9 Recipes for Wok Workouts

Following on the heels of the post on my path toward getting a nonstick wok, I thought about the various ways you can use a wok. It’s such a versatile piece of cookware suitable for stir-frying, pan-frying, deep-frying, steaming, boiling, smoking, and roasting. (I think I forgot one because I’ve been told that are eight things you can do with a wok. Fill in the blank if you know it!)

I combed through the VWK archives and gathered a small collection of wok recipes. In the main, I avoid cooking food with lots of water in the wok because I’m reluctant to rebuild the patina. That’s to say, I don’t use my wok for steaming or long-simmered dishes (no stews!). This recipe roundup is broken into cooking methods so you can plug in where you want.

Just Stir-Fry: the super easy path

Kohlrabi with Garlic and Egg – A simple and delightful little Vietnamese dish. If you’ve never used the Sputnik-like vegetable known as kohlrabi, this is a great intro.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Recipe – What’s served at restaurants as a dish featuring black bean sauce is often lacking in flavor. Get yourself some Chinese fermented black beans and become a wok star.

Stir-Fried Pork with Black Beans and Green Beans Recipe – An easy way to put a stir-fry on the table. With rice, it would be a complete meal.

Beef Chow Fun Recipe – A great measure of how nonstick your wok is. Heck, if the noodles stick, it’s still good. There’s always the next time.

Pan-fry then Stir-fry: a 2-fer in the wok

Spicy Basil Chicken and Tofu – You can combine 2 cooking steps in the wok with ease so as to not make a mess of the kitchen or have to clean up too much. Pictured at the top of this post, this is a great partial tofu take on one of my favorite Thai dishes.

Deep-Fry then Stir-Fry: deeply season your wok

Salt and Pepper Tofu Recipe – So good and full of flavor, this little ditty shows that tofu is no way bland.

Old School Sweet and Sour Pork – I made this just last month but think about the next opportunity to do it again.

Deep-Fry: snacks with a wok 

Almond Shrimp Balls Recipe – Woks heat up fast so heating a little oil for a bite-size snack doesn’t seem like a chore. I had these fabulous fried shrimp balls at dim sum in Los Angeles and had to replicate them at home.  Fabulous with beer or bubbly.

Spicy Asian Chicken Wings  – So deliciously addictive to eat, the wings are fashioned after a popular rendition served at Pok Pok, a Thai restaurant in Portland, Oregon, by Andy Ricker. The chef who came up with the recipe is Viet-American and I can’t help but taste lots of cross-cultural elements. Or maybe I’ve eating too many wings?!

What’s your favorite way to use your wok? Your go-to wok dish(es)?