Wok Don't Run

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Writing about the necessity of tools in the kitchen a few weeks ago got me thinking further: call this Kitchen Equipment Article Part II. Except this is about one item in particular. I was thinking that if I was stuck on a deserted island and could choose one kitchen tool to bring, what would it be? Well aside from a knife, which is pretty much a given, my answer might surprise you. As much as I love my KitchenAid standing mixer (let’s assume there is electricity on this deserted island), the stainless steel AllClads and enamel Le Creuset that fill my cupboards, I would trade it all on this deserted island for something a little more all-purpose. Take my fancy tools and give me a wok.

Truly, a wok is the all-purpose kitchen tool. There is a reason why Chinese kitchens rarely have an oven: virtually everything one could hope to cook, aside from, say, baking a cake, can be done in this one pan.

My wok is round bottomed and came with an assortment of gadgets and gizmos to make the pan as versatile as possible. Almost immediately I was using the steamer insert. A little water in the bottom of the pan and the wok can be used to steam everything from pork buns to gyoza to baby bok choy.

More recently I have been using that same steamer insert in conjunction with broadening my cooking horizons to smoke in the pan. Admittedly, I've been a little obsessed with cooking with tea of late. The wok became the most important tool in my attempts at tea smoking a variety of fish and meat. First you line the bottom of the pan with foil. On top of the foil add a mixture of equal parts long grain rice, brown sugar, and tea, then place the steamer insert on top. With the lid on the wok, bring the mixture to a smoking point over high heat. Reduce to medium and proceed to add chicken, fish, duck, etc. and smoke to the appropriate doneness.

The wok is so versatile, in fact, it can be used to do everything from deep frying, to braising, to its most common use, sautéing. With almost all the cooking done over high heat, the wok does not require lengthy cooking times. Rather, it necessitates adequate prep time so all ingredients are ready to go and can be tossed in at a moment’s notice.

Right now I am imagining the perfect dinner party menu, cooked almost entirely in one pot in under 30 minutes. Starting with some dumplings that I would most likely outsource to my local Asian market, I would use the steamer insert to get an appetizer on the table in less than five minutes. I would proceed to tea smoke chicken, infusing the tea mixture with some Chinese Five Spice for a little extra flavor. Cooking time: 15 minutes. While that’s smoking I would soak some glass noodles to toss with the chicken for a cold noodle salad. Once the chicken is out, clean out the wok, turn the heat up to high, and sauté some baby bok choy with a little onion and kimchi for your vegetable course. One pot, one dinner on the table in under thirty minutes.

Having traveled a bit through kitchens and countries less bountiful than our own, I can say that when the Globals and AllClads aren’t available, a lot can be done with a machete and a fire. But if I could choose one other thing to take with me should I ever be forced to leave the land of plenty, give me the wok and all its fixings. Give me a little time, and I might find a way to bake a cake in it after all.

Serves/Makes: 6

• 6 boneless chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup long grain white rice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup whole leaf black tea
• 1 tablespoon Chinese five spice powder
• salt and pepper
• 12 ounces glass noodles
• 1 carrot
• 2 bunches green onions
• 1 head butter lettuce
• 2 oranges, juiced
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 piece (2 inch size) ginger root
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil