Tag Archives: Wok Shop

Gifts for the aspiring Chinese chef

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A cooking kit for the aspiring Chinese chef: The Hakka Cookbook packed in a Chinese steamer basket with ingredients such as Tianjin preserved vegetables, bean sauce, and Chinese rice wine (shaoxing).

Looking for the perfect gift for your aspiring Chinese chef?  If you have someone on your list who wants to learn to cook Chinese food, here are some suggestions for the novice to the more experienced cook. Of course, I would give The Hakka Cookbook with over 140 recipes for Chinese comfort food to special occasion festival dishes. It also includes directions on how to use tools and equipment and a glossary of Chinese pantry ingredients. You can order The Hakka Cookbook from your local bookstore or buy online from many sources, depending on the country you are shopping from.

For a cooking kit, package the book with cooking tools or ingredients. Here are some suggestions.

1. Wok. This is the ultimate all-purpose pan in the Chinese kitchen. Use the wok to stir-fry, deep-fry, braise, boil, and steam. For Western kitchens I would choose a 14-inch flat-bottom wok made from rolled steel or enamel-clad cast iron. Check with the Wok Shop. They will find the right wok for you and your stove. These hard working pans are bargain-priced compared to most Western high quality pans.  Also buy a wok spatula to make stir-frying easier and a wok lid. This versatile bowl-shaped pan can also be used for Western dishes. I use mine to make spaghetti sauce and popcorn.

2. Chinese cleaver. This is the equivalent of the French chef’s knife. It’s an all-purpose knife with the advantage of a wide blade that’s handy for crushing garlic and scooping up cut vegetables.

I’ve used this metal multi-layer Chinese steamer for over 20 years. I can cook two dishes at the same time. The base is also handy for cooking vegetables and noodles.

3. Chinese  metal steamer or bamboo steamer. These steamers can accommodate wide dishes often used to hold a whole fish, meats, and beaten eggs. Choose one about 11 to 12 inches wide. Basket steamers can be stacked and fit inside a wok. If you steam often, consider a metal multi-layer steamer you can cook several dishes at a time. Steaming is an easy and healthful way to cook. The Wok Shop as well as many Asian supermarkets sell these steamers. Also look for them online.

4. Staples of the Chinese pantry. Present an assortment of key seasonings, especially those that are not readily available in the supermarket, such as dark soy sauce, Chinese rice wine (shaoxing), fermented black beans or black bean and garlic sauce, ground bean sauce, Tianjin preserved vegetables, dried black fungus, and dried tangerine peel. Look at The Hakka Pantry starting on page 247 in The Hakka Cookbook for suggestions, descriptions, Chinese names, and shopping guidance. Or add one of our sauces, JADE Sichuan Peanut Sauce, that is ready to eat without cooking for a table sauce, salad dressing, or stir-fry sauce.

Chinese clay pot

5. Chinese clay pot.  For the cook who has the basic equipment, consider giving a clay pot (also known as sand pot). Braise stews, simmer soups, and cook rice in these rustic pots that enhance the natural flavors of the ingredients. They also serve as handsome serving dishes. Buy these pots at an Asian cookware store such as the Wok Shop or online.

Asian steamers, a gift for the cook

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Chinese stacked steamerLooking for ideas for holiday gifts? Consider giving an Asian steamer as a gift for the cook on your list. The steamer works for any cuisine, but assumes a major role in Asian cooking because it is so easy and healthy.

Foods cook gently in a moist environment, preserving succulence and nutrients. Unlike Western steaming which commonly translates to steaming vegetables on a wobbly rack over water, Chinese often steam composed dishes with seasonings in a wide shallow bowl or Pyrex pie plate. The dish collects the flavorful juices. So a steamer needs to be wide enough to accommodate the dish and elevate it high enough so the water does not flow into the dish. Sure, you can set up a make shift steamer using a deep wide pan, lid, rack, and empty cans to elevate the rack, but if you steam often it’s much easier with an Asian steamer.

There are several different styles. If kitchen storage is tight, consider bamboo basket-like steamers with bamboo lids that reduce condensation. Nestle the bamboo steamers into a large wide wok. The sloping sides of a wok hold the steamer basket/rack above the water. Choose a 11- to 12-inch steamer wide enough to accommodate at least a 9-inch wide dish. The bamboo steamers can be stacked, so several dishes can be cooked at the same time. Buy as sets or individual racks.

bamboo steamer with adapter

Bamboo steamer with adapter at the Wok shop http://www.wokshop.com/store/detail.php?show=482

 

 

If you don’t have a wok, consider this option at the Wok Shop in San Francisco. They sell an aluminum adapter for $7.95 (does not include pot or bamboo steamers). The adapter, a donut-shaped ring, fits over the rim of a pan and the bamboo steamers sits on the adapter, allowing you to steam using an ordinary pan you may already have at home. The adapter fits 8, 10, and 12-inch bamboo steamers.

steamed fish

Fish and rice steam together in a tiered steamer.

I often use a 3-tier aluminum steamer. Mine, pictured above, is about 30 years old. Similar models are also available in stainless steel. The bottom pan holds water, the top two tiers are the steaming racks. They are sturdier than the bamboo versions but need more storage space in the kitchen. I often cook different foods in each tier. After steaming, I lift off the top tiers and quickly blanch vegetables in the boiling water in the bottom. You can cook a whole meal in a multi-layer steamer; see this steamed fish dinner that I cook almost once a week.

Look for other steamed dishes  in this blog such as Steamed Minced Pork and Eggs, Mom’s Black Bean Pork Spareribs, and Steamed Stuffed Tofu. There are many other steamed dishes in The Hakka Cookbook.

I find the Wok Shop in San Francisco a great source for Asian cooking equipment. Stop by the store if you are San Francisco Chinatown or shop online.