Wok This Way

For my first birthday that I lived on my own in Boston, my sister gave me a Joyce Chen wok. I have since lost, a) the chattie (the little ring that the wok is supposed to sit on to disperse the heat evenly) b) the little wire platform for steaming and c) the lid, which would have probably saved me from burning myself quite a few times with spattering oil.

While I'm nothing close to the masters you see at the Kowloon's Thai Grille, casually discoursing on the merits of various Red Sox pitchers while tending to giant woks that spout 2 foot sheets of flame, I am capable of producing edible meals from a simple rounded-bottom pan. Here's a recipe for yellow curry that makes real use of the time-honored technique of stir-frying tofu and vegetables in stages.

The ingredients:



Basically, a half package of firm or extra firm tofu cut into 1 x 2" slices and drained on some paper towels and whatever vegetables you'd like to stir-fry.

Here, I used 1 red pepper cut into strips, 1 medium sized sweet potato, some pineapple chunks, and some corn left over from a cookout (cut down the length of the cob to strip off the kernels).

For the sauce I used 1/2 can coconut milk, some natural peanut butter (about 1 tablespoon) and about a tablespoon and a half of Patak's Curry Paste.

The best practice is to assemble all the ingredients before you even start the wok, because once you get going, things need to be added fairly quickly.

Once the oil has heated to the point that it starts to smoke (over medium heat) add the tofu and stir fry until both sides are a nice golden brown. Then, using a wooden spoon or spatula, push the tofu up the sides of the wok and make a nice opening in the center. Add the sweet potato and let it get crispy on all sides. It's best to add the densest vegetables first as they will need the longest cooking time.



Once the potatoes have cooked, add the peppers and stir fry until cooked. Then add the corn and pineapple. Remember, you can add whatever vegetables you want, just be sure to cook them in succession, from hardest to softest, pushing each up the sides of the wok as they cook to make room for the next.



After all the vegetables and tofu (or meat) have cooked, make another clearing in the center and add the coconut milk, the curry paste and the peanut butter. Gently stir them together to make a rich, silky sauce and then stir the cooked tofu and vegetables in. Lower the heat and allow everything to simmer together for about 10 minutes. Add to rice or noodles and enjoy!

Wok This Way