“The first time I tasted these noodles at a night market in Kuala Lumpur, I was absolutely spellbound. I couldn’t fathom how one plate of noodles could be so intoxicatingly luscious. The noodles were sweet and slick and so, so dark, while the crispy pork (which I’ve personally named ‘pork croutons’) sprinkled over the top exploded in little pops of salty fattiness.”
I have always been bewitched by the wok. As a child, it seemed like the smoke, steam and clang of my mother’s metal spatula as she wielded her wok were some kind of magic.
My wok education was something that happened organically through both natural observation and a deep love for my mother’s Thai and Chinese cooking. Initially, my wok skills weren’t so much ‘taught’ but ingrained through osmosis. I did what my mother did and didn’t give it much more thought than that.
It wasn’t until much later when cooking became not just my own personal passion but a source of public consumption that I realised just how much knowledge and value there was in the techniques I’d unwittingly absorbed from my mother’s traditional wok cooking.
This book is not meant to be completely exhaustive. I wanted to share a practical yet inspiring guide to using a wok; how humble ingredients can be artfully stunning with the application of the right techniques and a relatively uncomplicated kitchen utensil. Rather than just recipes to follow, I would love these pages to give you the technical tools and confidence to go your own way.
DAN DAN SHEPHERD’S PIE
SERVES 4
You’ll need a 5-cup (1.25L) capacity casserole.
1.2kg potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks
50g butter
½cup (125ml) thickened cream
½cup (60g) coarsely grated cheddar
1 egg yolk, plus 1 extra egg yolk, whisked, for glazing
DAN DAN MEAT SAUCE
2 tbs vegetable oil
800g lamb mince (or beef mince)
1 tsp ground Sichuan peppercorns
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
¼cup (80g) doubanjiang chilli bean paste (see notes)
½cup (125ml) tomato
