Seasoning a New Wok

Apparently, the new wok I bought from Mr. Cen will, over time, develop a natural non-stick surface that is awesome because unlike non-stick pans, it is non-toxic and actually adds to the flavor of the food!

In order for that to happen, though, I need to help the pan out with a process called "seasoning" which involves allowing the wok to absorb oils through it's iron pores in a process of heating and cooling that is well described on this site.

I am starting with my wok today and hopefully won't cause any kitchen fires! Let me know if you have any experience with this -- comment below!

Mr. Cen and his Woks: Finding the perfect wok in Zhabei district, Shanghai

I have been freaking out a little lately, with all the food safety scandals in China recently. I am eating mostly vegetarian and cooking at home. But then I started to freak out about the pan I use at home.

I bought my old wok in the market where I buy my fresh produce and it's a cheap piece of $#@% to be honest, and I wouldn't care if I didn't get to thinking that it might be poisoning me. Who knows what's in the lining? The paint? What kind of metal it's made of? I always think it smells funny when it gets really hot, like it's emitting some chemical fumes...

"Where can I get a good, affordable wok in Shanghai?" I thought. "Carrefour might be a good bet but it's far and can I really trust what I get there?" I thought of Lemon Zest but the thought of paying hundreds of Yuan for an imported wok when I LIVE IN CHINA really bugged me.

Thankfully, some online research quickly led me to Mr. Cen, the number one wok man in Shanghai.

Mr. Cen has made woks in his little workshop for more than 50 years!

Mr. Cen was featured in a CNN Travel article back in 2009, and I couldn't find anything more recent to confirm that he was still there, working in the same place. I decided to go investigate!

I ended up finding Mr. Cen hard at work pounding iron at the very same address described by CNN, 214 Baoyuan Lu, near Baotong Lu (宝源路214号，近宝通路). He had the cotton plugs in his ears and everything, just like they described in the article!

Mr. Cen is not the type for small talk. He was kind in letting me take his picture though!

Mr. Cen has worked out of this little shop for more than 50 years, doing the hard work of pounding sheets of iron into woks with just a hammer and some moulds to help him. It is really hard work! He is said to be one of the last such artisans in Shanghai.

There are woks of many sizes in the shop but they are all basically the same shape and type, with handles on two sides. (Wok fun-fact: This type of shallow wok is typical of Shanghainese cuisine, whereas the deep woks are used more in Guangdong.) I got my handcrafted wok for just 110RMB (under $20 USD!!)

I am the proud owner of this handcrafted wok, with all the cute little dents made by Mr. Chen's hard work!

Getting there:

Take Metro Line 10 to Sichuan Bei Lu station (四川北路) and go out at Exit 2. Walk north on Sichuan Bei Lu, crossing over to the other side of the street. Take a left at the Bank of China -- it looks like you are walking into a dead end but there's a small lane there called Xin Guang Lu (新光路) where you can take a right. This lane will cut all the way through to Baoyuan Lu (宝源路), where Mr. Cen's shop is located.

Once you arrive at Baoyuan Lu just take a right. If you have headphones on, take them off and you will soon hear the clanging of Mr. Cen's hammer!


The field-trip to Zhabei was a treat in and of itself, exploring an old part of Shanghai that I seldom have reason to visit. Lane life there is alive and kicking! Keep going for some pics I took of the lanes around Xin Guang Lu!

Student picking up some tasty snacks from a cart.

Old shoes on a windowsill, airing out those old smells!

Auntie taking little Emperor for a stroll.

Stores full of manly nick-nacks like tools, speakers and even workout equipment!

Students getting home from school, backpacks on backwards to stave off pickpockets!

Deep-fried goodness.

Veggies on tarps.

The most patriotic snack shop I saw.

Garlic and ginger -- what more do you need?

Al fresco fruits.

I think this was actually a dentist, operating on the sidewalk. Freaked me out a little.

Dry-Fried Sichuanese Green Beans! (干煸四季豆）

I learned how to make one of my favorite Chinese dishes the other day, at a team-building event I helped organize for work. Some of my co-workers and I joined Chef Mike at the Chinese Cooking Workshop here in Shanghai and tried our hands at a few simple wok dishes. It was a fun (and tasty!) way to get to know each other in a different context :)

Spicy, salty, crunchy and simply awesome!

Ingredients:
Green Beans
Ground Pork
Minced Garlic
Minced Ginger
Pepper Powder
Sugar
Salt
Light Soy Sauce
Dark Soy Sauce
Dried Red Peppers
Vegetable Oil (A LOT of it!!)

So the first big surprise (aka shouldn't have been such a big surprise, hello again, denial!) was that the green beans, once washed and chopped, are actually deep-fried in oil. HA! The big secret to their deliciousness...

The wok was full of really hot oil, and the green beans were tossed right in creating a lot of very-hot-oil-splatter which we shielded ourselves from by holding a metal mesh over the top of the wok.

ASIDE:
(I am not sure how I feel about this deep-frying... it is delicious and I have heard that when something gets deep-fried for a short amount of time in really hot oil it's not actually that bad for you, because it ends up not absorbing so much of the oil... (denial again?!) But still, Chef Mike said we could boil or steam the green beans instead but then guaranteed the flavor and texture would not be the same, aka not as delicious!)

The green beans were in the oil for about 30-40 seconds before being removed and drained. Then the wok went right back on the hot burner with just a bit of oil and we added, in rapid succession:
minced garlic
minced ginger
ground pork
pepper powder
dried red pepper
about 1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

This creates a burning smoke that will cause sneezes and tears in anyone around you but somehow, due to the miracles of air circulation around the actual wok, never actually hurt the cook! (I suggest clearing the kitchen of children, pets and other loved ones for this!)

((I was surprised Mike didn't use the Sichuan peppercorns in his recipe; I will definitely toss some in when I try this at home. I just love their numbing pepperiness!))

Once the pork was almost cooked through, the green beans were tossed back into the wok to pick up all the flavors.

It was ABSOLUTELY delicious. Salty, spicy, lovely color and great texture! Hmmm!