I feel oriental today!
I recently purchased this awesome wok from IKEA. Only $7.99. But do not underestimate its wok power based on that oh so cheap price.
One of my heart's desires was to cultivate the art of cooking whenever I got out of college and actually had a life. And today that journey began!! My cousin bought her sister and I a wok and pasta cookbook from IKEA and this week was my turn to try a wok recipe.
Anything Asian excites me and anything creative ignites my heart. Okay a little dramatic, but seriously I think I will really enjoy my new found passion for cooking, especially Asian food. Today I worked up the courage to try my first recipe, "Beef with Spinach and Mango." It was a simple recipe and my parents weren't interested in the other ones I had in mind. I will soon make them try it all and they will love it! Instead of beef I used pork loin. I'm not much of a beef or pork eater, but pork loin is fast and perfect for this recipe. When cooking in a wok the actual cooking time is a lot faster than the preparation. I was scared at how fast it took to cook. I literally was holding my breath. Cooking in a wok is exhilarating. The sounds, the smells, and the smoke rising from the wok gave me an adrenalin rush. Mostly because I didn't expect it to cook so fast. The finished product was delectable. The mangoes, though you would never think, made it taste fabulous!
Here is the recipe for those of you who are brave enough to cook in a wok. Ha, it's really not that bad. It's actually quite simple. "The worldwide success of cooking with a wok is based on a convincingly simple concept: fresh ingredients, short cooking times and aromatic spices. Whether vegetarian, poultry, meat, fish or seafood-uncomplicated and delicious dishes can be created within minutes using a wok. (I) would like to introduce you to this fascinating equipment that has become the epitome of healthy cooking" -my wok cook book
Ingredients:
1lb of beef (or whatever meat you'd like)
7 oz of leaf spinach
1 ripe mango
2 mild green chilies (I used red and green bell peppers instead)
2 tbsp of soy sauce
3 tbsp of veg. oil
3 tbsp of sweet and sour sauce (ready made)
2 tbsp of oyster sauce (I didn't use this-yuck!!)
1/2 bunch of Thai basil (its to make it pretty, so basically unnecessary)
I also made noodles on the side.
It's as easy as 1,2, 3:
1:Cut the meat into strips. Rinse the spinach, dry and cut roughly. Peel the mango and cut into diamond shapes. Wash the chilies (or bell peppers) and chop.
2: Heat the oil in a wok, sear the spinach and chopped chilies (meaning move around the ingredients quickly for about 1-2 minutes) and remove. Use the same oil for frying the meat on high heat. Pour in the soy and oyster sauce.
3: Add the mango pieces to the meat. Finally, return the spinach and peppers and mix with meat. Season to taste with sweet and sour sauce. Serve sprinkled with some Thai basil leaves.
Serving size: 4
I hope I inspired you to venture into the world of cooking with a wok. Those Asians are freakin' smart!!!
My next Asian dish that I will attempt to make so reminds me of one of my favorite dishes from Qingyundian, China:
Sweet Garlic Eggplants!!! MMMMmmm
Stay tuned for more adventures in the kitchen!
Love, Jovy
