One fun fact about Chef Wang's cutting board: he had a video talking about it where he said that he basically has (at least) two boards of the same type: one for filming, and the other for regular off-camera cooking. The off-camera board shows significantly more wear from daily usage, and they all have to be sanitized in a special machine every day. They're also extremely heavy and expensive, to the dismay of many viewers who were interested in buying something similar. So that was pretty interesting.
@@ChefJamesMakinson yes, when my parents were married back in 1995, my grandpa gifted my parents a nice set of cutting board as wedding gift. And it also a part of culture in shanghai at least to gift a nice cutting board to new married couple.
@@ChefJamesMakinson kitchen is such an important room in chinese culture. we even have a kitchen god we have to do special ceremony in new year for him. He will report to the heavn if the family member's behavior were good in this year to the ruler of the heaven.
Damn! Here in the philippines for you to have a good thick wooden cutting board is a professional butcher or a chinese cook. At province cutting wood is now prohibited here since they are not allowing to log more wood and even historical trees. You will have to import a good quality wood or else youll end up to a "ipil-ipil" wood cutting board. 😊
Chef WangGang being super nice to his uncle is because that in his childhood, his parents did not want him and its his uncle who raised him up. *Edit* his parents were really strict in his childhood
I never thought I’d watch a guy watching a guy watching a guy cook. But it’s great. You commenting on how other chefs cook is a lot of fun. The trick to cooking is tips like “cook fried rice with cold day old rice”. And we get that condensed. Thank man.
I also watched Chef James watching J. O. without Uncle Roger (prawn curry) but it’s really not the same feel! Chef James goes all tech-y and without Uncle Roger’s jokes it gets too serious too quickly. With both of them commenting is just the perfect balance!
As an Indian, I loved it when Uncle Roger said that in Asia we have indoor kitchen and outdoor kitchen. And the food cooked in outdoor kitchen is absolutely magnificent. As an Indian, from childhood we are used to seeing our mother and grandmother cooking in outdoor kitchen on traditional clay cooking areas. Its a must especially during a festival, celebration, ceremonies, etc; and believe me nothing can beat traditionally cooked dishes in this manner. Its heavenly ❤️❤️✨🤟😌.
Found you a while ago, your serious commenting on the comedic videos from roger are harmonizing very good together:D Been enjoying your expertise on cooking and I've also learnt a lot from it:)
Agreed, the two contrasting styles balance each other out very well. I especially like that Chef James seems to be adding a little more personality and the occasional smile on top his very serious technical treatment! Now we have the gold standard! Fuyoh!
I laugh even harder at Uncle Roger's jokes when James is adding serious helpful commentary along with and then gets the disapproving nephew scowl at the dirty uncle jokes. 🤣
You are watching a guy watching another guy who is watching another guy cook. Is this the maximum number of guys watching another guy that you can take? Would you think someone would watch you watch this video?
Chef Wang Gang is one of the most wholesome people I have seen on youtube. I really love his recipes. And his explanation. And the way he treats his family and apprentices.
Chef Wang is one of the better cooking channels imho, straight to the point and super-efficient short vids and also kinda wholesome little touches with family and staff
I like how informative this is. I'm asian myself but when I cook, I do as what my elders have done, but I, myself don't know why they do it so. I learned to cook by observation, and not by being taught. In our household, there is no recipe or measurements, we do it by sight and taste. So I really don't know the reason for things. I just copy what people do when they are in the kitchen. An example is the soy sauce splashing on the side. Now, I know. Thank you Chef.
@@ChefJamesMakinson second reason he's doing so is using the high temperature of the side of the wok to heat up the soy sauce, the so-called "Maillard reaction", which enhance the flavor.
I am Asian, too. We never measured in the family kitchen- in fact to pass on home “recipes” I have to say to cook/add a certain spice until it looks like or smells like…. That sort of thing.
@@ChefJamesMakinson Einstein worked way out in theoretical space, but Albert Einstein quotes are full of inspiringly practical, relatable advice: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” And curiosity, believe it or not, is a mental exercise that strengthens the mind.
I've been watching Chef Wang for many years. He is the king of videos that shows the steps and technique with no frills. A typical single dish recipe usually runs 10 minutes on other channels, most of Chef Wang's video are under 4 minutes, including a 30 second tips and notes section at the end
Wang Gang was born in Sichuan and he specializes in Sichuan cuisine. No wonder he used a huge bunch of green chili in his egg fried rice, Sichuan cuisine is notorious for its piquancy. In other regions in Asia, the cookers and eaters may not really be fond of piquancy like Uncle Roger is.
Wow! Your pronunciation at 19:25 of 王刚 was perfect! I’ve been binge watching your videos reacting to Roger and I have to say you’re so likable! Your smile is so genuine and your soft way of speaking bounces weirdly well off Uncle Roger’s roasts! Your insights are also super valuable
Really?! 😲 I'm glad to hear that! 😉 Thank you kindly, I try to add some value when and where I can. I would love to review more of Chef Wang's videos but I'm a bit concerned with the translations.
Guys if anyone wants to be a chef or want to be good a cooking watch this man he explains every Single Detail and its easy to understand this man is a Legend ❤
Chef Wang Gang is the best! His channel has multiple tutorials regarding Chinese cooking and all videos have English subtitles. His recipes have summaries at the end and his "teaching kitchen skills" like chopping etc are very methodical also. He has a few vlogs also where he explains all his setup, and some are about his life and are very well made. I highly recommend Chef Wang Gang to anyone. He is an excellent teacher, is very humble with very well produced videos and most of the times responds to doubts of people (sometimes by making a whole video) As always great video by you James love watching them! Would love to see you react and explain more of Chef Wang vids if possible
Smacked the like button for your expert interpretation on all the details! I seldom cook, but I almost don't miss a single video from Chef Wang 美食作家王刚 because his vlogs with his uncle makes cooking look very soothing
I’ve learned quite a bit. It’s not so simple as it sounds, especially when two of you are explaining step by step. Very impressed, thanks. More please.
The indoor and outdoor kitchen is really true for Asian homes. We cook mostly outside and it's really both helpful to not have the smell of food inside the homes as well as it tends to be hot with heavy cooking and having it outside provides you with a cooler ambiance. Plus any mess is easily managed or its okay since you get to keep your homes clutter free.
I watch a lot of chef Wang's video, he did made video to introduce the cutting board, his knife and cutting skill. His included English subtitles in his video as he have many overseas viewers.
Im asian myself and been working in chinese kitchen as a dishwasher when i was studying. I always wonder why they kept the water running and now i know thanks to you. You are so informative on asian cuisine. Thanks chef 😊
The base video is already a thing of beauty, the techniques, the apparatus, the experience, the family connection, and Roger's and Chef James' commentaries bring it out even more
Many viewers had replicated Chef Wang Gang's recipes and most of them had a successful or at least acceptable dishes depending on individual's cooking skill. It means Chef Wang Gang's recipes are the real stuff.
If you're going to make more Wang Gang videos I recommend the new year's feast preparation video, it's a bit long but it has many delicious dishes and you can see how the whole process of cooking a Chinese feast is organized.
Very nice video, learnt a lot from it : ) Just to add some extra points: 1. He left the water on mainly to cool down the station. That stove is pressurized, like a turbo engine, which release extra heat. To let the water running could prevent the water in the pot getting boiled, and the water leaked on the station could also helping cooling down the station. 2. About how he added the soy sauce, it actually has not much to do with preventing the wok to be cooled down, since the stove is extra powerful, but it's to: 1) fastly cook the soy sauce to removed a raw soy sauce taste, and to make the product smell better; 2) the soy sauce could cover rice more evenly than just put it on rice.
I think the main reason is like James said - the soy sauce will evaporate on the edge of the wok and not be absorbed into the rice. Removing the raw soy sauce taste and letting it cover the rice evenly are certainly among the other reasons as well, but it's not the most important.
This is very true. I’m a Filipino and we have clean and dirty kitchen. Clean kitchen is for deserts and baking, normally indoors. Dirty kitchen is for more savory foods. We have it, too.
I have watched other reaction vids but yours are so great because you explain the whys of the chef world. To us home cooks is so informative. I also love your international pov.
Wow ! I live in Japan and sometimes I cook egg fried rice (known as "cha han" here). I've learned the basics when I was working in a bar's kitchen in Tokyo, but thanks to you and chef Wang, I learned another great thing : don't poor the liquids on the middle of the wok. Now, I am getting excited to try another round of egg fried rice ! Many thanks.
Pouring soy sauce on the side of the wok also gives them a chance to be heated first. That usually adds more flavor to the soy sauce. I’ve tried this with Japanese soy sauce and it also tastes better :)
12:51 Fun fact - one of the reasons why his uncle always looks grumpy is that chef Wang put too much oil in many of his cuisine video (although not in this one). For elder Chinese, at their ages life was hard and oil was very expensive and rare as it could not be bought but allocated by the government.
I’m Italian and there’s a chef that do the most abundant and delicious food everrr! I don’t know if his videos have subtitles but definitely worth watching. His name is Giorgione (orto e cucina) He does traditional food, even food with not so common ingredients. Love your channel!!! ❤
This is the same way I was taught to make fried rice at a chicken wing spot of all places. The owners were Korean and came to the states decades ago. We sold fried rice and bulgogi, at a chicken wing spot lol. And the wife would bring me Korean sushi
Excellent description, one thing I like to add, is that Chef Wang splash the soy sauce around the wok instead of on top of the rice, mainly because soy sauce directly in contact with the wok will accelerate the milliard reaction (where the wok hay come from), the fried will smell and taste a lot better.
That was really impressive. I mean the technique alone is next level. To be honest I was thinking. Why didn’t he use any spices like pepper, but than I realized. A chef can make the impossible possible. A chef can make you eat his food and never realize it is missing anything. And love every moment. Thanks chef for sharing this video
This is probably my favourite Uncle Roger video and various advice and tidbits from you are amazing. btw Chef Wang has his own youtube channel with other great stuff, might some nice stuff to react there as well and he added eng subtitles to most his vids. He also made once more Fried Rice vid with his uncle, but with a little twist in it and it looked amazing as well. Thanks for the vid James, it was fun.
I first watched your reaction of Chef Wang a while ago. I am no chef, but was mesmerised by his cooking. Being a tradesperson in my working years, i see that he is also a very good teacher of his students! I watched him cook frogs and eels with his uncle, they caught at a lake. His uncle said that the young people of today don't eat these delicacies. I know someone else who wouldn't eat them either!
If you haven't yet checked out Chef Wang Gang's channel, you should. He has one or two videos where he demonstrates proper wok tossing techniques. They're really good, and have English subtitles. In fact, most of his videos have English subtitles.
Please review some Wang Gang videos... I went down the rabbit hole of his channel after I saw the Roger video and it doesn't disappoint. I've always loved your analysis of techniques!
This was very educational unlike Uncle Roger's version which was comedic only. I am going to listen to this vid again & your teaching/tutoring= very informative
Actually the philosophy of cooking fried rice in Indonesia is that when there is leftover rice in magic com, don't throw away rice and Indonesian people like to be creative and produce new dishes, namely fried rice, rice can be made into rice crackers, this is also a typical Indonesian rice cracker food especially East Java  
It's very satisfying watching how he moves the wok, but also, James's commentary actually explaining whats going on. Makes you appreciate the skill that much more.
A small thing about the soy sauce. I 've heard that splashing the soy sauce directly on the wok and letting it run down is to "season the wok" if that makes any sense. By tossing, the flavors on the wok can be seasoned into the food evenly. If the sauce goes straight onto the rice it will be absorbed so only a part of the rice will be seasoned.
Exactly when making fried rice on part of the rice tends to absorb the soy sauce which gives an uneven color and taste distribution. I try to fix this by putting a bit at a time around the rice, but this man is much more skilled than me
Good morning Chef. Well done! Enjoyed your review. As always you always educate us with your insights and cooking tips. I hope you're feeling better. Looking forward to your next video!
I usually don't enjoy these type of videos . Reviews of reviews .BUT !! Your honest reviews and pro inputs adds a flavor that I enjoy 👌keep up the good work chief.
Congratulations James, you've nailed it with your reaction videos. I thought about it but I couldn't do any way near as good a job as you do. You're knowledge is incredible, stay at it mate
@@ChefJamesMakinson I had the thing a while back, felt horrible for a few days then bounced back. You're looking pretty fit so hopefully you'll be back on your feet in no time. Seriously though, well done with your reaction videos very well deserved success.
Found this channel recently i realy like the way you explain things so calm, collected and open minded it's realy make me invested and wanting to watch more!
One small correction: you can use the rice from the same day- just let it steam off and put it in the freezer- but you can't use Freshly Cooked rice. I don't remember the science behind this, but it has something to do with how starches recrystallize after cooking the rice and letting it cool off. It isn't just that freshly cooked rice has a ton of moisture, but the starches behave differently than in the rice you cooked and chilled. Even if the freshly cooked rice had as much moisture as day old, it would still behave differently and wouldn't make good fried rice base...
Actually, you can use a freshly cooked rice, the only problem is you need to have the same equipment as chef wang has. We chinese people like using left over rice is because the left rice would be dry outside but moisture inside, so the every single rice would be seperate and the wok hei you would see. It is the easist way to cook fried rice in home. However, there are lots of stalls in china( something like food truck in north america), who are only making fried rice. They cant store so much rice before runing time and also cannot predict much rice they may need, so they just using freshly cooked rice. Then they just using the same equipment but half size to over heat the wok, it will quickly dry out the surface of rice and keep moisture inside, thats also why the duration of their cooking is extremly short and lots of wok hei.
Another approach I personally use is to put the freshly cooked rice in the microwave for a minute or two to remove some of the moisture, and then put it in the freezer for some two hours before making fried rice.
I learned from a channel called school of wok about the ‘wok clock’ - basically your mise en place set up like a clock with the ingredients in the order they are to go in the wok. Very clever trick as wok is fast cooking 👏
Adding the soy sauce around the sides also helps evenly distribute the sauce to the rice. If you poured it all in the middle, it's more likely that the middle portion of the rice would absorb the majority of the soy sauce.
Man the way you talk and the way you looks r just exactly like my culinary lecture，i’m Chinese from Sichuan and the best time I ever had whenI’m studying, were the time I added a fried rice dish into our menu but I do believe there is some different understanding on the level of spiciness between me and my lecture.
I think another reason to circle splash the soy sauce in is to give it a little caramelization, which tastes good and won't happen that easily when it's mixed with the rice.
It's also to remove some of the alcohol content (1-3%) in the soysauce. But yes, frying the soysauce a tiny bit for a second can give it a more focused tasted, in addition to not lowering the core temp as mentioned, which depends on how much of the liquid you put in.
Chef Wang Gang's fans frequently joke about how the stove he's using is more of a jet engine than a stove. That thing is damn powerful and one of the reasons it's so hard to make restaurant-style stir fry at home.
At the risk of seeming bothersome or repetitive, I just really like to hear spanish phrases escaping James. I like languages, and to me, it's fascinating to see how living in a foreign country affects someone's speech, even if speaking their first language. Of course, I'm interested in his cooking commentary as well. That little explenation about the chinese and western chef's knife was something I wondered about until now. I thougth it was just a cleaver's knife.
I agree 100% with you. Languages are fun! I've seen most of Chef Wang Gang's videos and seeing Chef James explain the different type is knives gave a very good perspective
Something I noticed when I was originally watching this video: Uncle Roger commented about how it's a competition with Asian uncles and that's why the guy said those chilis aren't spicy. I live in Japan and use those chilis on a regular basis. The uncle was actually telling the truth when he said they're not that spicy. Those chilis are the absolute least spicy pepper next to bells.
To please my chinese wife, I've cooked a lot of chef Wong's recipe over the last fews months and he's amazing. He often give a couple of tips on the side too... But... us westerners have to beware... what's not spicy for him, might kill us. Specially with sechuan peppers (prickly ash). I often get my tongue so numb I chew it without noticing. When I have guests, I always have a jar of chili oil on the table (for my wife), and cook a lot less spicy, specially for my parents. :)
Happy to get another chef into the mix... already following quite a few... like your videos James! Even though I saw only the commentary ones... but they add value! For a change and since you are in Spain, could you do a good video about pulpo? Specially about the simple yet super rich pulpo a la gallega? One of my favorite dishes (this is how I won my wife over :P ) ... maybe with more tricks on how to cook perfectly the octopus.. what potato would be best and tricks to elevate the dish? Cheers!
Very nice video! I would add that for restaurants, a typical substitute for cold rice is freshly steamed rice (most home cooked rice is boiled). Chinese Cooking Demystified has a video on how steamed rice works in fried rice, plus how Chinese restaurants in China use this for their ingredient prep. For Chef Wang's videos, there's a fan channel that is Wang Gang International, and there's his channel which is "Chef Wang 美食作家王刚". The classic knife skills dish is squirrel fish. Hongshao "red braised" pork is maybe a good one for a cooking technique that doesn't exist much outside of China.
love your chill reaction when watching Uncle Roger’s videos, also thanks for some advices you gave during the video, you are really serious with this work and i hope your channel and your career will be gigantic someday. As an asian i have to say that watching chef Wang cooking things is a masterpiece and your point of view even makes it better!
So far, only Gordon Ramsay, Alex (the French guy) and Sherson Lian can match Wang Gang's technique and recipe; Chef Samuel Lee (Shang Palace) as well if we consider he's the one who evaluated Alex. Also, if you are based in Barcelona, it's possible you may know Chef Jordi Cruz, who's a judge for MasterChef Spain.
Hey! I recently found your channel and I love your videos! Especially like your "reacts to uncle Roger".. it's super cool to get a real chef's thoughts and input on dishes. Have a stupid question / idea for you. If I were to send you an everyday recipe, could you turn it into a little more "High End"? Thanks for your videos and keep up the good work!
idk someone noticed this, 15:30 when you put soy sauce around the outside of the fan, it makes smoky flavor. It makes fried rice, or other food with wok fry taste better than put soy sauce in the middle of the fan and foods.
great content as always my man! i have a suggestion for you. if you search up "Joshua Weissman cheaper but better" you find alot of content of him ordering food from a restaurant somewhere, and then he makes the same dish cheaper and still good enough food you could expect to get when you order it should you be eating in town. what if you showed a couple of recipes of food you can make as cheap as possible, and still be full of quality? i bet that would be a useful skill about now for evryone as food is more expensive all over the world!
Hey chef - I hope your feeling better! Great tips and tricks as per usual ;) - if you would be ok to review some Italian cooking I would love to see you react to Vincenzo’s Plate reaction to Gordon Ramsay’s Carbonara - only if you are up for it 😊
You make me wait far too long for your videos, James. I feel like these recordings are all that's making me smile these days. Btw, my birthday's in may too. 3rd may :) Have you ever cooked in Germany? Do you know any good eating places in Berlin? PS: I'd love to see you in a tank top 😁
Mine is May 2nd, small world! haha I wish I could make more as well! it takes a lot of time to put one together as I do everything. I have been to Germany I would love to go so I cant say for anywhere to eat. :)
4:20 Yes but you waste a lot of egg white left inside the shell by doing 1-hand crack. I do 2-hand and get the white out of the shells with one finger so it won't go to waste.
That's possible. If you are in the hurry don't put the cover on the pot while it is in chiller. The rice will be dryer in 2 hours. If longer you need to use a cover.. One advice, if you're not skilled like this man, break the rice with your fingers before putting it in the wok. It's much easier.
I broke the rice with my hand before cooking it yeah. It helps a lot during the cooking process as you said. That's cool to learn some new tricks as well.😆
There are a few reasons to coat the side of the wok with the shoyu, it cooks it without overcooking it giving it a kind of roasted flavor, burns off the marginal amounts of alcohol, helps prevent overly seasoned portions of rice.
I hope you guys are well! *Become a Patreon and have a say in what I make!* Orange Shirt Video!! ➡ th-cam.com/video/J54G9ePnYb4/w-d-xo.html
Is there an address someone can mail you a gift
I hope your feeling better!
@@Fromparchmenttobooks thank you
@@stephanie5872 haha that's not necessary 😉
@@ChefJamesMakinson I know its not, but I want to send you a few unique things from the US that I thought you'd enjoy
As a Chinese, I am truely surprised by how much you know about Chinese cooking. Real professional, good job!
Thanks! 😃
@@ChefJamesMakinson ❤️
One fun fact about Chef Wang's cutting board: he had a video talking about it where he said that he basically has (at least) two boards of the same type: one for filming, and the other for regular off-camera cooking. The off-camera board shows significantly more wear from daily usage, and they all have to be sanitized in a special machine every day. They're also extremely heavy and expensive, to the dismay of many viewers who were interested in buying something similar. So that was pretty interesting.
Interesting!
@@ChefJamesMakinson yes, when my parents were married back in 1995, my grandpa gifted my parents a nice set of cutting board as wedding gift. And it also a part of culture in shanghai at least to gift a nice cutting board to new married couple.
@@ChefJamesMakinson kitchen is such an important room in chinese culture. we even have a kitchen god we have to do special ceremony in new year for him. He will report to the heavn if the family member's behavior were good in this year to the ruler of the heaven.
Another fun fact you can make your own for like $50 max if you have or have access to some wood working tools
Damn! Here in the philippines for you to have a good thick wooden cutting board is a professional butcher or a chinese cook. At province cutting wood is now prohibited here since they are not allowing to log more wood and even historical trees. You will have to import a good quality wood or else youll end up to a "ipil-ipil" wood cutting board. 😊
Chef WangGang being super nice to his uncle is because that in his childhood, his parents did not want him and its his uncle who raised him up.
*Edit* his parents were really strict in his childhood
Oh, that's so sad. First time i've heard that. ☹️ Happy for him that he is successful in life.
@@tluangteaRR yeah
@@JiangShiXi how do you know. I would want to see his point of view
Care to back that up with a source?
@@devcrom3 i wouldnt be surprised, due to chinas one child policy, many children became unwanted by their parents.
I never thought I’d watch a guy watching a guy watching a guy cook. But it’s great.
You commenting on how other chefs cook is a lot of fun. The trick to cooking is tips like “cook fried rice with cold day old rice”. And we get that condensed.
Thank man.
More of watching a guy watching a guy watching a guy watching a guy cook.
Can't wait for another guy to watch this guy watch another guy watching somebody cook.
even better: Watching a guy watching a guy watching a professional chef watched by his uncle cook
I also watched Chef James watching J. O. without Uncle Roger (prawn curry) but it’s really not the same feel!
Chef James goes all tech-y and without Uncle Roger’s jokes it gets too serious too quickly. With both of them commenting is just the perfect balance!
Unless you're not an Asian, fried rice is always made from leftover rice.
As an Indian, I loved it when Uncle Roger said that in Asia we have indoor kitchen and outdoor kitchen. And the food cooked in outdoor kitchen is absolutely magnificent. As an Indian, from childhood we are used to seeing our mother and grandmother cooking in outdoor kitchen on traditional clay cooking areas. Its a must especially during a festival, celebration, ceremonies, etc; and believe me nothing can beat traditionally cooked dishes in this manner. Its heavenly ❤️❤️✨🤟😌.
It's really different when you watch a chef cooking his specialty cuisine. It's pure art.
Yes it is in a culinary sense watching Mozart or Beethoven conducting a symphony.
I was in the Wang Gang's translation team, thus I got the chance to watch many of his video. I'm very glad you like him too!!!!!
Really?! I have seen a lot of his videos, I cant stop watching! haha
Found you a while ago, your serious commenting on the comedic videos from roger are harmonizing very good together:D Been enjoying your expertise on cooking and I've also learnt a lot from it:)
thank you very much! :)
Agreed, the two contrasting styles balance each other out very well. I especially like that Chef James seems to be adding a little more personality and the occasional smile on top his very serious technical treatment! Now we have the gold standard! Fuyoh!
@@neoroman0510 Yes, it looks like James likes the humour character in the vids of Roger aswell:D very nice to see aswell
I laugh even harder at Uncle Roger's jokes when James is adding serious helpful commentary along with and then gets the disapproving nephew scowl at the dirty uncle jokes. 🤣
You are watching a guy watching another guy who is watching another guy cook. Is this the maximum number of guys watching another guy that you can take? Would you think someone would watch you watch this video?
Chef Wang Gang is one of the most wholesome people I have seen on youtube. I really love his recipes. And his explanation. And the way he treats his family and apprentices.
You can see that!
Seeing you geek out over a wok cooking station is like seeing a musician geeking out over other instruments or audio gear. I love it!
Chef Wang is one of the better cooking channels imho, straight to the point and super-efficient short vids and also kinda wholesome little touches with family and staff
I like how informative this is. I'm asian myself but when I cook, I do as what my elders have done, but I, myself don't know why they do it so. I learned to cook by observation, and not by being taught. In our household, there is no recipe or measurements, we do it by sight and taste. So I really don't know the reason for things. I just copy what people do when they are in the kitchen. An example is the soy sauce splashing on the side. Now, I know. Thank you Chef.
being curious is very important if you want to learn more! :)
@@ChefJamesMakinson second reason he's doing so is using the high temperature of the side of the wok to heat up the soy sauce, the so-called "Maillard reaction", which enhance the flavor.
@@razorfeng2880 indeed, I can imagine it's akin to caramelizing the soy sauce.
I am Asian, too. We never measured in the family kitchen- in fact to pass on home “recipes” I have to say to cook/add a certain spice until it looks like or smells like…. That sort of thing.
@@ChefJamesMakinson Einstein worked way out in theoretical space, but Albert Einstein quotes are full of inspiringly practical, relatable advice: “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” And curiosity, believe it or not, is a mental exercise that strengthens the mind.
I've been watching Chef Wang for many years. He is the king of videos that shows the steps and technique with no frills. A typical single dish recipe usually runs 10 minutes on other channels, most of Chef Wang's video are under 4 minutes, including a 30 second tips and notes section at the end
Wang Gang was born in Sichuan and he specializes in Sichuan cuisine. No wonder he used a huge bunch of green chili in his egg fried rice, Sichuan cuisine is notorious for its piquancy.
In other regions in Asia, the cookers and eaters may not really be fond of piquancy like Uncle Roger is.
Wow! Your pronunciation at 19:25 of 王刚 was perfect!
I’ve been binge watching your videos reacting to Roger and I have to say you’re so likable! Your smile is so genuine and your soft way of speaking bounces weirdly well off Uncle Roger’s roasts! Your insights are also super valuable
Really?! 😲 I'm glad to hear that! 😉 Thank you kindly, I try to add some value when and where I can. I would love to review more of Chef Wang's videos but I'm a bit concerned with the translations.
Guys if anyone wants to be a chef or want to be good a cooking watch this man he explains every Single Detail and its easy to understand this man is a Legend ❤
I’m 100% serious when I say that I literally bought a wok just to make egg fried rice properly because I was tired of the fry pan stuff.
how do you solve the issue with the burner?
Same here
Woks makes everything taste better and much faster to make
Chef Wang Gang is the best!
His channel has multiple tutorials regarding Chinese cooking and all videos have English subtitles.
His recipes have summaries at the end and his "teaching kitchen skills" like chopping etc are very methodical also.
He has a few vlogs also where he explains all his setup, and some are about his life and are very well made.
I highly recommend Chef Wang Gang to anyone. He is an excellent teacher, is very humble with very well produced videos and most of the times responds to doubts of people (sometimes by making a whole video)
As always great video by you James love watching them! Would love to see you react and explain more of Chef Wang vids if possible
thank you so much! I will do more videos of Chef Wang!
@@ChefJamesMakinson yes!
@@ChefJamesMakinson 美食作家王刚 This is chef wang‘s channel on youtube. Really hope we can see more reaction video about him in the future. thank you
Smacked the like button for your expert interpretation on all the details! I seldom cook, but I almost don't miss a single video from Chef Wang 美食作家王刚 because his vlogs with his uncle makes cooking look very soothing
I appreciate that! i have been watching more of Chef Wang and i cant stop! he is a master!
I’ve learned quite a bit. It’s not so simple as it sounds, especially when two of you are explaining step by step. Very impressed, thanks. More please.
Glad it was helpful!
The indoor and outdoor kitchen is really true for Asian homes. We cook mostly outside and it's really both helpful to not have the smell of food inside the homes as well as it tends to be hot with heavy cooking and having it outside provides you with a cooler ambiance. Plus any mess is easily managed or its okay since you get to keep your homes clutter free.
I watch a lot of chef Wang's video, he did made video to introduce the cutting board, his knife and cutting skill. His included English subtitles in his video as he have many overseas viewers.
Ive been watching more of his videos he does a great job!
Im asian myself and been working in chinese kitchen as a dishwasher when i was studying. I always wonder why they kept the water running and now i know thanks to you. You are so informative on asian cuisine. Thanks chef 😊
Wow I've watched so many fried rice reactions but this time i learned A LOT, thank you Chef James for the 20 minutes lecture 😁
Glad you enjoyed it!
The base video is already a thing of beauty, the techniques, the apparatus, the experience, the family connection, and Roger's and Chef James' commentaries bring it out even more
Many viewers had replicated Chef Wang Gang's recipes and most of them had a successful or at least acceptable dishes depending on individual's cooking skill. It means Chef Wang Gang's recipes are the real stuff.
Oh man. That "muy bien" when he started scooping out the finished rice said it all. Looks so GOOOOOOD!!!!
If you're going to make more Wang Gang videos I recommend the new year's feast preparation video, it's a bit long but it has many delicious dishes and you can see how the whole process of cooking a Chinese feast is organized.
Very nice video, learnt a lot from it : )
Just to add some extra points:
1. He left the water on mainly to cool down the station. That stove is pressurized, like a turbo engine, which release extra heat. To let the water running could prevent the water in the pot getting boiled, and the water leaked on the station could also helping cooling down the station.
2. About how he added the soy sauce, it actually has not much to do with preventing the wok to be cooled down, since the stove is extra powerful, but it's to: 1) fastly cook the soy sauce to removed a raw soy sauce taste, and to make the product smell better; 2) the soy sauce could cover rice more evenly than just put it on rice.
I think the main reason is like James said - the soy sauce will evaporate on the edge of the wok and not be absorbed into the rice. Removing the raw soy sauce taste and letting it cover the rice evenly are certainly among the other reasons as well, but it's not the most important.
This is very true. I’m a Filipino and we have clean and dirty kitchen. Clean kitchen is for deserts and baking, normally indoors. Dirty kitchen is for more savory foods. We have it, too.
I have watched other reaction vids but yours are so great because you explain the whys of the chef world. To us home cooks is so informative. I also love your international pov.
Thank you so much 😊
This channel growing so fast and im proud to be part of it
I loved Chef Wong's lack of razzle-dazzle. Just great cooking!
Wow ! I live in Japan and sometimes I cook egg fried rice (known as "cha han" here). I've learned the basics when I was working in a bar's kitchen in Tokyo, but thanks to you and chef Wang, I learned another great thing : don't poor the liquids on the middle of the wok.
Now, I am getting excited to try another round of egg fried rice ! Many thanks.
Pouring soy sauce on the side of the wok also gives them a chance to be heated first. That usually adds more flavor to the soy sauce. I’ve tried this with Japanese soy sauce and it also tastes better :)
12:51 Fun fact - one of the reasons why his uncle always looks grumpy is that chef Wang put too much oil in many of his cuisine video (although not in this one). For elder Chinese, at their ages life was hard and oil was very expensive and rare as it could not be bought but allocated by the government.
I’m Italian and there’s a chef that do the most abundant and delicious food everrr! I don’t know if his videos have subtitles but definitely worth watching. His name is Giorgione (orto e cucina)
He does traditional food, even food with not so common ingredients. Love your channel!!! ❤
Thank you!
This is the same way I was taught to make fried rice at a chicken wing spot of all places. The owners were Korean and came to the states decades ago. We sold fried rice and bulgogi, at a chicken wing spot lol. And the wife would bring me Korean sushi
Excellent description, one thing I like to add, is that Chef Wang splash the soy sauce around the wok instead of on top of the rice, mainly because soy sauce directly in contact with the wok will accelerate the milliard reaction (where the wok hay come from), the fried will smell and taste a lot better.
That was really impressive. I mean the technique alone is next level. To be honest I was thinking. Why didn’t he use any spices like pepper, but than I realized. A chef can make the impossible possible. A chef can make you eat his food and never realize it is missing anything. And love every moment. Thanks chef for sharing this video
One thing to add about the soy sauce: it buns super quickly. So splashing it onto the lesser hot surface of the wok makes total sense as well...
This is probably my favourite Uncle Roger video and various advice and tidbits from you are amazing. btw Chef Wang has his own youtube channel with other great stuff, might some nice stuff to react there as well and he added eng subtitles to most his vids. He also made once more Fried Rice vid with his uncle, but with a little twist in it and it looked amazing as well. Thanks for the vid James, it was fun.
I first watched your reaction of Chef Wang a while ago. I am no chef, but was mesmerised by his cooking. Being a tradesperson in my working years, i see that he is also a very good teacher of his students!
I watched him cook frogs and eels with his uncle, they caught at a lake. His uncle said that the young people of today don't eat these delicacies. I know someone else who wouldn't eat them either!
Look at that! 2 of the best chefs out there have birthdays one month apart. Even the universe said good chefs need to stay together.
Inspirational. I am going to try and make it.
If you haven't yet checked out Chef Wang Gang's channel, you should. He has one or two videos where he demonstrates proper wok tossing techniques. They're really good, and have English subtitles. In fact, most of his videos have English subtitles.
Please review some Wang Gang videos... I went down the rabbit hole of his channel after I saw the Roger video and it doesn't disappoint. I've always loved your analysis of techniques!
I will later on!
Awww, it’s your birthday tomorrow! All the best for you! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Thank you and Uncle Roger for all the good times! ❤
This was very educational unlike Uncle Roger's version which was comedic only. I am going to listen to this vid again & your teaching/tutoring= very informative
thank you Hailey!
Actually the philosophy of cooking fried rice in Indonesia is that when there is leftover rice in magic com, don't throw away rice and Indonesian people like to be creative and produce new dishes, namely fried rice, rice can be made into rice crackers, this is also a typical Indonesian rice cracker food especially East Java


It's very satisfying watching how he moves the wok, but also, James's commentary actually explaining whats going on. Makes you appreciate the skill that much more.
I try! :)
@@ChefJamesMakinson Great content my man!
@@xWhackoJacko Thank you!
A small thing about the soy sauce. I 've heard that splashing the soy sauce directly on the wok and letting it run down is to "season the wok" if that makes any sense. By tossing, the flavors on the wok can be seasoned into the food evenly. If the sauce goes straight onto the rice it will be absorbed so only a part of the rice will be seasoned.
Exactly when making fried rice on part of the rice tends to absorb the soy sauce which gives an uneven color and taste distribution. I try to fix this by putting a bit at a time around the rice, but this man is much more skilled than me
I love this series! Super nice to get different perspectives and knowledge from a different background
Glad you enjoy it!
since i sub to you, i cant stop watching your videos, they are so addicting. Your teaching is make me knowledgeable, thanks for that
Thank you so much! 😃
Good morning Chef. Well done! Enjoyed your review. As always you always educate us with your insights and cooking tips. I hope you're feeling better. Looking forward to your next video!
thank you Jeff! still the same ive been sleeping all day :/ haha i hope you are well!
This just goes to show you how awesome uncle Roger is, people actually react to his reactions. This is a new level of awesomeness
I usually don't enjoy these type of videos . Reviews of reviews .BUT !! Your honest reviews and pro inputs adds a flavor that I enjoy 👌keep up the good work chief.
I appreciate that!
Also when they put the soy sauce on the side, it cooks it; and gives it some wok hay before it hits the rice. This gives more flavor.
Your commentary added a lot to this video. Thanks. I enjoyed learning about knife techniques.
Congratulations James, you've nailed it with your reaction videos. I thought about it but I couldn't do any way near as good a job as you do.
You're knowledge is incredible, stay at it mate
thank you Matt! got covid last week, slowly feeling better. I hope you are well!
@@ChefJamesMakinson I had the thing a while back, felt horrible for a few days then bounced back. You're looking pretty fit so hopefully you'll be back on your feet in no time.
Seriously though, well done with your reaction videos very well deserved success.
Found this channel recently i realy like the way you explain things so calm, collected and open minded it's realy make me invested and wanting to watch more!
Awesome, thank you!
Now that's the difference between celebrity chef, and kitchen master. When you cook with rocket fuel... :D
The thing I like most about your videos is you have such a kind energy is very nice and relaxing to watch.
Positive energy 10/10
Thank you!
I love your reaction videos. Just calm and informative. I like that way more than all the snarky knowitalls out there. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! Will do!
I learned so much about why some things are done in the kitchen. I had no idea about the sauce changing the temperature and such. Thank you
One small correction: you can use the rice from the same day- just let it steam off and put it in the freezer- but you can't use Freshly Cooked rice.
I don't remember the science behind this, but it has something to do with how starches recrystallize after cooking the rice and letting it cool off.
It isn't just that freshly cooked rice has a ton of moisture, but the starches behave differently than in the rice you cooked and chilled.
Even if the freshly cooked rice had as much moisture as day old, it would still behave differently and wouldn't make good fried rice base...
Actually, you can use a freshly cooked rice, the only problem is you need to have the same equipment as chef wang has. We chinese people like using left over rice is because the left rice would be dry outside but moisture inside, so the every single rice would be seperate and the wok hei you would see. It is the easist way to cook fried rice in home. However, there are lots of stalls in china( something like food truck in north america), who are only making fried rice. They cant store so much rice before runing time and also cannot predict much rice they may need, so they just using freshly cooked rice. Then they just using the same equipment but half size to over heat the wok, it will quickly dry out the surface of rice and keep moisture inside, thats also why the duration of their cooking is extremly short and lots of wok hei.
@@zouzilong1014 looks like eggfried rice is like the mexican version of refried beans.
Another approach I personally use is to put the freshly cooked rice in the microwave for a minute or two to remove some of the moisture, and then put it in the freezer for some two hours before making fried rice.
I learned from a channel called school of wok about the ‘wok clock’ - basically your mise en place set up like a clock with the ingredients in the order they are to go in the wok. Very clever trick as wok is fast cooking 👏
Adding the soy sauce around the sides also helps evenly distribute the sauce to the rice. If you poured it all in the middle, it's more likely that the middle portion of the rice would absorb the majority of the soy sauce.
Hi James! I rly appreciate how you pronounced the Chinese name Wang Gang! Really shows how much attention to detail and respect you have ❤️
some languages are also easier to pronounce then others! :)
One of the things I like about these videos as opposed to Uncle Rogers is that I learn something and start practicing it almost immediately.
im glad to hear that! thank you!
Man the way you talk and the way you looks r just exactly like my culinary lecture，i’m Chinese from Sichuan and the best time I ever had whenI’m studying, were the time I added a fried rice dish into our menu but I do believe there is some different understanding on the level of spiciness between me and my lecture.
I think another reason to circle splash the soy sauce in is to give it a little caramelization, which tastes good and won't happen that easily when it's mixed with the rice.
It's also to remove some of the alcohol content (1-3%) in the soysauce. But yes, frying the soysauce a tiny bit for a second can give it a more focused tasted, in addition to not lowering the core temp as mentioned, which depends on how much of the liquid you put in.
Your calm technical explanation in particular the European kitchen experience is really very interesting..
Chef Wang Gang's fans frequently joke about how the stove he's using is more of a jet engine than a stove. That thing is damn powerful and one of the reasons it's so hard to make restaurant-style stir fry at home.
Kinda want Chef James and Uncle Roger to do a collab. I bet it will be so much fun ✨️
that would be a blast!
I would love this ! We need uncle Roger to notice chef James
I’ve been waiting for you to react to this vid. Hands down my favorite vid from uncle roger. chef wang cooking is so satisfying to watch
yes it is!
At the risk of seeming bothersome or repetitive, I just really like to hear spanish phrases escaping James. I like languages, and to me, it's fascinating to see how living in a foreign country affects someone's speech, even if speaking their first language.
Of course, I'm interested in his cooking commentary as well. That little explenation about the chinese and western chef's knife was something I wondered about until now. I thougth it was just a cleaver's knife.
thank you Jean!
I agree 100% with you. Languages are fun!
I've seen most of Chef Wang Gang's videos and seeing Chef James explain the different type is knives gave a very good perspective
Soy is flung at the edge to caramelize the soy..if poured in center, the rice absorbs it before the soy is heated and fragrant.
In case you want to do more reaction videos to chef Wang, make sure to try the “coral fish” video. It’s amazing!
I'll have to take a look!
Something I noticed when I was originally watching this video: Uncle Roger commented about how it's a competition with Asian uncles and that's why the guy said those chilis aren't spicy. I live in Japan and use those chilis on a regular basis. The uncle was actually telling the truth when he said they're not that spicy. Those chilis are the absolute least spicy pepper next to bells.
Would be so nice to see more of your reactions to Wang’a videos. 🙏
Great video otherwise as usual. 🙌
Happy birthday Chef James 👨🍳
Thank you!!
To please my chinese wife, I've cooked a lot of chef Wong's recipe over the last fews months and he's amazing. He often give a couple of tips on the side too...
But... us westerners have to beware... what's not spicy for him, might kill us.
Specially with sechuan peppers (prickly ash). I often get my tongue so numb I chew it without noticing.
When I have guests, I always have a jar of chili oil on the table (for my wife), and cook a lot less spicy, specially for my parents. :)
i will have to try some of his recipes! :)
Happy to get another chef into the mix... already following quite a few... like your videos James! Even though I saw only the commentary ones... but they add value! For a change and since you are in Spain, could you do a good video about pulpo? Specially about the simple yet super rich pulpo a la gallega? One of my favorite dishes (this is how I won my wife over :P ) ... maybe with more tricks on how to cook perfectly the octopus.. what potato would be best and tricks to elevate the dish? Cheers!
Very nice video! I would add that for restaurants, a typical substitute for cold rice is freshly steamed rice (most home cooked rice is boiled). Chinese Cooking Demystified has a video on how steamed rice works in fried rice, plus how Chinese restaurants in China use this for their ingredient prep.
For Chef Wang's videos, there's a fan channel that is Wang Gang International, and there's his channel which is "Chef Wang 美食作家王刚". The classic knife skills dish is squirrel fish. Hongshao "red braised" pork is maybe a good one for a cooking technique that doesn't exist much outside of China.
thank you so much! i have been watching a lot of his videos since this one! he does very well!
Haiyaaaa.... u indian thT’s why...
Wang (王) Gang (刚)
meaning King and strong
he really is the king of fried rice
love your chill reaction when watching Uncle Roger’s videos, also thanks for some advices you gave during the video, you are really serious with this work and i hope your channel and your career will be gigantic someday. As an asian i have to say that watching chef Wang cooking things is a masterpiece and your point of view even makes it better!
Thank you so much!! :) it means a lot to hear that!
Now I have to go through all Uncle Roger's work because your great review. :). Thanks for this.
So far, only Gordon Ramsay, Alex (the French guy) and Sherson Lian can match Wang Gang's technique and recipe; Chef Samuel Lee (Shang Palace) as well if we consider he's the one who evaluated Alex. Also, if you are based in Barcelona, it's possible you may know Chef Jordi Cruz, who's a judge for MasterChef Spain.
I pass by Abac all the time, Jordi Cruz is the head Chef. there is a lot of good food here! :)
10:20 nice explain for water running and double set up.. Nice suplemen for uncle roger
Hey! I recently found your channel and I love your videos! Especially like your "reacts to uncle Roger".. it's super cool to get a real chef's thoughts and input on dishes.
Have a stupid question / idea for you.
If I were to send you an everyday recipe, could you turn it into a little more "High End"?
Thanks for your videos and keep up the good work!
Thank you Christian! haha maybe right now I'm recovering from the virus trying to get back to normal.
idk someone noticed this, 15:30 when you put soy sauce around the outside of the fan, it makes smoky flavor. It makes fried rice, or other food with wok fry taste better than put soy sauce in the middle of the fan and foods.
great content as always my man! i have a suggestion for you. if you search up "Joshua Weissman cheaper but better" you find alot of content of him ordering food from a restaurant somewhere, and then he makes the same dish cheaper and still good enough food you could expect to get when you order it should you be eating in town. what if you showed a couple of recipes of food you can make as cheap as possible, and still be full of quality? i bet that would be a useful skill about now for evryone as food is more expensive all over the world!
Thank you man! yeah that would be a very good idea! prices here have gone up so much! i should show how to use leftovers as well! :)
Soy sauce is also put onto the side of the wok to evaporate the water in it to prevent it from steaming the rice
Hey chef - I hope your feeling better! Great tips and tricks as per usual ;) - if you would be ok to review some Italian cooking I would love to see you react to Vincenzo’s Plate reaction to Gordon Ramsay’s Carbonara - only if you are up for it 😊
I'm planning on that when i feel better, I have been doing a lot of fried rice! haha :)
I like the additional information uncle James gave.
You make me wait far too long for your videos, James. I feel like these recordings are all that's making me smile these days.
Btw, my birthday's in may too. 3rd may :)
Have you ever cooked in Germany? Do you know any good eating places in Berlin?
PS: I'd love to see you in a tank top 😁
Mine is May 2nd, small world! haha I wish I could make more as well! it takes a lot of time to put one together as I do everything. I have been to Germany I would love to go so I cant say for anywhere to eat. :)
4:20 Yes but you waste a lot of egg white left inside the shell by doing 1-hand crack. I do 2-hand and get the white out of the shells with one finger so it won't go to waste.
Isn't it also possible if you cook fresh rice and cool inside chiller for some hours then break the rice clump before you use it for fried rice?😁
That's possible. If you are in the hurry don't put the cover on the pot while it is in chiller. The rice will be dryer in 2 hours. If longer you need to use a cover.. One advice, if you're not skilled like this man, break the rice with your fingers before putting it in the wok. It's much easier.
yes it is, and you can do this if you need a precise amount.
I broke the rice with my hand before cooking it yeah. It helps a lot during the cooking process as you said. That's cool to learn some new tricks as well.😆
There are a few reasons to coat the side of the wok with the shoyu, it cooks it without overcooking it giving it a kind of roasted flavor, burns off the marginal amounts of alcohol, helps prevent overly seasoned portions of rice.
Your advice is so sweet to home cooks even though you're amazing. Thank you.
thank you!