With this gadget, you can get closest to that authentic wok flavor

Although my parents took me to authentic Chinese restaurants from an early age, it was only recently that I learned what the term wok hei means: loosely translated from Standard Cantonese, ‘the breath of the wok’. Isn’t that beautiful?! It refers to the characteristic flavor and aromas released by this specific cooking technique. And although it’s difficult to replicate on an average gas stove or induction cooktop, you can get close to that effect with this tip:

Because although not everyone can achieve the ideal wok conditions where you can cook over roaring gas in a large space or even outdoors, this gadget is actually useful for pretty much every home cook. The next day, you can use it to effortlessly brûlée a layer of sugar on your crème or a little cake, or give a thick slice of goat cheese on a sandwich a beautiful golden-brown melted topping. Enter: the gas torch!

Hei there!

The ‘hei’ produced when stir-frying in a wok comes from the combination of the type of metal the wok is made from, the high temperature, and the movement you make while stir-frying. A traditional wok is made from carbon steel, and after regular use, a thin layer of carbon forms on the surface. Adding moisture during cooking also releases steam, and by constantly moving the food up and down in a preferably slightly circular motion, you’re effectively ‘catching’ some of the molecules released each time. That distinctive, recognizable flavor and those aromas that make food at a real Chinese restaurant so difficult to replicate because the wok itself is probably so perfectly seasoned are called wok hei.

Hei at home

The thing that apparently comes closest to that beautiful charred layer is a gas torch. And you really don’t have to unleash the equivalent of three dragon fires on your bok choy à la Khaleesi-style right away, but take some time to find the perfect setting for you and the type of food in your everyday wok. A good guideline is a narrow, blue flame. A few tips:

• Stay safe. Make sure there’s good ventilation, open the windows and remember: it’s definitely going to get hot and smoky. Keep a large lid nearby in case the flame catches in the pan (in the wrong way). Never hold the pan under the faucet!
• Make sure everything you’re going to set alight is cut to the same size; that way, everything cooks evenly. Don’t keep the torch on the food you’re stir-frying the entire time. Keep the flame about five centimeters away from the food. If something takes 2 minutes to cook, apply the flame only during the final minute.
• This method works best with vegetables that have a high moisture content. Pick up some beautiful leafy greens you may not know yet, such as ka choi, at an Asian grocery store. Mushrooms are also very suitable for this. Firm vegetables such as carrots and broccoli are more difficult to cook evenly, and they don’t ‘pick up’ the light charring as well.
• If you want to char meat with your gas torch, add a little moisture as well (water or stock). This creates more fatty drippings (and that’s a good thing!) that can settle and release their flavor.
• Then don’t drown everything completely in sauce. If you’ve just gone to all that trouble to get a beautiful charred layer on your vegetables or strips of beef, it would be a shame to immediately mask everything with a pool of sauce.

So: with a little preparation and caution, you’ll be a true wok star! with your gas torch in no time

Also read:

• How to: maintain your wok
• Is this Chinese? Well, no
• With this ingredient, every dish tastes authentically Chinese

Source: Serious Eats