The Wok: Recipes and Techniques

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!

This is an incredible cookbook. I can’t believe how much use I get out of this book. So many different variations, good background on knife skills and cooking techniques, and really easy to understand. It builds upon itself, and eventually you really start to understand how to build variations on Kenji’s recipes which really opens up your options and gives you room to experiment and be creative.I am no where near done with this book, and my partner is floored by how much healthy food I’m able to make with really simple ingredients. Some of my favorites are:Thai basil chicken with chilesPad Ka ProwKenji rocks!

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!

AWESOME addition to my cookbook library! Can't wait to make most of the recipes. Fun to just look through the whole book. So worth the money!

Amazing book!!! Every recipe I've tried is delicious, easy to follow, worth every penny.