Woks are used in a spectrum of Chinese cooking techniques. It is used in stir-frying, smoking, steaming, pan-frying, broiling, poaching, braising, searing, deep-frying, stewing, making soup, and roasting nuts.
Wok cooking is frequently done with long-handled utensils called chn (spatula) or a bio (ladle) that shield chefs from excessive heat. The Cantonese name wok hei, which means “breath of the wok,” conveys the distinctiveness of wok cooking.
Can You Use Wok For Hot Pot?
Yes. For hot pot, a wok is usually used in Chinese households. Electric woks do not emit smoke since they are not used to cooking hot pots in the kitchen. The design creates a tiny, hot region at the bottom of the pan, allowing some of the food to be seared by high heat while the rest is cooked.
Wok is commonly used in many Asian culture. As people learn about the benefit of this healthy and tasty manner of cooking, it is becoming extremely popular.
Difference Between A Hot Pot Cooker And A Wok Pot
Both pieces of cookware are excellent, but the wok is better suited to high-heat cooking. In terms of utility, the wok is equivalent to the Dutch oven. Because of its strong walls and ability to easily retain heat. A wok is a great alternative to a hot pot cooker.
Pros For Using Wok For Chinese Hot Pot
- Woks heat up evenly and rapidly. This ensures that your hot pot is thoroughly cooked without being overdone or scorched.
- Wok cooking also preserves more nutrients, ensuring that you get the maximum nutrition from your meal. As a result, it is a healthier method of cooking.
Cons For Using Wok For Chinese Hot Pot
- It is heavy. Instead of raising the wok to pour the food out, you’ll have to use a wok turner or ladle to scoop it out. A cast iron wok takes a while to heat up but retains heat well.
- The handles get quite hot.
- The cooking time may be longer.
- If you’re not careful, it’s easy to overcook or burn your hot pot meal due to the short cooking time.
How To Make Hot Pot In A Wok
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of Meat or Fish
- Meat bones
- 2 tablespoon of ginger
- 2 tablespoon of red dates
- 5 bay leaves
- 2 cloves
- ½ cup of cinnamon bark
- 2 teaspoon of white pepper
- 1 cup of sichuan peppercorns
- ½ cup of garlic
- Napa cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Watercress
- Spinach
- Winter melon
- Kabocha squash
- Tomato
- ¼ cob of corn
- Hot mustard
- 1 small bottle of black vinegar
- 1 cup of hoisin sauce
- 1 small bottle of sesame oil
- 1 cup of sweet chili sauce
- Rice noodles (as preferred)
Procedure
- To prepare the broth, combine meat bones or fish heads with the mixture of herbs (ginger, red dates, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon bark), seasonings (white pepper and Sichuan peppercorn), and vegetables (mushrooms, garlic, Napa cabbage).
- Boil the ingredients with a little water until the water is reduced and the taste of the ingredients is absorbed.
- Strain the broth after removing it from the heat.
- With a thin slicer, finely slice the meat and fish to be cooked in the hot pot. Thinly slicing the ingredients ensures that they cook quickly and completely.
- Wash and prepare the veggies and leafy greens.
- If desired, add more ingredients (such as dumplings, rice cakes, and tangyuan).
- Place all the condiments on the table for the guests to make the sauce with which to dip their foods. Chopped garlic, scallions, and a raw egg can also be added. Give each visitor a small plate on which to combine their sauce.
- Remove any sediments from your broth and pour it into a wok, a clay pot, or any other large, shallow pot where everyone can comfortably dip their ingredients. To keep the soup hot, place it on top of an electric heating plate on the table where you’ll be dining.
- Prepare enough noodles beside the hot pot for all of your guests to have as a side dish with their entrees, or just cook the noodles in the broth at the end of the meal. The tastes of all of the things that have been cooked in it will be incorporated into the noodles.
- You may also provide rice as a side dish, though not everyone will like it.
- Arrange the chairs in a circle so that everyone can easily access everything on the table. Gather around the pot, dipping the food in sauces, waiting for it to cook, and enjoy one another’s company. Because you’re cooking and eating in little pieces at the same time, Chinese hot pot meals typically last a couple of hours.