Chao Technique: Do Wok!

Chinese Cuisine intimidates me because I know so little about it; I made a bold move by blogging about Wok "stir fry." This is my version of Stir Fry, continue with caution and opinions at bay. I have owned Woks in the past and loved how controlled cooking can be due to the vast area of the sides of the sheet metal your cooking on. I went to The Wok Shop in Chinatown (which is a haven for anyone needing basic culinary devices) and purchased my latest fetish. The first step was curing my Wok, or burning oil onto the Wok so that it becomes similar to a "teflon" non-stick surface. You do this by burning the wax coating on it, rinsing it in soapy water and then pouring vegetable oil down the sides of the Wok at the highest temperature you can get to without starting a grease fire. Sounds fun, right?

After curing my Wok and flavoring it by charring garlic, I was ready to wok! (Corny, I apologize.) The first thing to know about stir fry is that all the ingredients must be prepared before you start cooking or you'll burn ingredients by running around the kitchen like an idiot preparing vegetables. Before cooking, know the cooking times of your vegetables: how do you do that? Well, it's common sense. Look at how thick the vegetables are, how dense they are, and separate them accordingly.

You need:

-2 chicken breasts sliced

-1 chunk of ginger chopped

-2 cloves of garlic chopped

-1 head of Broccoli, cut down to florettes

-1/2 pound of Snow Peas

-5 Baby Bok Choy Heads

-1/3 pound of Baby Carrots

-1 Green Bell Pepper

-3/4 Cup Soy Sauce

-Siracha Rooster Hot Sauce to taste

-1/3 Cup Sake

-1/4 Cup of Water

-2 tablespoons of Corn Starch

Prepare all liquid ingredients and cornstarch in one beaker beforehand.

Chao Technique means constantly stirring the ingredients on high head, which is what you'll be doing below:

Start by searing your chicken to lock in the juices in vegetable oil - don't fully cook it - and remove the pieces and set aside. Start by cooking your carrots for one minute, then add your broccoli heads for one minute (all these ingredients will be one to two minute intervals, make sure they are still crunchy when you bite into them), bell pepper, Snow peas, ginger and garlic, Bok Choy, and then re-add the chicken. Whisk your liquid ingredients and then pour into the Wok, bring to boil for two minutes until thick...whoooo! Serve over rice.