New Wok Cooking: Easy, Healthy, One-Pot Meals - Hardcover

Ross, Rosa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 060960418X ISBN 13: 9780609604182

Publisher: Clarkson Potter, 2000

Synopsis

What tastes better made in a wok? Better to ask what doesn't, says Rosa Ross, expert on Asian cuisine and one of the nation's most respected cooking teachers. From steamed and braised dishes to aromatic soups and even desserts, New Wok Cooking demonstrates that this multipurpose pan is ideal for creating easy and healthful meals full of vibrant flavors.

Drawing on the tempting tastes of the Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Thai pantries, Rosa has assembled nearly 150  recipes that highlight the range of the humble wok. New Wok Cooking shows how an inexpensive carbon steel wok with a domed lid can replace an entire battery of specialized cookware for preparing:

succulent braised stews and curries that are tender and evenly cooked;
nutritious steamed delicacies that are naturally low in fat;        quick, moist, and tantalizing poached dishes;
savory stir-fried dishes made from just a few tasty ingredients;
crowd-pleasing deep-fried favorites that are crisp and greaseless;
rich-tasting smoked specialties that can be prepared right on the stovetop.

Whether it's individual filled dumplings or a whole red-poached duck, the wok is perfectly suited to a large range of techniques and ingredients. Its rounded contours allow for an even distribution of heat and flavor, so food is cooked efficiently and meals are ready in less time. And because just one pan is required to prepare most of Rosa's dishes, cleanup is a breeze. Best of all, most of Rosa's dishes are far lower in fat than traditional Asian fare, so it's possible to create healthful food without skimping on full flavor.

With sophisticated dishes and no-fuss preparation, New Wok Cooking demonstrates time and again that this too-often neglected piece of equipment deserves a place of prominence in every kitchen.

About this title

About the Author

Rosa Ross is a respected cooking teacher and has led classes on Asian, French, and Italian cuisines. She is a founding member of the James Beard Foundation and served on the board of the International Association of Culinary Professionals from 1990 to 1994. She is the author of two previous cookbooks, 365 Ways to Cook Chinese and Beyond Bok Choy: A Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables, and the coauthor of Chinese Healing Foods. She lives in New York.

From the Inside Flap

better made in a wok? Better to ask what doesn't, says Rosa Ross, expert on Asian cuisine and one of the nation's most respected cooking teachers. From steamed and braised dishes to aromatic soups and even desserts, New Wok Cooking demonstrates that this multipurpose pan is ideal for creating easy and healthful meals full of vibrant flavors.

Drawing on the tempting tastes of the Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese, Japanese, and Thai pantries, Rosa has assembled nearly 150 recipes that highlight the range of the humble wok. New Wok Cooking shows how an inexpensive carbon steel wok with a domed lid can replace an entire battery of specialized cookware for preparing:

succulent braised stews and curries that are tender and evenly cooked;
nutritious steamed delicacies that are naturally low in fat; quick, moist, and tantalizing poached dishes;
savory stir-fried dishes made from just a few tasty ingredi

Reviews

Executive chef at New York City's Oriont, Ross rehabilitates the wok in this exciting collection of recipes. Readers who associate the wok solely with stir-frying will learn to use it for braising, poaching, tea-smoking and even making soup. Some of the recipes, such as Vietnamese Pork Cooked in Sugar, are traditional Asian dishes but others, such as Seafood Mousse in Crepe Net Bundles, innovatively mix Asian and European flavors and techniques. It's amazing what Ross can do with such a simple piece of equipment: a chapter on steaming includes both simple Crisp Broccoli Steamed with Oyster Sauce and downright elegant Soft Savory Custard Steamed in a Pumpkin. The introductory material is outstanding as well. A thorough glossary of ingredients used to stock various Asian pantries covers everything from nori to cassia bark, and the author sensibly provides basic instructions for making the rice that serves as a base for many of her dishes. Throughout, Ross plays the part of the gentle, informative and generous teacher, whether sharing the secret method for easily poaching fish fillets (boiling water is gently poured over the fish) or leading the way through the steps of smoking tofu over a mixture of sugar, flour and black and jasmine tea leaves. Even the few desserts provided are never intimidatingly strange, yet always fresh. Particularly delicious is her Jade Sea Pudding made with pearl tapioca and honeydew melon. (May)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ross, author of the very good Beyond Bok Choy, is also an experienced cooking teacher and caterer. Here she shows that use of the wok, her favorite piece of kitchen equipment, need not be limited to stir-frying. She also uses hers for braising, poaching, steaming, deep-frying, tea-smoking, and even making soup, and she provides a range of flavorful recipes--primarily Chinese in origin or inspiration but from other Asian cuisines as well--to prove her point. There's a brief chapter of desserts made in the wok and another one of delicious condiments, sauces, and other seasonings. For most collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The small kitchen often has but one cooking pot, and the wok's versatility makes it particularly suitable to fill that unique role. Although this functional pan originated in China, it performs perfectly well in preparation of foods from cuisines all around the world. Ross presents one-dish meals that cook in a wok, and she wants these dishes to be nutritionally sound as well. Ross emphasizes vegetarian cooking, but she includes a number of recipes for beef and duck. Seafood recipes abound, too, and her version of fried squid rings calls for a delicate breading of cornstarch and a homemade hot-pepper garnish. For those who insist on a strictly vegetarian regimen, there's a Buddhist-inspired version of braised duck that substitutes bean curd for fowl. Ross creates a small handful of desserts, notably candied starfruit slices perfumed with anise and cardamom. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Clarkson Potter
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 060960418X
• ISBN 13: 9780609604182
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 224