Discover how to make quick, delicious meals using this traditional Chinese cooking vessel.
By Janet Groene, F47166
March 2013
Motorhome cooks love slow cookers. Meals steam and steep for hours, developing flavor and tenderness without tiresome tending. However, there is another way to free your day for campground fun: wok cooking.
Cooking food in a wok is lightning-fast. A wok is a large, thin pan with a rounded bottom designed to hold very hot oil. It’s wide at the top to allow the cook to stir-fry constantly and keep foods moving. Most nonstick coatings can’t be used at very high temperatures, so an uncoated wok is recommended. As long as foods have been cut up ahead of time, you can have a meal on the table in minutes.
The problem with my RV galley’s gas stove is that it’s unable to heat the wok to the very high temperatures needed for stir-frying and keep it at that high temperature. For a long time I stopped carrying my wok because of this.
Then I added a freestanding induction burner to the galley. Induction cooking was developed years ago, but it has become a relatively new option in motorhomes. In this type of cooking, energy is transferred directly from the electric burner to the cooking vessel. Induction works only with ferrous cookware — stainless steel and iron — not with ceramic or aluminum, which do not conduct the electromagnetic energy as well.
Some new motorhomes have all-induction cooktops. They look like ceramic cooktops, with a smooth surface that doubles as counter space when not being used. Compact single-unit induction cookers also are available, a plus if you take a hot plate outside to cook a meal.
Be mindful that woks are good for many cuisines, not just Asian dishes. Almost any vegetable oil can be used in wok cooking, but peanut oil is preferred because of its high flash point.
Stir-Fry Stew
1 6- to 8-ounce boneless strip steak
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 14-ounce can sliced potatoes, drained and rinsed
1 8-ounce can sliced or diced carrots
1 medium onion, diced
1 large rib celery, diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon beef base, Gravy Master, or powdered bouillon
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Scant cup water
Trim the steak and cut it across the grain into very thin slices. If you prepare everything early in the day, keep the meat refrigerated. Heat the oil until shimmering and stir-fry the potatoes to brown them, gradually adding the beef and other ingredients while continuing to stir-fry over high heat. Stir the beef base and cornstarch into cold water and add to the steak mixture. As the gravy thickens and clears, stir in more water if needed. Serve at once. This recipe makes two servings.
Stir-Fry Broccoli Salad
Almost any vinegar-and-oil-type dressing works here. Creamy dressings aren’t recommended.
6 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons crumbled real bacon bits
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
½ cup bottled vinaigrette
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 medium head lettuce, cut in bite-size pieces
Stir-fry the broccoli florets in hot oil until they are crisp-tender. Turn off the heat. Keep stirring as you immediately add the bacon bits and mushrooms until coated. Stir in the vinaigrette and keep stirring as you add the cheese and the lettuce as the pan cools. The lettuce will wilt slightly. When everything is evenly mixed, use tongs to serve. This recipe makes four servings as a main-dish salad or six to eight as a side dish.
Cook’s note: Serve over hot, crunchy Texas toast.
Stir-Fry Slaw ‘N Barbecue
1 12-ounce package coleslaw mix
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small can crushed pineapple with juice
1 16-ounce tub of shredded pork or chicken barbecue
Heat the oil in the wok and stir-fry the coleslaw mix with the onion just until the cabbage wilts. Over high heat, stir in the pineapple, then reduce the temperature and stir in the pork or chicken barbecue to heat through. Serve on buns or over baked potatoes. This recipe makes six to eight servings.
Stir-Fry Pineapple Chicken
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small red sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 8-ounce can pineapple tidbits with juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
1 8-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the chicken bites until browned. Continue stir-frying over high heat while adding the red pepper, garlic, and curry powder. Drain the juice from the pineapple and stir the cornstarch into a mixture of the juice and 1/3-cup water. Add the pineapple to the wok and stir-fry until everything is well coated. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the sauce boils. Add more water if necessary. Stir in the chickpeas to heat through. I suggest serving this over jasmine rice. This recipe makes four servings.
Cook’s note: If you like a spicier dish, add ½-teaspoon ground ginger with the curry or use a hotter curry. Curry powders vary, so try several to find your favorite.
Stir-Fry Tuna With Shallots
Save calories by serving this crisp-tender tuna mix over sliced plum tomatoes instead of rice.
1 5-ounce can tuna in oil
2 medium shallots, finely sliced
1 12-ounce package angelhair shredded cabbage
1 9-ounce can solid-pack tuna in water
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sugar
Soy sauce
Drain the oil from the first can of tuna into a wok and stir-fry the shallots over medium heat until they are soft. Stir in the cabbage and keep stir-frying until it’s coated. Add both cans of tuna, including the water from the second can. Keep stirring over medium heat until everything is hot. Arrange the sliced tomatoes on four plates. Mix the salt, pepper, and sugar and sprinkle it lightly over the tomatoes. (You may not need all of it.) Using a set of tongs, arrange the tuna mixture over the tomatoes and serve at once. This recipe makes four servings. Pass the soy sauce.
Low-Cal Lettuce Birds
Here’s another wok dish that is skinny on calories. Work quickly. Once the filling is hot and ready, roll ’em and eat ’em.
1 or 2 heads buttercrunch lettuce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 12-ounce package ground chicken or turkey
3 to 4 scallions, sliced (white and light green only)
Half of a red, green, or gold sweet pepper, finely chopped
1 12-ounce package fresh baby spinach
Heaping tablespoon chopped nuts (optional)
Wash the lettuce, separate it into leaves, and drain it to dry completely. Heat the oil in the wok over high heat and stir-fry the ground poultry, breaking it up as you go. When it’s browned and is no longer pink, continue stir-frying as you add the scallions and chopped pepper. Stir in the spinach last, and cook just until it becomes limp. Using a set of tongs, place a tuft of the warm chicken mixture in each lettuce leaf and roll up. Eat at once. This recipe makes three to four servings.
Chicken And Fluffy Dumplings
The generous width of a wok allows dumplings to plump up without crowding. You’ll need a lid that fits tightly.
Salt, pepper
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken pieces, cut to bite size
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
Milk
1 1/4 cups biscuit mix
1 tablespoon dried parsley (optional)
Salt and pepper the chicken lightly and stir-fry it in hot oil, gradually adding the onion, celery, and garlic. When the chicken is brown and the vegetables covered in brown bits, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the milk to the biscuit mix to make a thick dough. Use two spoons to drop the dough by tablespoons into the boiling broth. Keep simmering as it cooks uncovered for 10 minutes, and then cook another 10 minutes tightly covered. Serve at once.
Wok’s For Breakfast?
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 12-ounce package fully cooked sausage crumbles (regular or vegetarian)
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small green sweet pepper, finely diced
6 eggs, whisked
2 cups flavored croutons
Heat the oil in a wok and stir in the sausage crumbles, onion, and pepper. Stir-fry until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add the eggs and keep stir-frying over high heat until they begin to set. Reduce heat; stir in the croutons; and serve as soon as the eggs are set. This recipe makes four to six servings.
More Ways With Woks
- Make Southern-fried apples. Peel, core, and cut up three to four apples into bite-size pieces. Melt a half-stick of butter in a wok at medium heat. Keeping the heat at medium to low, stir-fry the apples until they are crisp-tender. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Thaw a package of breaded okra and stir-fry small batches of it in hot vegetable oil over high heat until it’s crisp and brown. Serve it as a side dish or add bits of smoked sausage to make a one-dish meal to serve with baked sweet potatoes.
- A wok is just right for making poached pears for one or two people. In a wok mix 3/4-cup red wine, 1/3-cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon each of vanilla and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and nestle the peeled, cored pear halves in the simmering wine, turning as necessary, until they are tender but still firm.
- Make ratatouille in a wok using hot canola oil — not olive oil. You’ll need less oil. Stir-fry the vegetables until they are crisp-tender, adding the tomatoes last.
- Many accessories are available for woks, including steamer racks. A rack is useful for Asian recipes but also comes in handy for steaming delicate vegetables.
Books For Cooks
Some cookbooks are serious cuisine, but Melt: 100 Amazing Adventures in Grilled Cheese ($18.95, Adams Media) by Shane Sanford Kearns is pure fun, especially for RV travelers who love simple meals that can be eaten indoors or out. This colorful hardback is filled with recipes for unusual snacks, desserts, and sandwiches, large and small, all of them using some type of melted cheese.
Have you ever considered making a mashed potato sandwich? This book shows you how, and it is delicious when grilled with herbs, broccoli, and havarti and cheddar cheeses. Most recipes make one serving; some make two. Give yourself the gift of delicious shortcuts or buy the book for a friend. How about “Fried Matzoh with Horseradish Mayo”? It’s fabulous. Color illustrations show the way.
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