Wok hei: why do stir-fry dishes taste better with the ‘breath of the wok’?
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Published 2023-05-19
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Wok hei is a term that foodies often use to describe the flavour of a perfect stir-fried dish. The Chinese words, meaning “breath of the wok”, refer to a distinct feature of Cantonese cooking, and being able to whip up wok hei is a benchmark skill many professional chefs strive to acquire. Post reporter Lisa Cam spoke with two chefs in Hong Kong to learn about the sometimes elusive art and science behind wok hei and why it has become so beloved with Cantonese food fans around the world.
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All Comments (21)
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4:44 No way that restaurant name is not intentional 😂😂
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I like that restaurant name 😂😂 4:40
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This is the first time I've heard someone explained wok hei that makes sense. 👍
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I work as a washer at a cantonese restaurant and they have 6 of these woks lined up and 3 guys working them. It's a great experience to see them up close.
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More than magic, it’s an art.
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This is why Chinese takeout gets cooked so fast. It's those afterburner woks. You order something and within 10 minutes or so it's done.
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Grew up working for shops with Chinese and Filipino dishes. We were trained to never wash the woks or pans with soap just water and a wooden brush. Everything tasted better especialwith wood stoves.
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Really love the charred smell and taste of noodles. So i tried to learn the technique. Bought me a high pressure stove. 1st try, i ended up causing a fire in the kitchen. Thankfully, theres a fire extinguisher nearby. But that didnt stop me from trying again. Now, i sometimes gets the charred taste sometime i dont
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Eat without your nose, and you'll find out. High temperature wok style cooking is an art form. People don't recognize this enough.
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Wok hei makes all the difference in Chinese cooking. Without wok hei, food will taste like it's steamed. With wok hei, food will taste like it's cooked over fire and yet the food does not get burned.
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one thing to correct here is that Wok Hei is almost the golden standard for all Chinese fry dishes but not only limited to Cantonese cooking.
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The wok is one of the best cooking equipment you can have in the kitchen
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This is so fascinating. I’m a French trained chef but THIS is where it’s at.
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5:28 😂 I can'
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I've never alt tab'ed so fast until today after i heard 4:41
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I watched many beef stir fry noodles videos …I have not seen one like this … the output is so much nicer than those others.
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So incredibly graceful this style of cooking. What a show!
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Because of freshness. That method cooks food quickly and some dishes are mixed with wine
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4:41 holy what??!!
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If the Chinese chef is experienced, you can smell and taste the “breath of the dragon” immediately.
