This year for Christmas we tried something different. We picked a name out of a hat and put a $100 limit on that 1 gift. Every year Ninja and I make all our gifts. We have done soaps, oils, liqueurs, scarves, hats, bubble bath, nuts, bath salts and vinegars. It takes months and we usually spend close to $500… after shipping close to $700 and that’s not including each other or the kids! So this year we thought $200 for each family was a Christmas dream!
I got my Mom, I got her a yoga sweater and an essential oil diffuser. Ninja got my brother and got him sweats and a guitar pedal something or other J My brother got me. I asked him for something for the kitchen, a Wok especially. Oh Boy did he get me a wok!
When it was my turn he brought out this… spaceship. He had gone down to Chinatown in Winnipeg and found a wok. At first he saw the 16 inch authentic wok and thought “hell no that’s too small” so he went on to the 18 inch… nope not for his little sister! This thought process apparently kept going until he saw the industrial Wok coming in at a whopping 22 INCHES! WTF?
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| Look how BIG this is!! |
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| HUGE |
It actually comes with a shovel?!?!
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| The shovel |
So needless to say I have been quite intimidated by this, this… thing. So today I decided to bring it down from the top shelf and have a go at it. First I have to “season” it.
So Ninja washed it, this is the only time we will use soap to clean it. Next we put it on the element at the highest heat and coated it with peanut oil. We opened all the windows and turned the fan on because it got VERY smokey!
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| Ninja doing the seasoning |
We let it heat up turning it often until it got a dark patina.
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| Patina is a tarnish that forms on the surface of copper, bronze and similar metals (produced by oxidation or other chemical processes) |
And we are ready to go!
Stir Fried Sweet & Sour Pork
Adapted from Rock Recipes
1 lb pork, sliced into cubes
2 cloves minced garlic
3 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 cups snow peas
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup broccoli, cut into florets
1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
1/2 cup cauliflower, cut into florets
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can pineapple, tidbits
Rice Noodles
Mix all together:
3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
2 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili flakes
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| Saucy |
In a hot wok, heat the oil and quickly stir fry the pork and garlic for a few minutes. Remove the pork from the wok and set aside. Add red onion to the hot wok.
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| Pork from our piggy |
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| See how little 1.5lbs looks in my HUGE wok lol |
Stir fry fir a minute or two then add snow peas, red pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, water chestnuts and pineapple.
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| I used what veggies I had in the fridge |
Toss together for about a minute or two then add the sauce that you mixed up earlier.
Add noodles to boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and add to wok.
Bring to a boil and return the pork to the wok. Thicken with a slurry of 1 tablespoon corn starch dissolved in a little cold water.
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| Grey and ugly 🙁 |
So in all honesty… I didn’t hear one sizzle. Not one. I’m pretty sure this size wok is meant for a restaurant, or at least a gas range. The pork was grey and the veggies barely got warm. It took forever for the sauce to boil and it only did when we added the lid.
I must have done something wrong because the meat was tough and although the flavors were there… it lacked color and stirfry crunch L I will try again next time and hope for a better result.
