Yes, a wok is the traditional way to cook Chinese food. If you have a good wok and if you have a high BTU burner designed for woks, then you don’t need to read this post. This is for those of us who don’t have a wok at home but still want to make fresh Chinese food for ourselves and family.
So, you can cook without a wok? Definitely. I use a standard sized chicken fryer, like the one found on Amazon. Just be sure to use high heat when cooking most stir frys. You’ll find that you can cook for 2 with a standard sized skillet, just be sure to not overcrowd the meat when cooking. You should be able to see about 1/3 of the bottom of the pan or more when stir frying.
So don’t be scared, try it at home with some of these recipes found here on dish-ditty.com. All of them were made by me without a wok:
- Vegetable Chow Mien
- Polish Fried Rice
- Simple & Delicious Bok Choy Recipe
- Beef with Tofu
- Tofu with Five-Spice Pork
- Beef with Bok Choy
- Chinese Broccoli (pictured above)
- Vegetarian Chinese Rice Cake Noodles
- Rice Cake Noodles with Chinese Greens & Pork
And yes, I do know a wok is better, but not everyone wants another pan in their already crowded cabinets. I’ll be continuing to add Chinese recipes regularly to this blog, all made without a wok. Looking at the above, looks like I need to do a few classic chicken stir fry recipes like Snow White Chicken with Snow Peas or Chicken with Black Bean sauce.
Now I’m hungry, time to go cook!