A Wok-less Pursuit

Varying your spices is more important

Picture this: a cook was gleefully chopping off the head and feet of a raw chicken, before marinating it with spices and then placing it in a pot. When she was asked why she had discarded those parts of her bird, she said that that was how her mom had always cooked the dish. When the old lady was asked for the reason, she replied that it was because her pot was too small to fit the whole chook!

Given the above example, it is, therefore, very frustrating to hear a London-based Chinese chef insist that one needs a wok to dish up dishes with its origins from China, or that a rice cooker is equally crucial. Or that one definitely needs a tagine to make authentic Middle Eastern dishes. What they should have said is that they have grown used to using these cooking tools and wouldn’t think of doing their dishes any other way.  

For you see, I’ve always used only western pots and pans while I lived in the United Kingdom. A deep pot works as well for steaming rice in ramekins, deep frying wanton dumplings, blanching gai lans, stewing a curry and stir frying Singapore noodles. And when the depth of the cooking utensil isn’t essential, I can even stir fry black peppered beef in an ordinary frying pan.

So what you really need are pots of different sizes: with the number invited for dinner determining the size of this cooking implement; and one trusty frying pan, with an anti-splatter to keep the heated butter from flying in all directions, and dirtying the cook top or ruining your favourite blouse.

With just these you’ll be ready to cook up a storm for almost all cuisines under the sun!