Thursday, August 02, 2007

First the spicy, then the sweet




Daiku and I finally acquired a proper wok last month. Before then, I'm ashamed to say, we were making all our stir-fries in a big pan. But no more! This week, we finally broke in the new wok for a stir-fry.



  • The veggies: snap peas, mushrooms, cabbage, celery, carrots, tomatoes, tofu, and a few fennel fronds
  • The noodles: cellophane
  • The spices: star anise, cinnamon, a clove, salt, pepper, and red pepper ground together with a mortar and pestle
  • And, a tiny bit of corn starch, hot sauce, and soy sauce to bring everything together
It's true, stir-frying in a wok is so quick and painless, and the spices and veggies played off of each other very well. Yum!



And now, a little dessert. Remember the rhubarb I got at the farmer's market back in June? Well, since time was short back then, I cooked and froze the rhubarb, and finally got around to making something with it this week.



Daiku made a simple crust using whole wheat pastry flour and almond meal, and we baked it and filled it with the rhubarb, which had a touch of sugar and orange. We reserved the rhubarb liquid, reduced it over medium-high heat until it had the thick consistency of syrup. Then, we poured the liquid over the fruit and let the tart set overnight.



Unfortunately, the freezing and thawing had dissolved the rhubarb a little bit, but the slightly diminished texture did not affect the tangy sweet taste one bit. This dessert was worth waiting for!
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

love the food!

Anonymous said...

I wish I had room in my kicthen for a proper wok. Sadly all the space is taken up by my small collection of kitchen gadgets. My kitchen is far less equipped than many other peoples, yet it's so full you'd think the cupboards would burst soon!

That looks totally awesome btw. I love woked food but I'm pretty bad at it.

Vegan_Noodle said...

Your wok looks awesome! I honestly don't know what I would do without mine. You will love it. The rhubarb pie looks refreshing and delicious. Aren't freezers an amazing thing?

Susan from Food Blogga said...

When we were first married, it seemed woks were all the rage. We actually received 3 as gifts! Today, I'm wokless. I'm a big 'ol pan gal, but maybe I should reconsider. Your stir-fry looks so fresh and delicious. BTW- I didn't see an email address for you. Would you mind emailing me (it's under my pic on my blog), because I wanted to mention something to you. :)

Peggy said...

I hate to admit it, but I've been wok-less for so long, too... Your stir-fry does look fabulous, though, and the wok makes it look so prefessional. :)

dreamy said...

Yes, woks are indeed good for stirfrys, it always reminds me of those chefs where they toss their food in the wok and let their food catch fire... but that will probably blacken the home kitchen hehe.. I like stirfries, they are really quick and variable. Your stirfries look wonderful!

vko said...

Your wok looks great and the results- tasty. I am ashamed to say that this Asian girl owns no wok yet and also does her stirfry in a big pan...

one day when I get that bigger kitchen...