Guys, as a Chinese (born and raised), I certify that this is the most authentic Chinese food youtube channel I have ever seen. This channel actually has good video quality, good English explanation and correct way of making dishes. I know it is hard to cook in this style if you do not live in China because the cooking utensils and ingredients are hard to get. So cook and eat Americanized Chinese food just the way you like it, and use this channel as a side dish to learn about the culture. :) emoji smiley face ~
Hey guys, there was a bunch of stuff I wanted to get into in the video, but just wasn't able to squeeze in. So a few notes: 1. So if we want to obsess over equipment, the biggest thing to focus on should be the size of your cooking vessel. I think a big reason why some people don't seem to have too much success with woks is because they're working with something tiny, making it easy to crowd. Our wok is 42 cm, anything ~32cm or larger works great, 27-32 is starting to cut it, and with anything less than 27cm you'd really want to find something larger. 2. Second reason why folks seem to struggle with their stir fry - I see a lot of people stir frying... way too much. Notice that in these videos, we always tend to call for 150-275 grams of meat. As a rule of thumb, never trust a recipe that's stir frying more than 500g of 'stuff' at once. There's exceptions, but even with a restaurant burner you can sometimes have issues with that kind of quantity. You can't double or triple a recipe for a stir fry and expect good results. 3. You might wonder - if one dish is that kind of size, how could it feed a crowd? There's a Chinese saying that's a bit silly but also illustrative: "[including white rice], for three people you make two dishes, for two people you make one dish, and for one person you call and order takeout" (三个人两个菜，两个人一个菜，一个人叫外卖). The portions... aren't necessarily very large. We get a lot of comments from folks looking at these recipes, calculating the calories, and complaining loudly that "XYZ dish has so much fat and oil! Chinese food can't be this fatty else all Chinese people would be obese!" Want to know why folks in China are pretty slim and healthy? A balanced diet and portion control... 4. Now all of that said, heat output is still a variable. While in the grand scheme of things a Chinese home stove is much closer to a Western home stove than a restaurant stove, it's still about double the heat output. We've stir-fried on my parent's electric burners before, and it *is* annoying (god I hate electric stoves). If you're struggling and you want to be sure that it's not a problem with your burner, you can pick up the same stove that we use in these videos from Amazon. It's an Iwatani ZA-3HP - their American model actually seems to be a bit stronger than what we've got (13k BTUs, but I'm not sure if you can balance a round bottom wok on it from looking at pictures). 5. I'm not sure if anyone wants to get into the weeds with me on this, but for a while I was a little confused what people were going off on when they discussed "velveting" in English. See, there’s two main types of marinades in Chinese cooking: (1) *mawei* (码味), which aims to alter the flavor of the meat (2) *shangjiang* (上浆), which aims to alter the texture of the meat. Velveting is the latter method, and it's what you see in 95% of stir fries. I translate both as 'marinate' for... reasons. If you want just ask and I'll expand on why. 6. Besides the marinade ingredients we touched on, two more common 'tenderizing' choices are: (1) papain meat tenderizer and (2) baking soda. Supposing you've had American-Chinese takeout, you know that like impossibly tender texture they serve beef? Yeah, AFAIK for the most part that's papain + egg white + passing through oil method. Papain *definitely* has it's place (e.g. Shuizhu beef), but to my tastes it sort of works a little... too well? It's basically the nuke in your "how can I make this more tender" arsenal. 7. Baking soda can serve the same function - think of it as kind of like 'papain-lite'. It has the benefit of not going too crazy with the tenderizing and being available pretty much everywhere... but the tradeoff is that baking soda has a taste, and it's not good. For either of those ingredients, use a really light hand - 1/8 tsp would be enough. 8. Many people also marinade pork with white pepper. Beef's great with oyster sauce. There's really no 'standard' with marinades per se, we just try to keep ourselves to a standard so that things're a bit more systematic here on the channel. 9. In the North of China, many chefs are very particular about adding salt and soy sauce to marinades, insisting that it'll dry it out. That runs counter to Cantonese cooking and also the little I do know about food science, but it's a variable to consider if you're aiming to replicate a Northern dish. EDIT: This video has attracted a lot of attention (awesome!), which's somehow brought a small contingent of the ever-infamous scummy YT commenters (...not so awesome). For anyone new here, let me communicate real quick how I moderate these comments: - Want to slag the recipe? Not removed. - Want to slag the video? Not removed. - Want to complain about how it's a white dude behind the wok in this video? Not removed, though a level-headed conversation there would be appreciated. - Want to slag us and link an alternative video? Not removed, and I'll even approve it if it catches the spam filter. (though FYI if you do any of the above in ALL CAPS I might remove it because it just makes the comment section scream "don't come here") We'll probably disagree and we might respond to you saying so, but I don't like removing dissenting opinions. It's often in that space that some real interesting discussion can happen. However... - Want to make general racist statements against Chinese people? Removed. - Want to spew general ignorant stereotypes against Mainland China? Removed. - Want to go off saying sexist garbage? Removed. This is a Chinese cooking channel, not an 8chan board. I sometimes don't pick up on all the comments here, so if you find any of that crap, bring it to my attention.
Great vid. I do all of my stir frying in a simple, 12" carbon steel mini wok. It conducts heat really well, and even on our induction cook top I can get excellent results. The size of the pan necessitates cooking in steps, but since Cantonese style stir fries tend to be our favorite, no worries. About 'the breath of the wok'. It can be replicated at home...sort of. From what I understand, wok hei is the flavour impression of smoke, or perhaps even better described as the flavour of the carbon in the steel being translated by the heat of those 100K BTU restaurant jet stoves. At home, when I'm stir frying the veg portion of whatever I'm making, I keep the wok dry (and ripping hot) and toast the veg for 20 seconds. This promotes a few burnt edges overall. I then remove all but a few pieces (usually I leave behind pieces of bell pepper or spring onion tops, as they seem to work best for this) and let them blacken. Once blackened, I remove and mince them, and then place them in a small amount of lukewarm water. When making my slurry I pass the burnt veg water through a fine strainer and use it instead of normal water. To my pallette this gets you in the neighborhood of real wok hei, but some may think it silly. Keep up the great work. I've learned a lot from you both.
Great post, very helpful. 4) EXHAUST: A related consideration to adequate/inadequate heat capacity is your kitchen's exhaust capacity (or more commonly, a lack thereof). My kitchen has no exhaust fan, and since it would be a major headache and expense to install one through the wall (plus buying an upgraded stove to take advantage of it), I do anything requiring high BTU cookery outside. An alternative to your portable butane stoves is something called a wheeled "CAMP STOVE" (meaning it is intended for use at public camp sites). Something like this (scroll down to CS2CART-H in following link) ... tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23 That is just one brand, out of many. Think of it as a cajun cooker, upgraded with an integral wheeled cart, so you can wheel it back and forth between say your garage and patio. You can add accessories, like removable side tables, windcscreen, a wok ring, etc. They also have options for different types of burners ... both low pressure household natural gas, or high pressure propane or butane (20 or 30 lb tanks). I have a much older cart stove (made by Coleman) that is long since out of production. Mine has twin side by side 120,000 btu burners, and collapses (if desired) into a sort of steel briefcase, so it can fit into a car trunk for tailgating at concerts, camp grounds, etc. Anyway, mine is worn out fm 20+ yrs of use, so i will probably replace it with a twin burner model (with windscreen and 2 side tables) from the link i posted above. They look sturdy and well made, and are reasonably priced, and I think they ship internationally too. It might also be a decent option for people in multifloor apartment buildings, as long as they have an outdoor area where you can use it. Cheers.
When I buy one, I intend to modify it as follows: I will attach a bartender's speed rack/cage to the front uprights (about 8" below the controls) with a pair of plumber's pipe clamps. A speed rack is great because you can use it to hold essentials like a bottle of cooking oil with a speed pourer, cooking wine (I use sake), soy sauce or fish sauce, a spray bottle filled with water, infused/flavored oil, a condiment squeeze bottle with corn starch slurry, etc), and a canister to hold tongs and spatulas. For those who are unfamiliar with the lingo, this is an example of a bar speed rack (or rail, as some call them). www.webstaurantstore.com/regency-stainless-steel-single-tier-speed-rail-22/712B5522.html Theyre usually made of stamped stainless steel, or wire cage material. The latter are self draining, but the former can be easily drilled if a drain hole is desired. I mounted a cage versuon to the front of my gas grill 20 yrs ago, and it's a great setup. I use it regularly.
i cannot convey my feelings ... in words ... that i have for what you are doing. I'm a 71 year old white dude (and i'm okay with that) from Austin Texas. I am so impressed with your courage and aim ... may you always have joy and happiness as you bring technique and possibilities to receptive minds and hearts!
I am taking two things away from this video. One. This is easily the most informative and detailed video about stir-frying I have ever seen, and you guys know your stuff. Two. Someone really really likes pork and chili, because you're going to be eating it for a while. Either that or have guests for dinner.
Cold oil for aromatics! You two have just changed my life. I consider myself a pretty competent home cook but burnt garlic and ginger in my stir-fries was really getting me down. It’s always added first in recipient but mine always burnt no matter how quick I was. I also always left the oil to heat for a while to season the pan before chucking it in. I never ever connected the two but it makes perfect sense. Thanks from the bottom of my stir-fried garlic loving heart. 🧄
A neat way to enforce this is to prepate the aromatics in a container *with* the oil they're intended to cook in: this eases the timing and heat control elements - you can still add this to a hot wok (or a sturdy frying pan where heat control is much harder) and the garlic won't burn
you guys should absolutely do a cookbook. I do own a few chinese cookbooks and theyre great but you have so much precious info on technique, cultural background, tricks and most importantly authenticity. I would pay a ton of money for a print version of your recipes! EDIT: and if you end up doing one, make it a really massive, high level book with as much info as you can cram into there. I think you could honestly do the definitive chinese cookbook
Your content is fantastic - there’s really no English speaking content that is as well researched and detailed on technique than your channel. It is so good for us who are not living in China, but of Chinese descent or just interested in Chinese cooking. Thanks for the uploads keep it up!
Almost exactly one year ago I watched this video. I was Inspired by this wonderful presentation, purchased my first Wok at 65 and have had a wondrous trip through flavour and creativity.Thank You. Regards to You Alan.
I don't know pretty much nothing about cooking. This video (and the whole channel) is the first time in my life where I'm actually understanding what you are supposed to do and why. Honestly, best cooking 101 ever, thank you for uploading this!
I'm a Whitey who has been humbly learning to master Chinese cooking techniques for over 20 years and I have to say how impressed I was with this video. In a mere 8 minutes it covers the most important aspects of stir frying techniques accurately, clearly, simply and without BS, and agrees with (and extends) everything I've learned, including training in a very high-end (Michelin) Chinese restaurant in London. If you are interested in improving your understanding and technique of this method, you'll get a lot out of this video! Practice, practice, practice!
I’ve been trying to figure out how to cut pork to get that result for so many years. I only encountered it once in a restaurant and it’s my favorite texture. Thank you - now my MaPo is like how I remember from childhood. It is so wonderful to have this knowledge!
Very happy to have TH-cam suggest this in my algorithm. I've been dating a Chinese woman from Chongqing for over a year, and I've been too scared to try cooking Chinese food for her. Maybe your channel will give me the confidence to try! =) Subscribed!
No more 'steam fry' for me! I can't wait to give this method a try. I love that you teach a simple recipe so we can focus on technique and basic flavours to not get lost or confused with too many steps.
Thank you so much for this, and your amazing channel! I've tried (and failed) to do stir fries many times, and tonight I managed to make my best ever stir fry which beats our local takeaway. Albeit there isn't much to choose from in a small town in northern Europe, but I'm at least on my way in the right direction. I also feel like I'm reconnecting with my Chinese roots, thank you again so, so much!
Love these videos guys!!! My parents and grandparents are from Guangzhou and I grew up eating lots of these foods! Unfortunately they never taught me how to cook, but now I can learn from you guys!!! Many thanks!!!!!
Love this channel, everything I cook from it it turns out amazing and love the comments below from the cooks re what is removed and what is not. You guys are amazing and have turned my stir frys into something I want to share with my friends now that they taste (stir frys not friends) so good. You have turned my evening meals into something quick and absolutely delicious :)
Great video, and really well presented. I'd add that most people run into trouble by trying to add too many vegetables to a stir fry; you'll notice most authentic Chinese dishes only have 1-2 additional ingredients besides the protein. This helps to keep the heat high, especially at home.
Thank you for the QUICK pace. I may not watch all of your channel vids, but I subscribed simply because you get to the facts without 20 minutes of blah blah. thank you!
Made this as close to instructed as possible and it came out fantastic. The entire family loved it. Whole house smells like a Chinese restaurant. Thank you very much!
Super incredibly helpful! Your channel has helped me make all sorts of small adjustments to my stir frys that have made such a huge difference in quality. Homemade Scallion oil and Shaoxing wine have permanent places in my kitchen now too!
This really is excellent. Capturing the spirit of the Chinese stir fry. Thank you so very much. I am learning to use the wok and your tutorials are by far the most useful, authentic and brilliantly illustrated.
the conclusion to the video is exactly right. I think when people say they can’t stir fry the mostly mean they can’t get 鑊氣 into their dish. and to get a really strong 鑊氣 flavor you do need something a bit stronger that can maintain a heat that reaches the smoking point of your cooking oil (鑊氣 is literally the flavor of oil smoke mixed into your food). most outdoor burners that require a propane hookup (such as burners you get for tailgating) should do the trick. you also need to be able to toss your food consistently through the smoke, which is why most wok rigs have a defined edge around the burner, that holds your wok into the burner. you can use the lip of the edge to rock your wok back and forth and maintain a rhythm of tossing the food. without that lip, you’d have to toss the wok completely by hand (which gets tiring). but, like she said, most home stir frying doesn’t require or get intense 鑊氣 flavor. it’s that’s mostly a restaurant thing. getting that level of heat would generate a lot of smoke and smell up the whole house unless you have a restaurant strength vent. Plus not all dishes benifit from 鑊氣. i don’t want 鑊氣 in my tomato and eggs
... but man, it's great with 干炒牛河... In my mind, that's one of those dishes where Wok Hei is almost non-negotiable for me... and is one of the reasons we haven't done that one on the channel lol.
The first "California" style homes in Taiwan (open floor plan) had horrendous oil damage on the ceilings and such. They looked terrible. People ended up building outdoor kitchens to keep their homes clean. I am shocked how many condo's in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China have fake kitchens that are effectively useless to prevent this. I am shocked that better fume hood-type technology has not been developed. I have seen some, but it appears to be focused on rich, traditional households.
Chinese Cooking Demystified have you considered trying the serious eats j kenji lopez alt method? I tried it for the first time recently and it definitely gets the smoked oil flavors. www.seriouseats.com/2020/02/hei-now-youre-a-wok-star-a-fiery-hack-for-stir-frying-at-home.html
ESKM - 에스킴 Tried this while stir frying beef with mushroom, it turns out really great! The aroma/taste is really similar to restaurant Wok Hei, thanks for the link
This has to be one of the most simple and easy to follow "how to cook" videos ever. If you do not get these simple steps then maybe cooking is not your forte...haha. GREAT VIDEO!
thank you for sharing this!! Also thanks for sharing all the cantonese/HK recipes!! I'm an ABC with folks from HK and I have had a hard time finding sources of recipes from my childhood!!
I love this video, I keep making this dish over and over trying to remember all the little steps myself and perfect it! I hope to be able to stir fry anything I want well, your channel will hopefully get me there :)
... ish ;) It's always sort of tough to say words with the right tones in the middle of an English narration. Sometimes the tones can conflict with the rhythm of the sentence.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Did notice that it seemed to clash but I do not speak any other langue so had no clue if what you where saying is correct or not just assumed it was the way it needed to be spoken.
I fell into a trap of using soy sauce as salt for stir frys and all my dishes started tasting remarkably similar. After switching to a fabulous fleur de sel (please try..it’s not the same as sea salt and is wonderful) for salt and only using soy when called for in a recipe or saving it for the table, my frys taste much, much better. Frying onions helps break in a new wok as onions have a natural compound that forms a nonstick surface. I do like a really good dry Sherry flavor in stir frys as the selection of rice wines is extremely limited where I live, but really fine sherries are available. At high altitudes, an electric stove can actually get you a hotter wok than a gas stove can.. Another tip is making your own five spice powder. Many are stale, and using fresh, whole spices you grind yourself is not only fresher, but you can modify proportions to make your own custom blend.
>"Needing a high heat range is nonsense" Me, someone with an electric stove: T... truly? >Proceeds to show all gas ranges Me, again, with the electric stove: ... oh.
electric stoves can sometimes get hotter than a gas flame actually, ive stir fried on electric and it works fine. only thing is you gotta lower your heat by a notch as electric stoves get way too hot
I came, I saw, I loved, I became a patron. I've been cooking with a big, round-bottom wok and a really nice outdoor burner for a few years now, but your channel has really upped my game. Thank you so much, and keep producing great videos!
Awesome, great to hear we've been a help and thanks for the support! The flow and timing can sometimes be a bit different using a jet-engine wok burner. I'd recommend checking out and binging some Wang Gang - it's in Chinese, but you'll be able to get a sense of the way that he's using his wok. Generally speaking... wok on the ledge --> low heat at home, wok on low flame --> medium heat at home, and high = high.
Aside from the misconception about not being able to cook on a standard gas stove, people also think you cannot use olive oil because it has a low smoke point. Not only is the smoke point not as important as people think since they don’t have the super hot commercial burners, but refined olive oil actually has a very high smoke point, higher than what is often used in Chinese food like safflower, corn or peanut oil
Great video! Just one quick note : when using stock concentrate, you might want to forego adding salt since storebought concentrates usually (if not always) already have salt in them. Naturally this does not apply if you make your own stock/concentrate, without salt.
I am Cantonese as well, and worked as an assistant chef when I was younger at a Chinese restaurant in a hotel. I agree that Wok Hei is not a requisite in Chinese stir fry dishes and anyone can cook with the proper care taken to the heat of the stir fry utensil, preferably a Wok or a thin based skillet. The flash fry principal for stir fry dishes work well in a commercial environment, but it can be done with the right amount of heat (waiting longer for the cooking utensil to heat up) in a home scenario. I like the idea of separately frying the pork first, as there is less lost of heat compared to frying everything together and this is important in a home scenario where you may end up steaming rather than frying the dish. On the other hand if there are those who still insist on getting the intense smoky flavors that is easily obtainable from a high BTU stove, you can order it online easily.
Wow. I followed your directions and nailed it on the 1st attempt at stir fry. I used red pepper, poblano,and jalapeños. Thank you! My wife had no notes. 😅
I think most if not all chinese chefs are like this. The one I work with refuses to properly teach any of the staff or special transfer-ins in need of tips on cooking chinese as successfully as he does. He simply says "no time, just watch me". God forbid if you even try to ask a question, he dismisses it.
Thank you I got a carbon steel flat bottom wok at Goodwill for like $5 and now that I’ve seasoned it, I wanted to see more techniques to cook things properly in it. Of course I am stuck with electric ranges,since I live in apartments, which is why Im okay with the flat bottom style
@@PandaXs1 Try look for vids by chef Ken Hom. He once explained how you get your wok to blazing hot, then add your oil and should not even be afraid of some smoke. Now: the ingredients should be added just seconds later, else the oil will burn. Now the cooking process will take only a few moments. Plus: the constant "stir" is important!
I have built an outdoor natural gas wok cooker on my deck and love making stir fry for myself, family and friends. I have learned so much over the past couple years and a lot of that I could have learned a much quicker watching this video! So, this is a great video for beginners or for a little more experienced people like me to confirm I'm doing things right (or wrong!) Thank you so much for the content and I'll be watching more of your videos!
Many thanks for your informative video. Your videos are certainly more accessible than most others on Chinese cooking and your explanations are very clear and logical. Once again, thanks.
So yeah, the way we learned the 'longyau' technique is that the oil should be swirled in off the heat (i.e. in restaurant kitchens they'd pull the wok up on the lip of the stove). We shut the heat off to mimic that. Wang Gang did it on the heat so... yeah, whatever works. The primary reason, as ChlorineHeart says, is so that the oil doesn't smoke... but a big reason we like doing it is to control the temperature of the oil so it doesn't scorch our aromatics.
Wang Gang is awesome, with all of the 'pretty girl in village' cooking videos that are so huge these days, it's so refreshing to have a chef just consistently toss out great no-BS videos.
@@Balala_ A pro chef from China that has been gaining name with his good cooking videos. However many techniques Chef Wang showing are considered intermediate.
@Balala Wang Gang's channel's here: th-cam.com/channels/g0m_Ah8P_MQbnn77-vYnYw.html It's in Chinese, but some of the vids have English Subs. He's hugely popular on the Chinese internet, and a bit ago started posting his stuff to TH-cam as well. He's great, just straight up no BS good restaurant-style cooking. To be completely honest, I think he's probably the best video source on Chinese cooking... anywhere. The only thing that tops him is some Chinese written sources.
i think its also important to not overcrowd the wok/pan, otherwise it would just end up steaming. if need be, you're better off stir frying in batches and combining them at the end.
Yeah, stir-frying in small portions is very important to achieve a better result. A bigger wok+smaller portion really helps, after we swapped into this big wok we have, I felt that my cooking ability just got an instant pump.
Wow i made the best pork stir fry this evening!!! Note I have an outdoor wok set up with a massive flame. I am so happy to have found such a delicious dish with lean pork! The salt sugar and corn starch truly keeps the meat tender and delicious. I added a heap of minced lemongrass and thai chili rather then the chinese style chili and finished it with thai basil and a squeeze of lime. Topped it with a high flame fried egg. Absolutely stunning thanks for all the great tips!!!
Well, there's also the "Three Secrets to French Cuisine"; butter, butter, butter and butter. In Greece we often say that "the sinful tastes best" so... it's kinda universal? Then there's the fact that they do NOT skimp on spices, herbs and aromatics.
I'm a westerner that has studied Chinese cooking for decades. I'm an amateur, and my results have been middling. But if you're on the fence about following this person's advice, don't be. It's presented so concisely that one might miss the importance of each step, but there is a TON of great information for the home cook here, bad knife-work notwithstanding. (And I am not a shill; this is the first time I've seen this guy's videos)
Good question... I searched for a bit. It says it's too heavy, a normal handle is easy to wear and put extra load on the wrist. And I think it's also a tradition.
it depends. it is easier to make the wok without the handles, because you do need to use wood handle, otherwise it will be too hot to handle. with newer tech, wood handle wok is commonly available too in the most of Chinese market these days.
Nice primer on wok stir frying. I was taught similar techniques from a family member who worked in the kitchen of her parents’ Thai/Chinese restaurant in Bangkok from a young age. For a meat marinade I was shown the tapioca starch/soy sauce/shaoxing rice wine/black rice vinegar/bit of black sesame oil/fresh ground pepper combo with a little drizzle of water to help with stirring/distributing the ingredients. Currently using an electric induction burner and a smallish flat bottom wok that yields best results when I turn it all the way up and wok fast with small batches, though I will soon have a larger wok and high-output outdoor propane wok burner similar to what I used to have. Looking forward to decent wok hei again.
As a Chinese who makes stir fry at home every day, I do want to share some of my thoughts here. Firstly, yes you can make stir fry at home with no wok hei, but it's no real stir fry. It's like a dish without a soul... Mixing around a few ingredients, yes you are making a dish. But without proper techniques, you are not making a stir fry. As someone that started making stir fry at home with wok hei I could never go back to my old ways. There is that much difference. Secondly to make a stir fry you have to use a wok, or a carbon steel skillet, cast iron, etc., anything but a non-stick pan. Non-stick pans do not take high heat, you are either going to sacrifice the dish by lowering the heat or sacrifice the pan and your health by doing it with high heat. Plus flavors of stir fries made from a non-stick pan can never compare to those made out of a carbon steel wok, not just wok hei but carbon steel also gives out flavors that contribute to a good stir fry dish.. Anyways thanks for sharing the techniques and the good work, I just wish that there wasn't so much false information that was given with your video.
Cheers, I appreciate the respectful disagreement! This is obviously something that both us and you have very highly developed opinions on, and ultimately... we probably won't agree. And that's fine, I'd just like to explain a little bit about our reasoning so that you can see where we're coming from. First off, there is I think a bit of a gap between our respective starting points. By focusing on stuff like Wok Hei, you'd be attempting to bridge the gap between "stir fries Chinese folks make at home" and "stir fries you get outside at nice restaurant". The gap *we* want to bridge is different - it's "stir fries Chinese folks make at home" and "the BS 'stir fries' you see a lot of Westerners make". You end up seeing a lot of Westerners defend their garbage stir fries under the cloak of Wok Hei, "well, I'll never get Wok Hei, so I might as well just simmer the meat in sauce and call it a day". No. I hate that. Sure, restaurant stoves are cool, but to be honest some of the very best food I've eaten in China has come from Steph's Dad. And he's working off a standard 14k BTU stove. So it can't be *everything*, yeah? And his cooking has plenty of soul. I would never say "wok burner? pointless". Again, they're great. We just intensely dislike how it's often used as a gatekeeping mechanism. Because to say "a stir fry without wok hei is not a real stir fry", one would implicitly be saying "all the stir fries that people in China cook at home are not real stir-fries", which be a statement that I would... intensely disagree with. Regarding non-stick pans, it takes a *lot* of heat a *very* long time for it to degrade. The quality can begin to slightly degrade if often cooked at temperatures above 260C, and then the degrades rapidly/exposes people to health risks above 350C. By comparison, the smoke point of peanut oi is ~225C and it's flash point is ~330C. Put simply, you'd absolutely know if you were getting potentially negative health consequences if stir-frying using non-stick over high heat, because your entire pan would be... on fire.
Best stir fry summary I've seen and can't wait to try thr simple recipe. Those little Iwatani-style butane burners really get hot, much hotter than most natural gas stoves. That's what i use when it's too cold or rainy to use my outdoor wok burner.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I think there is a national divide that is not necessarily geographic. I grew up saying scoot and then later in life understood that there are mutants out there that say scooch instead (like my better half). She's from the west coast.
Chinese Cooking Demystified, I’m not a linguist, I dunno too much about regional colloquialisms. But of all of the places I’ve been, of all the folks I’ve met, US folks? I’ve heard “scooch” from the time I was toddlersville. My folk are from Philly. I grew up in NY. I only heard “scoot”. From all the folks from other places? “Scoot”. SE PA has their own dialect. And they’re mostly keeping it. I dig that.
I love the simplicity and flavours of Chinese cooking but, I miss the finer details when I try at home. Things such as pan size, portion size and marinating and well, everything. Watching this has given me enthusiasm to experiment again with a different view to what I had. Thank you. Also to add, if I only cook one dish perfectly like you have, I will be happy.
Guys, as a Chinese (born and raised), I certify that this is the most authentic Chinese food youtube channel I have ever seen. This channel actually has good video quality, good English explanation and correct way of making dishes. I know it is hard to cook in this style if you do not live in China because the cooking utensils and ingredients are hard to get. So cook and eat Americanized Chinese food just the way you like it, and use this channel as a side dish to learn about the culture. :) emoji smiley face ~
美食作家王刚 看过吗
@@zihengzhang1123 王大厨说英语嘛
@@yixuanwang2466 你楼上可没说“最正宗的英语频道”呀。
@@zihengzhang1123 哈哈
@@yixuanwang2466 王刚真的超厉害的，我们也很爱看他～而且看他的视频很爽。对了，昨天发现了一个叫“铁锅炖兄弟”的，跟着王刚学做菜的视频，那个就好搞笑～
Hey guys, there was a bunch of stuff I wanted to get into in the video, but just wasn't able to squeeze in. So a few notes:
1. So if we want to obsess over equipment, the biggest thing to focus on should be the size of your cooking vessel. I think a big reason why some people don't seem to have too much success with woks is because they're working with something tiny, making it easy to crowd. Our wok is 42 cm, anything ~32cm or larger works great, 27-32 is starting to cut it, and with anything less than 27cm you'd really want to find something larger.
2. Second reason why folks seem to struggle with their stir fry - I see a lot of people stir frying... way too much. Notice that in these videos, we always tend to call for 150-275 grams of meat. As a rule of thumb, never trust a recipe that's stir frying more than 500g of 'stuff' at once. There's exceptions, but even with a restaurant burner you can sometimes have issues with that kind of quantity. You can't double or triple a recipe for a stir fry and expect good results.
3. You might wonder - if one dish is that kind of size, how could it feed a crowd? There's a Chinese saying that's a bit silly but also illustrative: "[including white rice], for three people you make two dishes, for two people you make one dish, and for one person you call and order takeout" (三个人两个菜，两个人一个菜，一个人叫外卖). The portions... aren't necessarily very large. We get a lot of comments from folks looking at these recipes, calculating the calories, and complaining loudly that "XYZ dish has so much fat and oil! Chinese food can't be this fatty else all Chinese people would be obese!" Want to know why folks in China are pretty slim and healthy? A balanced diet and portion control...
4. Now all of that said, heat output is still a variable. While in the grand scheme of things a Chinese home stove is much closer to a Western home stove than a restaurant stove, it's still about double the heat output. We've stir-fried on my parent's electric burners before, and it *is* annoying (god I hate electric stoves). If you're struggling and you want to be sure that it's not a problem with your burner, you can pick up the same stove that we use in these videos from Amazon. It's an Iwatani ZA-3HP - their American model actually seems to be a bit stronger than what we've got (13k BTUs, but I'm not sure if you can balance a round bottom wok on it from looking at pictures).
5. I'm not sure if anyone wants to get into the weeds with me on this, but for a while I was a little confused what people were going off on when they discussed "velveting" in English. See, there’s two main types of marinades in Chinese cooking: (1) *mawei* (码味), which aims to alter the flavor of the meat (2) *shangjiang* (上浆), which aims to alter the texture of the meat. Velveting is the latter method, and it's what you see in 95% of stir fries. I translate both as 'marinate' for... reasons. If you want just ask and I'll expand on why.
6. Besides the marinade ingredients we touched on, two more common 'tenderizing' choices are: (1) papain meat tenderizer and (2) baking soda. Supposing you've had American-Chinese takeout, you know that like impossibly tender texture they serve beef? Yeah, AFAIK for the most part that's papain + egg white + passing through oil method. Papain *definitely* has it's place (e.g. Shuizhu beef), but to my tastes it sort of works a little... too well? It's basically the nuke in your "how can I make this more tender" arsenal.
7. Baking soda can serve the same function - think of it as kind of like 'papain-lite'. It has the benefit of not going too crazy with the tenderizing and being available pretty much everywhere... but the tradeoff is that baking soda has a taste, and it's not good. For either of those ingredients, use a really light hand - 1/8 tsp would be enough.
8. Many people also marinade pork with white pepper. Beef's great with oyster sauce. There's really no 'standard' with marinades per se, we just try to keep ourselves to a standard so that things're a bit more systematic here on the channel.
9. In the North of China, many chefs are very particular about adding salt and soy sauce to marinades, insisting that it'll dry it out. That runs counter to Cantonese cooking and also the little I do know about food science, but it's a variable to consider if you're aiming to replicate a Northern dish.
EDIT: This video has attracted a lot of attention (awesome!), which's somehow brought a small contingent of the ever-infamous scummy YT commenters (...not so awesome). For anyone new here, let me communicate real quick how I moderate these comments:
- Want to slag the recipe? Not removed.
- Want to slag the video? Not removed.
- Want to complain about how it's a white dude behind the wok in this video? Not removed, though a level-headed conversation there would be appreciated.
- Want to slag us and link an alternative video? Not removed, and I'll even approve it if it catches the spam filter.
(though FYI if you do any of the above in ALL CAPS I might remove it because it just makes the comment section scream "don't come here")
We'll probably disagree and we might respond to you saying so, but I don't like removing dissenting opinions. It's often in that space that some real interesting discussion can happen. However...
- Want to make general racist statements against Chinese people? Removed.
- Want to spew general ignorant stereotypes against Mainland China? Removed.
- Want to go off saying sexist garbage? Removed.
This is a Chinese cooking channel, not an 8chan board. I sometimes don't pick up on all the comments here, so if you find any of that crap, bring it to my attention.
Great Video again! You definitely knocked it out of the park for most of us that think we need 1 million BTUs to cook wok stir fry!
Great vid. I do all of my stir frying in a simple, 12" carbon steel mini wok. It conducts heat really well, and even on our induction cook top I can get excellent results. The size of the pan necessitates cooking in steps, but since Cantonese style stir fries tend to be our favorite, no worries.
About 'the breath of the wok'. It can be replicated at home...sort of. From what I understand, wok hei is the flavour impression of smoke, or perhaps even better described as the flavour of the carbon in the steel being translated by the heat of those 100K BTU restaurant jet stoves. At home, when I'm stir frying the veg portion of whatever I'm making, I keep the wok dry (and ripping hot) and toast the veg for 20 seconds. This promotes a few burnt edges overall. I then remove all but a few pieces (usually I leave behind pieces of bell pepper or spring onion tops, as they seem to work best for this) and let them blacken. Once blackened, I remove and mince them, and then place them in a small amount of lukewarm water. When making my slurry I pass the burnt veg water through a fine strainer and use it instead of normal water. To my pallette this gets you in the neighborhood of real wok hei, but some may think it silly.
Keep up the great work. I've learned a lot from you both.
Don't use a butane stove in an enclosed area. Safety.
Great post, very helpful.
4) EXHAUST: A related consideration to adequate/inadequate heat capacity is your kitchen's exhaust capacity (or more commonly, a lack thereof). My kitchen has no exhaust fan, and since it would be a major headache and expense to install one through the wall (plus buying an upgraded stove to take advantage of it), I do anything requiring high BTU cookery outside. An alternative to your portable butane stoves is something called a wheeled "CAMP STOVE" (meaning it is intended for use at public camp sites). Something like this (scroll down to CS2CART-H in following link) ...
tejassmokers.com/Camp-Stove-Carts/23
That is just one brand, out of many. Think of it as a cajun cooker, upgraded with an integral wheeled cart, so you can wheel it back and forth between say your garage and patio. You can add accessories, like removable side tables, windcscreen, a wok ring, etc. They also have options for different types of burners ... both low pressure household natural gas, or high pressure propane or butane (20 or 30 lb tanks).
I have a much older cart stove (made by Coleman) that is long since out of production. Mine has twin side by side 120,000 btu burners, and collapses (if desired) into a sort of steel briefcase, so it can fit into a car trunk for tailgating at concerts, camp grounds, etc. Anyway, mine is worn out fm 20+ yrs of use, so i will probably replace it with a twin burner model (with windscreen and 2 side tables) from the link i posted above. They look sturdy and well made, and are reasonably priced, and I think they ship internationally too. It might also be a decent option for people in multifloor apartment buildings, as long as they have an outdoor area where you can use it.
Cheers.
When I buy one, I intend to modify it as follows: I will attach a bartender's speed rack/cage to the front uprights (about 8" below the controls) with a pair of plumber's pipe clamps. A speed rack is great because you can use it to hold essentials like a bottle of cooking oil with a speed pourer, cooking wine (I use sake), soy sauce or fish sauce, a spray bottle filled with water, infused/flavored oil, a condiment squeeze bottle with corn starch slurry, etc), and a canister to hold tongs and spatulas.
For those who are unfamiliar with the lingo, this is an example of a bar speed rack (or rail, as some call them).
www.webstaurantstore.com/regency-stainless-steel-single-tier-speed-rail-22/712B5522.html
Theyre usually made of stamped stainless steel, or wire cage material. The latter are self draining, but the former can be easily drilled if a drain hole is desired.
I mounted a cage versuon to the front of my gas grill 20 yrs ago, and it's a great setup. I use it regularly.
i cannot convey my feelings ... in words ... that i have for what you are doing. I'm a 71 year old white dude (and i'm okay with that) from Austin Texas.
I am so impressed with your courage and aim ... may you always have joy and happiness
as you bring technique and possibilities to receptive minds and hearts!
@A Google User troll ... hiding behind "A Google User", coward
@A Google User the fuck's wrong with you?
@A Google User think harder.
@A Google User outthought. it's a compound verb, past tense of to outthink.
Buddy, as a white dude from NY, your enthusiasm for this site and their videos is wonderful. Enjoy the food !
I am taking two things away from this video.
One. This is easily the most informative and detailed video about stir-frying I have ever seen, and you guys know your stuff.
Two. Someone really really likes pork and chili, because you're going to be eating it for a while. Either that or have guests for dinner.
I've uh... eaten a lot of Pork and Chilis this week lol
You obviously have never seen Americans eat
@@GarrySkipPerkins hehe
"That guy must really enjoy eating pork with chilli, it's the eighth time I've seen him eat it for lunch this week"
Yup, that was our lunch for a week.
wait, how can you eat 8 in a week, if a week is 7 days? either this guy ate an extra bowl at lunch or he got an extra lunch.
@@grzegorzbrzeczyszykiewic3338 well there are 3 meals per day ^^ unless if you mean lunch by noon meal
@@thisissteph9834 That food would last me about 2 days. 2 meals a day so yeah 2 days worth of food.
maybe thats all h knows how to cook
Cold oil for aromatics! You two have just changed my life. I consider myself a pretty competent home cook but burnt garlic and ginger in my stir-fries was really getting me down. It’s always added first in recipient but mine always burnt no matter how quick I was. I also always left the oil to heat for a while to season the pan before chucking it in. I never ever connected the two but it makes perfect sense. Thanks from the bottom of my stir-fried garlic loving heart. 🧄
A neat way to enforce this is to prepate the aromatics in a container *with* the oil they're intended to cook in: this eases the timing and heat control elements - you can still add this to a hot wok (or a sturdy frying pan where heat control is much harder) and the garlic won't burn
you guys should absolutely do a cookbook. I do own a few chinese cookbooks and theyre great but you have so much precious info on technique, cultural background, tricks and most importantly authenticity. I would pay a ton of money for a print version of your recipes!
EDIT: and if you end up doing one, make it a really massive, high level book with as much info as you can cram into there. I think you could honestly do the definitive chinese cookbook
Or digital version.
Your content is fantastic - there’s really no English speaking content that is as well researched and detailed on technique than your channel. It is so good for us who are not living in China, but of Chinese descent or just interested in Chinese cooking. Thanks for the uploads keep it up!
Souped up recipes is another good one
@@cathymcphail803 yep. “Hi every wunnnnnnnnG!” 😆
Try the blog "the woks of life"
What makes Chinese food so great is that mostly everyone can appreciate it.
Almost exactly one year ago I watched this video. I was Inspired by this wonderful
presentation, purchased my first Wok at 65 and have had a wondrous trip
through flavour and creativity.Thank You.
Regards to You
Alan.
Cheers, glad you've enjoyed it :)
I don't know pretty much nothing about cooking. This video (and the whole channel) is the first time in my life where I'm actually understanding what you are supposed to do and why. Honestly, best cooking 101 ever, thank you for uploading this!
I'm a Whitey who has been humbly learning to master Chinese cooking techniques for over 20 years and I have to say how impressed I was with this video. In a mere 8 minutes it covers the most important aspects of stir frying techniques accurately, clearly, simply and without BS, and agrees with (and extends) everything I've learned, including training in a very high-end (Michelin) Chinese restaurant in London. If you are interested in improving your understanding and technique of this method, you'll get a lot out of this video! Practice, practice, practice!
I’ve been trying to figure out how to cut pork to get that result for so many years. I only encountered it once in a restaurant and it’s my favorite texture. Thank you - now my MaPo is like how I remember from childhood. It is so wonderful to have this knowledge!
Very happy to have TH-cam suggest this in my algorithm. I've been dating a Chinese woman from Chongqing for over a year, and I've been too scared to try cooking Chinese food for her. Maybe your channel will give me the confidence to try! =)
Subscribed!
This whole production was nicely done. Thank you.
Usually Jet does the cooking, nice to see Spike broadening his skill set.
No more 'steam fry' for me! I can't wait to give this method a try. I love that you teach a simple recipe so we can focus on technique and basic flavours to not get lost or confused with too many steps.
TH-cam just offered me this video and now I'm subscribed. I love your delivery - no pointless waffle, just what we need to know!
Thank you so much for this, and your amazing channel! I've tried (and failed) to do stir fries many times, and tonight I managed to make my best ever stir fry which beats our local takeaway. Albeit there isn't much to choose from in a small town in northern Europe, but I'm at least on my way in the right direction. I also feel like I'm reconnecting with my Chinese roots, thank you again so, so much!
Great video! I grew up in a Chinese restaurant, certainly demystified what my father the head chef was doing all those years!
Love these videos guys!!! My parents and grandparents are from Guangzhou and I grew up eating lots of these foods! Unfortunately they never taught me how to cook, but now I can learn from you guys!!! Many thanks!!!!!
I made stir-fry at home tonight and used this video as my main guide. Turned out excellently! Thank you!
Love this channel, everything I cook from it it turns out amazing and love the comments below from the cooks re what is removed and what is not. You guys are amazing and have turned my stir frys into something I want to share with my friends now that they taste (stir frys not friends) so good. You have turned my evening meals into something quick and absolutely delicious :)
Great video, and really well presented. I'd add that most people run into trouble by trying to add too many vegetables to a stir fry; you'll notice most authentic Chinese dishes only have 1-2 additional ingredients besides the protein. This helps to keep the heat high, especially at home.
This channel has helped me out so much tbh. Only recently started to cook and the amount of detail in these videos has been very informative
Thank you for the QUICK pace. I may not watch all of your channel vids, but I subscribed simply because you get to the facts without 20 minutes of blah blah. thank you!
I made this today, first try, and it's probably the best chinese food I've ever made.
How was the spice level lol
Made this as close to instructed as possible and it came out fantastic. The entire family loved it. Whole house smells like a Chinese restaurant. Thank you very much!
Steps for most Efficient wok-using Stirfry:
Ingredients: Pork/meat, Soy sauce/starch/ricewine/salt/pepper/etc., Garlic/Ginger, Vedge.
1. 1:34 Slice n dice
2. 1:52 Marination / Sauce creation
3. 2:40 Prep the vegetables you want, Ginger and Garlic "aromatics"
4. 5:45 Simple Stir-Fry let's go
I'm just learning Chinese and it's through cooking. Thank you for being western and conveying this for us who want to learn.
Super incredibly helpful! Your channel has helped me make all sorts of small adjustments to my stir frys that have made such a huge difference in quality. Homemade Scallion oil and Shaoxing wine have permanent places in my kitchen now too!
The best lesson on woks and stir frying I've seen on TH-cam. THANK YOU!!!!!!
Thankyou both for another informative vid.
(As a Brit, I always smile whenever I hear 'BTU' and also because it reminds me of 'The Matrix')
Hello my fellow united kingdomer
Not a Brit, but me too. 😊
This really is excellent. Capturing the spirit of the Chinese stir fry. Thank you so very much. I am learning to use the wok and your tutorials are by far the most useful, authentic and brilliantly illustrated.
the conclusion to the video is exactly right. I think when people say they can’t stir fry the mostly mean they can’t get 鑊氣 into their dish.
and to get a really strong 鑊氣 flavor you do need something a bit stronger that can maintain a heat that reaches the smoking point of your cooking oil (鑊氣 is literally the flavor of oil smoke mixed into your food). most outdoor burners that require a propane hookup (such as burners you get for tailgating) should do the trick.
you also need to be able to toss your food consistently through the smoke, which is why most wok rigs have a defined edge around the burner, that holds your wok into the burner. you can use the lip of the edge to rock your wok back and forth and maintain a rhythm of tossing the food. without that lip, you’d have to toss the wok completely by hand (which gets tiring).
but, like she said, most home stir frying doesn’t require or get intense 鑊氣 flavor. it’s that’s mostly a restaurant thing. getting that level of heat would generate a lot of smoke and smell up the whole house unless you have a restaurant strength vent. Plus not all dishes benifit from 鑊氣. i don’t want 鑊氣 in my tomato and eggs
... but man, it's great with 干炒牛河...
In my mind, that's one of those dishes where Wok Hei is almost non-negotiable for me... and is one of the reasons we haven't done that one on the channel lol.
Chinese Cooking Demystified yeah i dream of a day when I’ll have the space and money to invest in a serious wok stove
The first "California" style homes in Taiwan (open floor plan) had horrendous oil damage on the ceilings and such. They looked terrible. People ended up building outdoor kitchens to keep their homes clean. I am shocked how many condo's in Taiwan, Hong Kong and China have fake kitchens that are effectively useless to prevent this. I am shocked that better fume hood-type technology has not been developed. I have seen some, but it appears to be focused on rich, traditional households.
Chinese Cooking Demystified have you considered trying the serious eats j kenji lopez alt method? I tried it for the first time recently and it definitely gets the smoked oil flavors.
www.seriouseats.com/2020/02/hei-now-youre-a-wok-star-a-fiery-hack-for-stir-frying-at-home.html
ESKM - 에스킴 Tried this while stir frying beef with mushroom, it turns out really great! The aroma/taste is really similar to restaurant Wok Hei, thanks for the link
This has to be one of the most simple and easy to follow "how to cook" videos ever. If you do not get these simple steps then maybe cooking is not your forte...haha. GREAT VIDEO!
thank you for sharing this!! Also thanks for sharing all the cantonese/HK recipes!! I'm an ABC with folks from HK and I have had a hard time finding sources of recipes from my childhood!!
Cheers, yeah, Cantonese is one of the major cuisines we do 'cause I'm Cantonese and love every single dish of it, lol.
this is one of the best cooking channels on youtube... going to get me a wok... and a little stove!!!
Good video. Very entertaining. Thanks for showing the different techniques on the same recipe. It really helped. Blessings.
Thanks. Made stir fry look like a wok in the park.
Love how you show everything step by step! Great explanations as well :) My videos aren't as detailed...but will definitely work on it!
Probably you're one of the best narrator on TH-cam. Your videos are perfectly edited for content and length. Keep it up.
I tried your siu mai recipe and it's perfect; just the way I order them in Chinese restaurants! Please do steamed beancurd rolls next, thanks!
Instructive and comprehensive quantitative instructions, unlike chef Ramsey videos. Excellent.
Wonderfully clear presentation. Thank you for your attention to detail and your kindness in sharing.
Great video offering the amateur wok cooker alternatives and explaining the techniques of mixing ingredients .Tks Anand from Mauritius!
I love this video, I keep making this dish over and over trying to remember all the little steps myself and perfect it! I hope to be able to stir fry anything I want well, your channel will hopefully get me there :)
I like this simple but good and no nonsense cooking. Great for a bachelor life. Thank you!
I love how you can actually pronounce the tones :)
... ish ;)
It's always sort of tough to say words with the right tones in the middle of an English narration. Sometimes the tones can conflict with the rhythm of the sentence.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified Did notice that it seemed to clash but I do not speak any other langue so had no clue if what you where saying is correct or not just assumed it was the way it needed to be spoken.
I noticed that too. :)
@General Harness I am Chinese. He pronounced every Chinese word correctly! 👍👍
I am getting triggered here, and it pisses me off because I hate that crap. I swear you people made up tones just to mess with foreigners!
I fell into a trap of using soy sauce as salt for stir frys and all my dishes started tasting remarkably similar. After switching to a fabulous fleur de sel (please try..it’s not the same as sea salt and is wonderful) for salt and only using soy when called for in a recipe or saving it for the table, my frys taste much, much better. Frying onions helps break in a new wok as onions have a natural compound that forms a nonstick surface. I do like a really good dry Sherry flavor in stir frys as the selection of rice wines is extremely limited where I live, but really fine sherries are available. At high altitudes, an electric stove can actually get you a hotter wok than a gas stove can.. Another tip is making your own five spice powder. Many are stale, and using fresh, whole spices you grind yourself is not only fresher, but you can modify proportions to make your own custom blend.
>"Needing a high heat range is nonsense"
Me, someone with an electric stove: T... truly?
>Proceeds to show all gas ranges
Me, again, with the electric stove: ... oh.
it's doable, except it's a little iffy because the electric heat kicks on and off
Buy one of those cheap butane stoves, they are like $35.
electric stoves can sometimes get hotter than a gas flame actually, ive stir fried on electric and it works fine. only thing is you gotta lower your heat by a notch as electric stoves get way too hot
Buy a single butane burner for wok stir fry. No big deal.
I came, I saw, I loved, I became a patron. I've been cooking with a big, round-bottom wok and a really nice outdoor burner for a few years now, but your channel has really upped my game. Thank you so much, and keep producing great videos!
Awesome, great to hear we've been a help and thanks for the support! The flow and timing can sometimes be a bit different using a jet-engine wok burner. I'd recommend checking out and binging some Wang Gang - it's in Chinese, but you'll be able to get a sense of the way that he's using his wok.
Generally speaking... wok on the ledge --> low heat at home, wok on low flame --> medium heat at home, and high = high.
Great video man, will definitely try to cook it for my family sometime next week. Greetings from Brasil!
Aside from the misconception about not being able to cook on a standard gas stove, people also think you cannot use olive oil because it has a low smoke point. Not only is the smoke point not as important as people think since they don’t have the super hot commercial burners, but refined olive oil actually has a very high smoke point, higher than what is often used in Chinese food like safflower, corn or peanut oil
Great video!
Just one quick note : when using stock concentrate, you might want to forego adding salt since storebought concentrates usually (if not always) already have salt in them. Naturally this does not apply if you make your own stock/concentrate, without salt.
This is honestly the most informative video that i have come across. It is very refreshing! Keep up the good work!
I am Cantonese as well, and worked as an assistant chef when I was younger at a Chinese restaurant in a hotel. I agree that Wok Hei is not a requisite in Chinese stir fry dishes and anyone can cook with the proper care taken to the heat of the stir fry utensil, preferably a Wok or a thin based skillet.
The flash fry principal for stir fry dishes work well in a commercial environment, but it can be done with the right amount of heat (waiting longer for the cooking utensil to heat up) in a home scenario. I like the idea of separately frying the pork first, as there is less lost of heat compared to frying everything together and this is important in a home scenario where you may end up steaming rather than frying the dish.
On the other hand if there are those who still insist on getting the intense smoky flavors that is easily obtainable from a high BTU stove, you can order it online easily.
Wow. I followed your directions and nailed it on the 1st attempt at stir fry. I used red pepper, poblano,and jalapeños. Thank you! My wife had no notes. 😅
Thanks! Tried asking my local takeout chinese lady how they made something and she told me if i wanna learn go to school and shoo'd me away :D
I think most if not all chinese chefs are like this. The one I work with refuses to properly teach any of the staff or special transfer-ins in need of tips on cooking chinese as successfully as he does. He simply says "no time, just watch me". God forbid if you even try to ask a question, he dismisses it.
This is the best informational video I’ve seen... we think all wok cooking is to be tossed and cooked at 120k btu.... great video
Excellent tutorial. Thanks!
Thanks From New Zealand
showing us all what i didn't know, I didn't Know
Cook with what you got!
You guys are great, best : )
Now this is what I call a perfectly informative video. Well done!
Cheers and thank you~
Thank you I got a carbon steel flat bottom wok at Goodwill for like $5 and now that I’ve seasoned it, I wanted to see more techniques to cook things properly in it. Of course I am stuck with electric ranges,since I live in apartments, which is why Im okay with the flat bottom style
electric rang actually provides higher temp than regular gas flame, just wait until fully heated and you should be good.
@@mikeloo7049 wait really? fuck no wonder I'm always burning stuff...
@@PandaXs1 Try look for vids by chef Ken Hom. He once explained how you get your wok to blazing hot, then add your oil and should not even be afraid of some smoke. Now: the ingredients should be added just seconds later, else the oil will burn. Now the cooking process will take only a few moments. Plus: the constant "stir" is important!
Hehe LU rly? Thanks I actually didn’t know
I have built an outdoor natural gas wok cooker on my deck and love making stir fry for myself, family and friends. I have learned so much over the past couple years and a lot of that I could have learned a much quicker watching this video! So, this is a great video for beginners or for a little more experienced people like me to confirm I'm doing things right (or wrong!) Thank you so much for the content and I'll be watching more of your videos!
I ate about an hour ago. Confidently clicked - nothing gonna happen.... I'm hungry again. Damn
Merch suggestion! I want a t-shirt that says, “But first, longyau,” in Chinese and English.
Thank you, totally clear and demystifying
Tried it today added a bit of chilli oil to mine. The meat came out crazy tender! Thanks for the video and tips!
Pro vid, class filmography
Many thanks for your informative video. Your videos are certainly more accessible than most others on Chinese cooking and your explanations are very clear and logical. Once again, thanks.
Love your videos, however they always leave me with one question; how come you always turn off the heat before adding oil to the wok?
I guess it's so it doesn't start smoking?
So yeah, the way we learned the 'longyau' technique is that the oil should be swirled in off the heat (i.e. in restaurant kitchens they'd pull the wok up on the lip of the stove). We shut the heat off to mimic that. Wang Gang did it on the heat so... yeah, whatever works.
The primary reason, as ChlorineHeart says, is so that the oil doesn't smoke... but a big reason we like doing it is to control the temperature of the oil so it doesn't scorch our aromatics.
@@ChineseCookingDemystified is a little bit of smoking okay? I see smoke in your video, as well in the Chinese restaurant's clip.
This channel is great! I feel like if I ever visit my old Chinese roommates I can impress them with this.
Wang Kang. Ah, I See You're a Man of Culture As Well
Wang Gang is awesome, with all of the 'pretty girl in village' cooking videos that are so huge these days, it's so refreshing to have a chef just consistently toss out great no-BS videos.
Who or what is Wang Gang?
@@Balala_ A pro chef from China that has been gaining name with his good cooking videos. However many techniques Chef Wang showing are considered intermediate.
@Balala Wang Gang's channel's here: th-cam.com/channels/g0m_Ah8P_MQbnn77-vYnYw.html
It's in Chinese, but some of the vids have English Subs.
He's hugely popular on the Chinese internet, and a bit ago started posting his stuff to TH-cam as well. He's great, just straight up no BS good restaurant-style cooking. To be completely honest, I think he's probably the best video source on Chinese cooking... anywhere. The only thing that tops him is some Chinese written sources.
In the kitchen, wrist twistin' like a stir fry
Great video on stir fry, on point, great tips, great snips and no unnecessary drama. Well done! 👍👍👍
i think its also important to not overcrowd the wok/pan, otherwise it would just end up steaming. if need be, you're better off stir frying in batches and combining them at the end.
Yeah, stir-frying in small portions is very important to achieve a better result. A bigger wok+smaller portion really helps, after we swapped into this big wok we have, I felt that my cooking ability just got an instant pump.
Wow i made the best pork stir fry this evening!!! Note I have an outdoor wok set up with a massive flame. I am so happy to have found such a delicious dish with lean pork! The salt sugar and corn starch truly keeps the meat tender and delicious. I added a heap of minced lemongrass and thai chili rather then the chinese style chili and finished it with thai basil and a squeeze of lime. Topped it with a high flame fried egg. Absolutely stunning thanks for all the great tips!!!
Sounds like Pad Krapow, lol. But hey~ as long as it's tasty~
@@thisissteph9834 ya for sure basically but the best part was cooking the unground pork to perfection. that was a first for me :)
Add oil, then some more oil, then a different kind of oil for seasoning.
No wonder why it's so tasty.
Yet, Chinese has the lowest percentage of obese people. Hmm, I'm wondering who's laughing.
嗯，誰大笑了呢？
Eating fat isn't what makes most people fat, excessive carbs is. :)
Well, there's also the "Three Secrets to French Cuisine"; butter, butter, butter and butter. In Greece we often say that "the sinful tastes best" so... it's kinda universal? Then there's the fact that they do NOT skimp on spices, herbs and aromatics.
I loved every moment of this presentation, great voice and by the way, I enjoyed your pronunciation of ingredients!
I didn't know Richard Dreyfuss made Stir fry videos.
What an awesome reference
I was just thinking that! Good call!
Love it, saved to watch before I cook!!! Old memory here😄👵🙏❤🙏
Wow you sound a lot like Richard Dryfuss!
YES!!!!!! I couldn't even think who it was he was reminding me of!
Hopefully the French do not find out and try him for treason
Just got myself a proper carbon steel wok thanks to this channel, can't wait to try it out!
"Those stoves are cool" NoNoNoNo, those stoves are HOT!!! Ahahaha😜😎😎
I'm a westerner that has studied Chinese cooking for decades. I'm an amateur, and my results have been middling. But if you're on the fence about following this person's advice, don't be. It's presented so concisely that one might miss the importance of each step, but there is a TON of great information for the home cook here, bad knife-work notwithstanding. (And I am not a shill; this is the first time I've seen this guy's videos)
I was wondering if you can explain "Wok Hei" on your next video.
Watch until the end of the video
Wok hei is a touch of burnt flavor.
I think there was this guy from Gary, Indiana who did a thorough job on this.
Excellent video….laced with lots of “aha!” moments. Thank you!
“no jet engine here”. Disappointed :(
Top notch! Simply one of the best cooking channels. Thanks a million for everything.
QUESTION... WHY CHINESE DON'T USE WOK WITH HANDLES??
Good question... I searched for a bit. It says it's too heavy, a normal handle is easy to wear and put extra load on the wrist. And I think it's also a tradition.
it depends. it is easier to make the wok without the handles, because you do need to use wood handle, otherwise it will be too hot to handle. with newer tech, wood handle wok is commonly available too in the most of Chinese market these days.
Nice primer on wok stir frying. I was taught similar techniques from a family member who worked in the kitchen of her parents’ Thai/Chinese restaurant in Bangkok from a young age. For a meat marinade I was shown the tapioca starch/soy sauce/shaoxing rice wine/black rice vinegar/bit of black sesame oil/fresh ground pepper combo with a little drizzle of water to help with stirring/distributing the ingredients. Currently using an electric induction burner and a smallish flat bottom wok that yields best results when I turn it all the way up and wok fast with small batches, though I will soon have a larger wok and high-output outdoor propane wok burner similar to what I used to have. Looking forward to decent wok hei again.
As a Chinese who makes stir fry at home every day, I do want to share some of my thoughts here. Firstly, yes you can make stir fry at home with no wok hei, but it's no real stir fry. It's like a dish without a soul... Mixing around a few ingredients, yes you are making a dish. But without proper techniques, you are not making a stir fry. As someone that started making stir fry at home with wok hei I could never go back to my old ways. There is that much difference. Secondly to make a stir fry you have to use a wok, or a carbon steel skillet, cast iron, etc., anything but a non-stick pan. Non-stick pans do not take high heat, you are either going to sacrifice the dish by lowering the heat or sacrifice the pan and your health by doing it with high heat. Plus flavors of stir fries made from a non-stick pan can never compare to those made out of a carbon steel wok, not just wok hei but carbon steel also gives out flavors that contribute to a good stir fry dish.. Anyways thanks for sharing the techniques and the good work, I just wish that there wasn't so much false information that was given with your video.
Cheers, I appreciate the respectful disagreement! This is obviously something that both us and you have very highly developed opinions on, and ultimately... we probably won't agree. And that's fine, I'd just like to explain a little bit about our reasoning so that you can see where we're coming from.
First off, there is I think a bit of a gap between our respective starting points. By focusing on stuff like Wok Hei, you'd be attempting to bridge the gap between "stir fries Chinese folks make at home" and "stir fries you get outside at nice restaurant". The gap *we* want to bridge is different - it's "stir fries Chinese folks make at home" and "the BS 'stir fries' you see a lot of Westerners make".
You end up seeing a lot of Westerners defend their garbage stir fries under the cloak of Wok Hei, "well, I'll never get Wok Hei, so I might as well just simmer the meat in sauce and call it a day". No. I hate that. Sure, restaurant stoves are cool, but to be honest some of the very best food I've eaten in China has come from Steph's Dad. And he's working off a standard 14k BTU stove. So it can't be *everything*, yeah? And his cooking has plenty of soul.
I would never say "wok burner? pointless". Again, they're great. We just intensely dislike how it's often used as a gatekeeping mechanism. Because to say "a stir fry without wok hei is not a real stir fry", one would implicitly be saying "all the stir fries that people in China cook at home are not real stir-fries", which be a statement that I would... intensely disagree with.
Regarding non-stick pans, it takes a *lot* of heat a *very* long time for it to degrade. The quality can begin to slightly degrade if often cooked at temperatures above 260C, and then the degrades rapidly/exposes people to health risks above 350C. By comparison, the smoke point of peanut oi is ~225C and it's flash point is ~330C. Put simply, you'd absolutely know if you were getting potentially negative health consequences if stir-frying using non-stick over high heat, because your entire pan would be... on fire.
He is braising the meat. Thank God I'm not the only one who sees it.
Best stir fry summary I've seen and can't wait to try thr simple recipe. Those little Iwatani-style butane burners really get hot, much hotter than most natural gas stoves. That's what i use when it's too cold or rainy to use my outdoor wok burner.
That thing works pretty well, for us, the thing that affects the temperature the most is actually the wind because we cook on our balcony.
“...scooch”...you from south eastern PA, sir?
Woah, uncannily accurate... is 'scooch' regional and I had no idea? From Chester county
@@ChineseCookingDemystified I think there is a national divide that is not necessarily geographic. I grew up saying scoot and then later in life understood that there are mutants out there that say scooch instead (like my better half). She's from the west coast.
Chinese Cooking Demystified, I’m not a linguist, I dunno too much about regional colloquialisms. But of all of the places I’ve been, of all the folks I’ve met, US folks? I’ve heard “scooch” from the time I was toddlersville. My folk are from Philly.
I grew up in NY. I only heard “scoot”. From all the folks from other places? “Scoot”. SE PA has their own dialect. And they’re mostly keeping it. I dig that.
The term is widely used across Canada to mean "shift over a little bit".
@@ChineseCookingDemystified woah I'm from chester county!
I love the simplicity and flavours of Chinese cooking but, I miss the finer details when I try at home. Things such as pan size, portion size and marinating and well, everything. Watching this has given me enthusiasm to experiment again with a different view to what I had. Thank you.
Also to add, if I only cook one dish perfectly like you have, I will be happy.
No self respecting Pinoy will not have a dedicated oil bowl 😄
If you got a dedicated oil bowl, then by all means use the restaurant technique! :)
I love how you guys gets how the markets are in NA.
Thanks! This is the kind of stir fry instruction I've needed but never found before.