The Wok: Recipes and Techniques

I am an experienced cook and normally not a cookbook kind of person. I generally find recipes on the internet and know whether they will be good or not by the ingredients. Most often, I never follow recipes, but use them as guides for suggestions. I used to do a lot of cooking in a wok a number of years ago, and was looking for a cookbook that could revive my skills in wok cooking. I have bought a few other Wok cookbooks that didn't impress me, but so far I am very much impressed by this cookbook. I tend to be one that has to know the "why" ingredients are used. and this cookbook thoroughly explains everything. It starts with the recommended tools for wok cooking, and why you need them. It also tells about the various ingredients, what they are, and how they are used. In addition, the different cooking vessels and utensils are discussed and the pros and cons of woks and utensils available. Although I have not yet tried any of the recipes, those I have looked at, look wonderful judging from my personal experience in cooking. Incidentally, I don't agree with the reviewer who said the pictures were poor. I think they are pretty good. Whether or not you find this book useful depends a lot on your cooking experience and whether you are open to learning. To get the best out of this book, you really have to read it. It's not a simple "pick a recipe" kind of book. In my opinion, this book is literally a course on Wok cooking. In reading it, you learn about tools, ingredient, and the reason behind techniques of wok cooking. Once you learn the information in this book, you can easily create your own recipes and have the ability to modify recipes to your liking. With almost 700 pages of recipes and explanations, this book has so much to offer if you take the time to read it. In my opinion, this book is the equivalent to a college course in wok cooking. I hope you like my review, and I will definitely update my review if my opinion changes.

I love Kenji style for these cookbooks. There are great recipes even better techniques and great breakdowns of why certain things work and certain things don’t it’s a great read as an introduction to cooking Chinese food in your home when you move to a place with no good Chinese restaurants.

This is the wok cookbook I’ve been trying to find for 5 years. Lopez-Alt breaks down wok cooking into neat sections, with photos for all the dishes and specific how-tos on many of the techniques. In-depth and knowledgeable without being pedantic, the writing is easy to follow and engaging. Most importantly, the results have been the best I’ve had with wok cooking. I’ve made several dishes, including: moo-shu pork, beef with ginger and snow peas, chicken with basil, chiles, and fish sauce, better-than-my-mom’s Chungking pork, fried rice, and pepper steak (all pictured). All have come out restaurant quality or better. The meat is so tender. I haven’t tried anything beyond the stir-fries yet, but I am eyeing that congee for my next hurrah. More on the moo shu. I love moo shu pork, but have been disappointed by the local versions. Following Kenji’s recipe I got daylily buds (so THAT’S what those are in hot and sour soup), along with wood ear mushrooms, and oyster mushrooms. I made the mushroom moo shu pork, and it was fabulous! I didn’t bother to make my own Mandarin pancakes (but Kenji tells you how if you’re feeling frisky) and bought thin flour tortillas (I live in Austin, Texas, and there are great tortillas easily found). The moo shu might be my favorite recipe so far, but the ginger beef with snow peas and basil is a close second. Another review disparaged the photos, but I love the photos! Maybe I’m an old soul? Edit: several reviews disparaged the photos, but that’s viral ridiculousness. I really like the pictures, so I don’t get it. It took a few trips to Asian markets in my area, and maybe $70 to stock the pantry AND buy the wok (gave my daughter the wok I’d been using out of frustration with mediocre results before this book), but the ingredients were all easily sourced, and cheap. I bought a $20 16-inch wok from the local market, and it does the trick perfectly. I can’t really imagine doing this with a smaller wok than a 16-inch. It took some elbow grease to get the factory seal off the wok, but Kenji walks you through that, too. The bamboo brush to clean out the wok is a must, and you should get the 12-inch. The step by step instructions make cooking simple, and the attention to detail set this book apart from the MANY other wok cookbooks I have. What I may do now is cook some of the recipes in those books using my newfound knowledge and skill. Highly recommended!

I became familiar with J. Kenji Lopez-Alt through his YouTube channel back in 2020 when he started doing cooking videos through a GoPro. My first thought was, "huh, this is an interesting perspective, who is this guy?" Here we are today, and after watching almost every video Kenji has published, when he announced his new cookbook, I knew it was a must have. I've already made a couple of recipes and it was some of the most delicious food I've ever made (see attached photos for Kung Pao Chicken and Velvet Chicken with Snap Peas and Lemon-Ginger Sauce). If you're like me and you were wondering how using the book is any better than just watching his videos, let me tell you about two key differences I've noted: 1. In Kenji's cooking videos, he may go into detail on the science behind the techniques he employs, but if he does so, it is brief and usually leads you to the right place if you're interested in knowing more. In the book, Kenji does not hold back on the details. The book contains countless sidebars, footnotes, and chapters written on the reasoning of why he employs certain ingredients and techniques. 2. Kenji gives you the mise en place for every recipe. He tells you how many bowls you'll need before you even heat up the wok. In his opinion, this is one of the most important facets of the high-heat, fast-paced style that is the foundation of wok cooking. He does both of these things in detail so that you are more likely to succeed in cooking a particular dish. To put it another way. If you watch Kenji's videos, you may understand how to do something, but if you buy the book and read it you'll understand why you're doing it. If you're like me and watch channels like Kenji, Adam Ragusea, and Ethan Chlebowski on YouTube, you will enjoy this cookbook immensely. The book is also beautifully laid out and I don't understand the hate about the photography. I think it looks great. TLDR: This book is a great introduction to wok cooking and digs way deeper than just recipes. Great for food nerds and someone looking to get dinner on the table alike. Buy it!

This cookbook is amazing, in terms of quality, instructions and breath of Wok recipes. Upon opening the book, I immediately searched for Schezwan Cold Noodles - a personal favorite. Was thrilled to find a wonderful recipe . If you want a quick and easy Wok cookbook with large glossy pictures of the final dish, and few or no unusual ingredients, - this might not be the cookbook for you. However if you want a thorough, comprehensive and well ordered textbook on Wok cooking and recipes, with step by step photos - and are not overly bothered about the lack of large, glossy photos of the finished product - this book may work well for you. It really is a treasure trove of recipes and wok cooking methods. Definitely not dumbed down, and not a coffee table cookbook. A must for anybody who loves Wok cooking and is eager to improve and develop new skills and techniques. Definitely recommend to any serious Wok enthusiast. No regrets.

Good recipes and great stories to accompany those recipes. Not just a recipe book......more a teaching guide. I am thoroughly enjoying this book

I wanted to cook from this book before I left a review and for the most part I've been happy with the results. Some of the recipes, though, went through so many steps and called for ingredients that I'd have to visit an Asian market to obtain that it limits my interest in a number of recipes in the book. The sections about seasoning and caring for your wok were very handy and informative. The technical information was good. I like that there were also a number of vegetarian options here for days I'd like to go meatless. It's definitely worth the price but make sure you have the time and energy to invest in some of the more elaborate dishes. And as for the photos: they aren't as terrible as some have suggested but they also aren't very good. Many look like screen grabs from video, which is fine when demonstrating technique, but not great for the final dishes. He really needed a food stylist and professional photographer to do the finished dish photographs, especially given the price of the book.

After having this book one day from the library I ordered my own copy. It’s that essential. I have two woks, one for the stovetop, and the other a professional Breville electric wok. Both have non-stick interiors. Our love of Asian cuisine has been satisfied up-to-now with these two woks since 2017. But…..I’m in the market now for a carbon steel wok after reading about woks in this book. We are ready to kick our Asian cooking up several notches and Kenji will walk us right through the transition process. I appreciate his explanations of various sauces and pastes and how and why they are used. That was a learning hole I had in my knowledge of Asian cuisine. I am more than satisfied with picture quality, and yes, I did find the two Oil Smoke Points charts to have different temps for two oils: I quickly solved that with a website. Two recipes, one chicken and the other beef, use the same instructions, yet the chicken one says beef when it should say chicken. A proofreader missed that, but it’s easy to fix. I’m not put-off by some of his comments. To me he’s in the kitchen next to me, talking as we cook together. I enjoy his personal comments; he’s on our level as amateur or intermediate cooks navigating a new and different cuisine style. And I really like how he is pro-active in knowing the next question we have and answering it before we can even voice it! He covers specific utensils useful in Asian cooking as well. I’m all about efficiency and I feel better prepared to tackle new challenges now as I’ve enlarged my tool arsenal. A trip to our local Asian market was exciting after learning more about flavors, ingredients and tools from Kenji. I feel more prepared to venture into unknown territory with authentic recipes he so graciously shares in the book. I consider the cost of this book a value since ONE visit to our favorite Thai restaurant costs more than this book. Yes, it will more than pay for itself over the next few months alone. This book comes highly recommended and it will be a useful resource in your kitchen. Guaranteed!