The Chinese cooking pan known as a wok has been in use in Chinese kitchens for somewhere around a thousand years and because of its cheapness, efficiency and versatility it deserves a place in more Australian kitchens. The traditional round-bottomed wok is adaptable to most heat sources such as the gas stove, rocket stove kero or LPG primus, metho camping cooker, wood burning fire or, when a hole is cut into the plate, the family barbecue. The one power source it cannot be used on is the electric stove, but these days flat-bottomed woks are available for just this purpose.
Woks are very cheap in the Asian shops to be found in most large cities (ten to fifteen dollars each), so cheap you can afford to have more than one. They are available in a number of materials, the more common being aluminium, stainless steel, pressed mild steel and cast iron. I prefer the traditional pressed mild steel wok but the other types would be just as good.
The dish for which the wok shines over all other pans is the stir-fry, where all ingredients are cut up very finely and then cooked very quickly over high heat; this is economical on both energy and nutrients. Cooking in this manner is also different and a lot of fun! The Asian practice of using rice or noodles and vegetables in quantity and then using meat in small amounts as flavouring is also a trick worth learning. There are lots of good Asian cook books, but once you have mastered the basics it is a cuisine which allows a lot of improvisation.
When you buy your pressed steel or cast iron wok you will need to clean it then “season” it, to give it a protective non-stick surface. First wash the wok with thoroughly with hot water, detergent and soap pad to remove any antirust or oily coatings, rinse, then dry.
Now rub the inner surface with a thick layer of good quality peanut oil and heat the wok until the oil appears to steam or smoke. After 3-5 minutes remove the wok from the heat and allow it to cool; then wipe away excess oil. The wok is now ready for use. After the wok has been used to cook in, it should only be rinsed with hot water to clean it. If detergent and cleaners are used on the inside surface it will need to be re-seasoned before its next use. When the wok has been cleaned and before you store it away wipe a thin layer of peanut oil onto the inner surface to act as a rust preventative.
The only absolutely essential accessory for your wok is the round-nosed shovel like implement (called a ‘charn’) used to move food around the inside of the wok. If you are flush with cash other handy bits to have are a wire ladle for removing deep-fried morsels from hot oil, a solid ladle, a bamboo steaming basket or two, an aluminium or chrome steel ring to stick the wok on when it’s off the heat and, of course, chopsticks. These add-ons increase the versatility of your wok so that it can be used to steam, braise, deep-fry and shallow-fry as well as stir fry.
