New Year, New Site!

Hi, if you've landed here, I've moved my blog to my new and rebranded website, so PLEASE visit me at wokstar.us/blog!

This will be the last post here...
I was invited by NBC Miami to celebrate Chinese New Year with their audience and thought you might enjoy some funny things that happened and the three lessons I learned:
– check lists are only good if you actually check them
– sisters are helpful except when their shots are of producer’s backs
– you can’t always trust your GPS

Thanks to Betty Yu, news reporter for NBC Miami for hooking me up with the producer for the Today Weekend Sunday Show to celebrate Chinese New Year!

Jennifer Reeves, meteorologist made my cooking segment so much FUN! She’s the BEST, got right to my cooking classes and Wok Star Kit, what a STAR!

I got Jennifer to stir fry and had to apologize because she had to use a plastic spatula, yuk! While packing for the TV appearance, I forgot to repack my spatula even though I checked it over & over, so thank goodness there was one in the studio drawer! This goes to show the IMPORTANCE of a good tool and why my spatula is so perfect.

Uh the spatula wasn’t the only thing I forgot, I also forgot the dish to put my prepped vegetables prior to the stir fry. Good thing I can think fast and used the red paper plates!

Sharon Lawson, news reporter had a taste of the Sizzling Shrimp dish and asked about my Chinese New Year table setting before winding down the news show. I can’t wait for them to join me in a Wok Star class.

After the show, we were chatting and Sharon thought she was supposed to sprinkle the contents of her red packet into the Shrimp dish! Good thing Jennifer stopped her cause she knew it was a buddha inside!

It was fortunate my sister, Valerie was visiting and was able to help me. It’s not easy to drive, work the GPS, setup and take photos as well as focus on my message, ha, ha!

Thanks to Yari, the floor producer for all your help. Sorry, my sister only got your back! Wow, you were fantastic running the whole show. I love how the reporters and producer would say, “oh, 15 seconds is a long time!” Really?

Thanks NBC Miami for inviting me!

Wok Star class at Jungle Walls Miami

Thanks Peter, Jungle Walls Miami for hosting another enjoyable cooking class.

Thanks everyone for coming to my Wok Star cooking class today! Thanks to new Wok Star Maggie who came to pick up her Wok Star Kit and took this group shot for us. Most other shots taken by Carl Hildebrand on my iPhone.

A delicious Rainbow Lettuce Wrap appetizer and Gancia Prosecco greet guests when they arrive.

Jenna looks so proud of the sauce for the Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy & carrot stir fry. She was surprised how high the heat was and thought her shrimp was burning but turned out crunchy on the outside and juicy inside.

Howard is going to be very popular with his dates, showing off his new Stir fry technique! I think he liked the food, he went for thirds he told me.

Jenna got this class for Howard's birthday prez, what a sweet sister. Notice the mint 'stick' behind them? We plucked some off to sprinkle into the Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer.

The AMAZING Jungle Walls Miami lookin' good. Peter can custom make any hydroponic plant wall!

Jonathan is already a Wok Star but brought his daughter, Ivy Marie cause she wants to be a professional chef!

Peter Kastan and Barney enjoying a cold, refreshing Fiji Water, it was a scorcher today.

Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy and carrot stir fry in cast iron wok and gas stove setup. A typical one-dish dinner for busy weeknights.

Sexy Dejha enjoying her shrimp stir fry.

Ivy Marie showing off her stir fry skills. She stir fried zucchini, yellow squash and red bell peppers for the Tilapia in spicy brown bean sauce. It was a hit! The Tilapia is melt-in-your-mouth tender and absorbs all the flavors from the sauce.

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Stir Fry Summer Veggies

There are no rules when it comes to combining different veggies for a stir fry. I even like soft & crunchy together. I always think of more things to add to a post, so do check back or get a feed for updates!

Here are a few tips to help you. Don't be afraid to experiment. You just can't go wrong. See how brightly colored the veggies are when you stir fry them in a cast iron wok?

Fried snow peas & red bell peppers in one batch, then bi-color sweet corn with scallions in another batch. Fry in a little oil (I use canola oil or Tea Seed Oil) & garlic and ginger. Add a dash of sherry & tamari (I use San-J Intl. brand), that simple. Both the oil(only customers in Miami) and tamari as well as many other seasonings come free in your Wok Star Kit. For me, it's so important to use fresh ingredients and good brands to bring out the best in your food.

Every diet promotes eating more veggies and a simple stir fry can transform your veggies from boring to scrumptious! The recent documentary Forks Over Knives is all about eating a whole foods, plant based diet! Roger Ebert's review concludes with this wonderful comment, "Animal protein is not necessary, or should be used sparingly as Asians did, as a flavoring and not a main course." Here's my other post about this documentary.

Tip 1: Don't fry too much in one batch because it lowers the heat in your wok.
Tip 2: Drain your veggies & start your stir fry with DRY ingredients to keep everything crunchy!
Tip 3: If you don't have a good cast iron wok, use a stainless steel pot (so veggies don't spill out of flat pan)rather than non-stick (this is the worst material for stir frying, makes your veggies soupy!)

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Curry Yoki Salmon with Salad (Wok Star series 2.0)

I'm adding this to Cook Like a Wok Star series because I'm using my wok to cook salmon in a unique way! If you think of using your wok in a unique way, I'd love to hear it. In Cook Like a Wok Star 1.0, I used my wok to lightly parboil broccoli prior to stir frying.

My thought process for this dish? I wanted to do something other than grilled salmon. So, I used a "breaded" technique but with yoki (seasoned cassava flour) and Myspicesage.com curry powder. Yup, curry again! Stir frying the curry yoki salmon in my cast iron wok gave it a nice, crispy texture. The yoki burned quite quickly so i have to watch it more closely.

Presented on a bed of field greens & topped with a few cubes of pineapple. They gave a juicy sweetness that I love with fish.

Stir fried curry yoki salmon in my cast iron wok!

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Wok Star's Thanksgiving Duck

Breaking Thanksgiving tradition with Crispy Roast Duck...

Baby bok choy, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper, scallions.
I cheated and microwaved sweet potato.

Just leave all your veggies on a large chopping board,
saves washing up dishes.Go straight from board to wok.

I love my cast iron wok and portable butane gas stove setup.

I leave these out permanently so it's EASY
to use my wok for cooking EVERYTHING.

Start off with oil, garlic and ginger.
Use oil that tolerates high heat like canola or
a new oil I'm trying: Tea Seed Oil

Tip: Don't overfill your wok, it lowers the temperature &
makes your veggies 'soupy'! I started
with just frying baby bok choy.

Next, I fried sugar snaps and red bell pepper.

Combined veggies and topped with scallions.
Add dash of tamari, sherry, squirt lime...DONE!

Bought Roast duck , stuffing and gravy which are
time consuming to make.

Plated sugar snap & red bell.

Dessert and dinner plates ready.Here's a 'before' shot of ready cooked roast duck.
Warmed in oven 325, then under broiler to crisp skin.

So pleased with result, see nice crispy golden skin!
Notice I put duck on a rack so it wouldn't be swimming in fat.
This is the leanest duck I've ever had, hardly any fat.
Another reason to buy store bought, no smoke or fat drips.

This is my husband's plate. I actually took OFF
my sweet potato, too much carbs!

No-sugar chocolate cheese cake (bought)
with fresh blueberries and strawberries.
Nice to have a 2 hour break before dessert!

This Thanksgiving Dinner goes with my whole philosophy of being a Wok Star! Cook stuff that's EASY and FUN, leave the time consuming stuff to others!

We had a very light lunch of Singapore Noodles.

Also take a look at Post Thanksgiving Duck/Turkey - 3 ways. Always with some crispy, crunchy veggies stir fried in my cast iron wok!

Wow, glad Thanksgiving is over, my body craved something light and soupy.

How did you use your leftover Thanksgiving turkey or whatever?

What was your first meal after all the leftovers were used?

Crispy Salt Shrimp

Finger Lickin' Crispy Salt Shrimp

Crispy Salt Shrimp is a finger lickin' dish that's so delicious even grown men like my husband doesn't mind peeling the shells! Making this dish always reminds us of several funny stories with the tea finger dip (story below.) To me, food is all about shared memories, experiences and associations and this dish definitely represents all three!

Fairchild's Food and Garden Festival

What a lovely way to spend a weekend!  I was invited to give a cooking demonstration and blog about Fairchild Garden's 2nd Annual Food and Garden Festival.

Schedule included a wide variety of cooking demos.

Banana nut cake for Ralph from Native Conch.

By the time I got there, nothing was left in the way of savory food!

I hope you'll make it to this event next year, it was a lot of fun meeting people who also enjoy fresh local produce and getting to know the farmers.  In the meantime, I encourage you to shop at your organic and farmer's market or visit Redlands if you live in Miami before it gets too hot!  My post on Seasonal Foods has lots of meal ideas and tips.

Nothing excites me more than seeing and smelling beautiful, fresh produce. 

I was a bit upset I didn't end up buying any produce because I'd just given a cooking class and always have  leftovers.  My parents went through a war so we were always taught never to waste food.  It drove me crazy to see all the food and not get any.

Selection of colorful and interesting combination of teas!

There was a lovely variety of farm produce.  I will be posting a series since there is so much to share. This first one will give you a little peak.

I had one of Gaby's Tropical Ice, cold, yummy and creamy mango.

She grows her own fruit to make these desserts!

What I love about giving live presentations is that it gives me a chance to interact with people. It's a great way to find out the problems people have with stir frying in a wok!

I prepped in Fairchild's lovely kitchen and practiced what I preach, see the chopping board with grocery bag for the trimmings?

Here's swiss chard, red bell peppers, mustard greens, zucchini and carrots.

My produce were generously sponsored by Whole Foods Market in Coral Gables.

Shrimp were rinsed and dried with paper towels. A very important step, so you don't dilute your marinade and also prevents your shrimp from getting tough and chewy.

 I didn't realize my friend, Irene took this picture behind me. 

My demo was very well attended with over 60 signed up for my free newsletter, thank you for your interest!  There were a lot of questions posed mostly by guys! Thanks to Fairchild staff and volunteers.

 

See Peter Kastan's Miami River Wall video who was a speaker at this event.  Miami River Wall's new living, hydroponic herb, chili, edible flower wall will be hosting a series of my Wok Star cooking class so I hope to see many of you there!

Hani Khouri cooking up a fresh batch of falafel.

He was featured in Edible South Florida's Spring Issue with his cute kid goats and online. Do subscribe or pick up your copy from your nearest Whole Foods Market. It's full of stories, resources and has a calendar of all things edible and organic. Thanks for listing my cooking classes.

Katie, Edible South Florida publisher/editor and Annie, Special Events, Fairchild Tropical.

 My lunch: Falafel with pickled radish and 

hummus wrap from Hani's Organics.

In an upcoming series, I'll share a video of Food Network Celebrity Chef, Simply Delicioso Ingrid Hoffman making a fabulous mango and papaya dish as well as many more wonderful food stalls.