My Inaugural Wok Session

For Christmas this past year, Shauna & Jimmy gave us a wok. I hadn't used it prior to moving because our last apartment had an electric stove and I wanted to wait to season and use it properly. Yesterday I decided to give it a go. I began by the wok. First I scrubbed it with soap and water to get off all the oil that it is packaged in. Then I heated it to burn off any excess packaging oil. I added a couple tablespoons of peanut oil to the hot wok, and then added sliced ginger with the skin on and scallions. I stir-fried them for about 10 minutes, using the back of the spatula to press them into the sides of the wok. When the ginger and scallions were nice and browned, I discarded them, rinsed the wok with hot water, wiped it lightly with the soft side of a sponge, and then heated it again until no water was left on the wok.

Seasoning is done so that food does not stick to the wok and so that rust doesn't set in. And after using a wok, you should never scrub your wok - the patina that builds up imparts flavor to your food each time you use it.

As my first attempt at cooking with the wok, I decided to make Pork Lettuce Wraps. And as Shauna stated in a previous post, it is all about the mis en place. Stir-frying happens so fast that it is necessary to have everything ready to go.

And the finished product....

They were SO good and SO easy, and I will definitely be making them again!