Thanks to its flared shape, the wok offers a large cooking surface which allows food to be cooked quickly and evenly. Foods do not have time to lose their vitamins , and they preserve their colors, flavors and textures.
This is one of the first cooking methods, born in China. Historically, cooking began with a flame. Either we placed the food directly on top, like a barbecue, or we found an interface to transmit the heat very quickly.
What are the advantages of this cooking?
Since we cook at a very high temperature, cooking is very quick. This ensures the tenderness of the flesh, which does not have time to harden. And since there is no addition of water, there is no dilution of minerals or flavors. Foods are snacked, cooked in their liquid, and remain a little crunchy.
Some tips for getting well equipped
The first thing to take into account when choosing a wok is its lightness. The idea being to be able to sauté food, you need to be able to handle the utensil with one hand. Furthermore, the principle of wok cooking is to be minute cooking. You don't need a very thick material but rather something that allows rapid cooking, like steel sheet. And finally, for even cooking, the ingredients must be cut into regular-sized pieces. A good “cutting” knife will make your job easy!
Wok recipe for chicken with spring vegetables
Ingredients for 4 persons) :
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 head of broccoli
- 200 g fresh peas
- 200 g green beans
- 4 tbsp. to s. coconut oil
- 1 C. to s. maple syrup
- A few sprigs of chervil
- 1 C. to s. soy
Steps :
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Cut the chicken into cubes. Heat half the oil in the wok, brown the chicken cubes and add the maple syrup and soy sauce. Leave to cook for 10 minutes, until the meat is seared and glazed. To book.
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Hull the green beans, cut the broccoli head into florets.
- Add the rest of the oil to the wok, heat again and brown the beans, broccoli florets and peas over high heat, about 8 minutes. Return the chicken, reheat quickly and serve immediately, sprinkled with chervil.
Tips to save time: Concerning complete dishes, with noodles or rice, it is better to cook them separately, al dente and add them to the wok at the end of cooking with the other ingredients to avoid overcooking them and make them sticky.
