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News Article
Stir It Up
Anchorage Daily News
 |
Stir it up
Turn Alaska's bounty of vegetables into a meal in a wok
By T.C. MITCHELL
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: September 13, 2006)
We've steamed them, baked them, boiled them and eaten them raw.
What on earth can we do to make our Alaska vegetables more interesting?
Wok them over to the fun side of the kitchen.
Stir-frying is not only an engaging preparation method, but, unlike some cooking techniques, it lets vegetables retain their nutrients much better because they're in and out of the pan in a flash. And they keep their colors instead of turning into pale versions of their former selves.
So what's not to like? The food tastes good, looks good and it's good for you.
Well, there's a little matter of prep work and management.
All the ingredients should be sliced into similarly sized portions for consistent cooking. An efficient cook will arrange the ingredients in the order they should go into the wok. (Yes, a skillet or saute pan works, but where's the romance in that?)
And, unlike other cooking methods, once your wok gets hot, there's no time for chatting on the cell phone or taking a bathroom break.
Those small issues aside, what Alaska produce can be stir-fried?
Sara Spudowski, chef and instructor at Allen & Petersen Cooking & Appliance Center, says, "I throw almost anything in: fennel bulbs, zucchini, squash."
But first, choose the right oil. The Toronto native recommends grapeseed oil. "It has a clean taste and a high smoke point so it works well in high heat, and it won't conflict with the other flavors."
If you must use a another oil, she says to choose canola. She doesn't recommend olive oil because its flavor can conflict with the others that a cook may want to stand out. The less flavor, the better when choosing oil.
After you've selected the oil, you need to do the prep work. Each ingredient should be sliced according to its texture.
Take broccoli and cauliflower, for example.
"They should be sliced thinly so they cook evenly and quickly. And they're aesthetically pleasing."
The 25-year-old graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont says if you want squash, it should be thickly sliced because as the pieces cook they will begin to soften. And cut them on the bias, again for looks but also because there will be more surface area to soak up the flavors of the rest of the ingredients.
Onions, the favorite of many a wok worker, are good examples for making a plan ahead of time.
A cook can go either way with them.
"Some people like to put them in first," Spudowski said of bulb onions, "because they like their flavor throughout. They will be softer, so they should be cut a little thicker." If the cook wants the onion to be more al dente, like pasta, she said, then they should be cut very thin and added later.
Scallions, depending on their dimensions, should come in later or even last as a garnish, she said.
Since most Alaskans like meat in their meals, they can easily add that component with seafood, a traditional part of the stir-fry culture.
Shrimp, scallops, halibut and crab all can make their way into a searing wok. Salmon, cod and other fish that tend to flake in heat may not be your best bet.
Spudowski recommends cooking most seafood twice.
First, get the wok searing hot and put the fish or shellfish in to brown, then take them out. And remember, any meat continues to cook even after it's out of the pan. Overcooking will turn delicate morsels into rubber.
When the rest of the stir-fry is nearly done, put the seafood back in the wok to finish cooking and absorb all the other flavors.
When using shrimp, a common seafood ingredient in stir-fry, the home cook has to consider whether they're pre-cooked or raw, in their shells or peeled.
If the shrimp are already cooked, they need only be in the wok long enough to get hot. Maybe 60 seconds.
Raw shrimp loses its translucence and turns white when cooked. If the shrimp regains it shape after being lightly pinched, it's just right.
Cooking shrimp with shells on is preferred because the shell protects the meat and seals in flavor and moisture.
What about wild game? Spudowski doesn't recommend it because the meat is too lean, unlike, say, beef, which has more marbling.
However, if you want to give moose a try, she says, "shave the meat thin and then marinate it overnight. The marinade will help break down the tissue."
She had a good piece of advice for any cooking technique that hunters might want to try: Seal the meat with your favorite marinade and then freeze it. When you take it out of the freezer, the meat will marinate as it thaws.
And one last piece of advice from Spudowski: Do your wok homework. Not all woks are made the same.
She prefers a heavy-gauge, seasoned wok over the nonstick versions.
"It will last longer and won't warp as easy. Like a good knife, you get what you pay for."
T.C. Mitchell can be reached at tcmitchell@adn.com.
Stir-fry advice
EQUIPMENT
• A wok works best, but a large flat- bottomed pan can work very well.
• Also, have a long handled wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula available.
GETTING READY
• • Here's a great tip: Place ingredients in small bowls so the ingredients can be added quickly to the pan.
THE OIL
• • Vegetable oil, canola oil and grapeseed oil are great. Peanut oil is excellent, and it also adds a nice flavor to the stir-fry.
• Heat the wok or pan briefly on medium-high before adding any food to the pan. Swirl the oil to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.
COOK MEAT FIRST
• • Seafood such as shrimp cooks quicker than beef or pork. Watch for signs of doneness such as shrimp turning pink.
• Often recipes will call for removing meat from wok when cooked through and continuing with remaining ingredients before adding meat or seafood back to the finished dish.
DENSE VEGETABLES FIRST
• • Add the leafy vegetables, such as bok choy, spinach or cabbage, to the cooked denser vegetables, or they can be stir-fired on their own. As soon as they begin to wilt, they are cooked.
THE SAUCE
•
First, we need to admit, not everything is grown here -- salt and pepper come to mind -- so there have to be concessions. Garlic, ginger, black bean sauce, oyster sauce, chile paste, hoisin sauce, tofu, and soy and teriyaki sauces are among many other ingredients that aren't made here but are essential for stir-fry.
T.C. MITCHELL'S
ALASKA STIR-FRY • broccoli
• green onions
• yellow onions
• scallops
• carrots
• green cabbage
• green beans
ALASKA INGREDIENTS
YOU MIGHT TRY: • oysters
• mussels
• clams
• cheese curds
• potatoes
• beets
• radishes
• turnips
• bok choi
