
1!small onion, thinly sliced!
2 tbsp! very finely chopped ginger!
2!cloves garlic, finely chopped!
2!long red chillies, minced!
2 tbsp! salted black beans, rinsed and coarsely chopped!
1/2!small green bell pepper, seeded, quartered and cut into 2.5cm lengths!
2 tbsp! Shaoxing wine!
1 tbsp! oyster sauce!
1 tsp! sugar!
1/2 tsp! sesame oil!
80ml! chicken stock!
1!spring onion, cut into 2.5cm lengths!
!steamed rice, to serve
Minced pork tossed noodles.
PREPARATION:
1. Halve the calamari tubes lengthways, score inside skin in a crisscross pattern and slice into two 7.5cm strips.
2. Heat a wok over high heat, add vegetable oil and as soon as the oil starts to smoke, add onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and salted black beans. Stir-fry for 15 to 20 seconds or until fragrant. Add bell pepper and calamari and stir-fry for two to three minutes or until calamari begins to curl. Add wine, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil and stock, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for one to two minutes or until reduced to a sauce consistency. Scatter with spring onion and serve with rice.
CANTONESE FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN,
SALTED FISH AND GREEN BEANS
To serve two
INGREDIENTS:
80ml! vegetable oil!
30g! salted fish, or to taste, skinned and lightly rinsed in water!
100g! chicken thigh fillet, cut into small cubes!
2!eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt!
400g! steamed jasmine rice, preferably cooked the night before!
1/2 !cup thinly sliced spring onions!
1!cup green beans, sliced!
1 tbsp! light soya sauce!
PREPARATION:
1. Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Add salted fish and stir-fry for two or three minutes or until crisp and golden, then remove using a slotted spoon and set aside. Add chicken to wok, stir-fry for one or two minutes or until chicken turns white, then remove using a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add remaining oil, pour in egg and cook, swirling it around until just set. Add rice and stir-fry, separating grains, for two minutes. Add salted fish, chicken and remaining ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper, stir-fry for another minute or until heated through and serve immediately.
TOMATO AND CORIANDER OMELETTE
To serve two to four
INGREDIENTS:
6!eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt!
1 tsp! sesame oil, plus extra to serve!
2 tbsp! vegetable oil!
1 tsp! minced garlic!
2!medium-firm tomatoes, coarsely chopped!
1 tsp! finely chopped long red chilli!
3/4!cup (loosely packed) coriander sprigs, coarsely chopped, plus sprigs to garnish!
PREPARATION:
1. Combine egg and sesame oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a wok over high heat, add garlic and tomato and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add chilli and egg mixture, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring gently once or twice, until eggs are just beginning to set.
2. Scatter coriander leaves over, then using a spatula, fold omelette over to form a semi-circle. Turn and cook until just set. Transfer to a plate, garnish with coriander, drizzle over sesame oil and serve.
MINCED PORK TOSSED NOODLES
To serve two to four
INGREDIENTS:
80ml! vegetable oil!
5!spring onions, finely chopped, white and green parts separated!
2!cloves garlic, finely chopped!
300g! minced pork!
1 tsp! sugar, or to taste!
500g! pad Thai noodles!
1!cucumber, seeded, cut into julienne!
Spicy bean sauce
2 tbsp! spicy fermented beans!
1 tbsp! hoisin sauce!
1 tbsp! Shaoxing wine!
375ml! chicken stock
PREPARATION:
1. Spicy bean sauce: Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Heat a wok over high heat and when hot, add oil, white part of spring onion and garlic. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, add pork and fry until meat turns white and separates. Add sauce, reduce heat to medium and simmer for five to 10 minutes. Season to taste.
3. Meanwhile, cook noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain and rinse. Add to wok with remaining spring onion and toss through mince mixture. Serve topped with cucumber.
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About the author
- Writer: PRISNA BOONSINSUKH
