The Breath of a Wok: Breath of a Wok

I have an entire bookcase full of cookbooks, and this is one of my very favorites. Most of my cookbooks just sit there, full of promise, but this book gets pulled out MUCH more often than most. It's beautifully done (the cover is stunning), the photography is first rate and tells a great story, but most importantly to me the writing is clear, descriptive and extremely practical. Although I've enjoyed Asian foods my whole life, I didn't grow up with it at home, and this book was a real eye-opener. I've learned more "new things" from this book than I have from ANY other cookbook (and I have 5 shelves full of cookbooks). The first 50 or so pages focus on the history of the wok, the different types of woks, etc. and it's all interesting reading; the book also provides very useful context for selecting/buying a wok. Grace Young offers many tips on how to cure/season a wok, how to maintain a wok, and how to bring a dead wok "back to life". The book then explains the principles of stir-frying, and there are a few really critical techniques that explained very clearly, e.g. hot wok/cold oil, "swirling-in" liquids, the importance of using ingredients that are dry, how much protein/veggies you can put into a wok, etc. - all these principles work together to provide that wonderful "sear" that comes from proper wok technique. Once you have these principles down, it's easy to experiment and make your own creations in the kitchen. The techniques make all the difference between wok dishes that are just "okay" and "wow!" While this book isn't chock-full of recipes, it has some real gems, such as Chicken with Sichuan Peppercorns and Uncle Lang's Pan-Fried Sea Bass (which I've made with Salmon as well as Halibut). I've served the Chicken with Sichuan Peppercorns to guests several times, and it consistently gets RAVE reviews. A few ingredients in the book can be hard to find, especially if you're not in an urban area, but most can be found in Asian markets. This is the first of Grace Young's cookbooks that I bought, and it's had a big impact on what goes on in my kitchen. Before I got this book, my wok was something I used a few times a year, now I find myself using the wok for things well beyond Asian cooking; a properly-seasoned wok makes for quick cooking and easy clean-up, it's a very handy tool once you know how it "works". If you're a newcomer to the sport of stir-frying, and you'd like to dive in and learn how to cook with a wok so that you get really tasty dishes, I highly recommend this book.

This book engenders my deepest respect. The poignant backstories and life experiences are just so touching. I really do feel like I am sitting down with some world renowned Chinese chefs and gleaning treasured knowledge that I hope will be passed down to many future generations. I have tried to master Chinese cooking for many years. So far I’ve had some good success and admittedly some dismal failures. However, I do keep trying and my family says I’m getting pretty good. I am using this book to take me to next level. This cookbook starts you off with choosing the best wok for your situation. It teaches how to keep it in good shape. Do you have an old sticky or rusted wok? No problem, there’s a section on how to best take care of that. The recipes and techniques are amazing. I feel like I’m being personally introduced to Chinese grandfathers and grandmothers who are willing to tell me their cooking secrets. It’s well worth my time to listen. This book is a beautiful labor of love that clearly took years to create. The author begins by telling us a little bit about her own father. I’m going to quote what she says about him: “My father taught me early in life that there is nothing quite as delicious as the rich, concentrated flavors of a Cantonese stir-fry, in which morsels of meat are cooked just quickly enough to ensure their juicy succulence and vegetables are rendered crisp and refreshing. It is a far cry from the oily, overcooked, heavily sauced renditions to which most Americans are accustomed.” This book lovingly breaths life into a compendium of Chinese soul. The aromas coming from this book are intoxicating. I am pretty sure you will treasure this book just as much as I do.

Review by Chef Bobby Lavon - February 6, 2014 culturalpalates.net The Breathe of the Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson- Published 2004 I came across this book at the library one day while researching Asian history and exploring for unique and breath-taking recipes. Most of the time I`m submerged for hours before I find the hidden pearls I'm looking for. Every now and then however, it does happen by chance that I'm immediately drawn to an excellent publication; such is what occurred with the breath of the wok A Breakdown of the Breath of the Wok This written work by Grace Young is instructional and spoken in a language that even the amateur cook will appreciate. It promotes 125 well crafted recipes with arousing stories that teach the history of Chinese wok cooking. Some traditions in the book date back 2000 years to the original Cantonese and are still relevant today! The photography is illustrative; we are put right in the middle of the action as masters of the WOK entertain with adroitness. You most certainly will praise the ability of experienced and seasoned veteran Alan Richardson for capturing the details and keeping us entangled in the moments! What You Will Learn when you Read the Breath... There are some obvious facts about the Chinese. They are held together by social and cultural ties; Chinese are festive! They are considered to be in accord with reality and Spirituality. They have superb cooking skills! We know that wok cooking is widely appreciated in the world and held in high esteem because it is healthy and nutritious? Whatever we haven't learned about their impressive form of artistic cooking can be gleaned by reading The Breath of the wok. Wok Techniques used in the book Grace Young shows intelligently how just about every cooking method can be performed with the wok. Study her book to become accustomed to wok methodology. We need to have discipline when using the wok; Grace teaches us how to become disciplined. She shows us the orderly logical arraignments that must take place to help us become proficient in these areas: Smoking Pan-frying Braising Boiling Poaching Steaming Deep-frying Question that will be answered when you read the Breath of the Wok: How does one get started with wok cooking? How do I select the right equipment to use and is caring for it difficult? Which spices should I use and where can they be purchased? Are cooking methods comparable to what I'm accustomed to or should I expect to purchase all new equipment and pantry items? Is wok cooking vegan, vegetarian and gluten friendly? All of these questions and more are answered with delicacy to assure that readers understand the basics and intricacies of Chinese wok cooking. Recipes, Recipes, and more recipes: Careful details are poured into each recipe. A few of my favorites are, Kung Pao Chicken, Lee Wan Ching's sizzling pepper and salt shrimp, Bernadette Chan's Stir-fried Beef, Danny Chan's crab with black bean sauce, Ming Tsai's mandarin fried rice; spicy garlic eggplant. Trust me, there are many more that can be mentioned, but I'm sure you'll get the point once you purchase the book.

I bought a wok and an outdoor burner about 6 weeks ago - along with this book. I cook on it 10 times per week at least. This book adds depth of knowledge to what I do. In the end it's stir-fry, no rocket science. But I really like this book as well. The history is good, her story is good, the pictures are beautiful and the recipes are great. It's a win, win, win for me as a book. This book contains a recipe for Sweet and Sour Chicken that is so much better than what I've ever eaten at a restaurant that it's like comparing real Italian food to Chef Boyardi. This recipe is nothing like what they serve at restaurants (chicken nuggets with orange sugar sauce). It's deep, complex and almost worth the price of the book just for the recipe (I add pineapple chunks to mine). Insane when made with a very hot wok!

`The Breath of a Wok' is a self-described work of culinary anthropology by Grace Young describing the current and past role of the wok in the Chinese culinary tradition for residents of both mainland China and Chinese transplanted to the enclaves in the United States. This is one of those rare books who begin with great promise, starting with the excellent photography and design composition on the cover and the acknowledgments giving thanks to every major Chinese-American chef and culinary educator from Martin Yan, Ken Hom, and Ming Tsai on down (This is an extreme case of inflation similar to the absurd level of detail to which movie credits now go). The description of the book's subject on the cover is "Unlocking the Spirit of Chinese Wok Cooking Through Recipes and Lore". This is an especially accurate characterization of the book's contents, in spite of the fact that the book occasionally strays into discussions of history, chemistry, and sociology. And, the book does not fare well in these supplementary topics, in spite of the fact that it does a good job of addressing it's primary subject. Before addressing what is good about the book, I will point out what I found weak about the book. First, the book spends a lot of time on discussing the differences between the `northern' wok with a long handle and the southern or Cantonese wok with two ear-shaped handles, yet at no point is there a simple picture of the two side by side to make clear in the reader's mind the differences. And, although there are allusions to techniques which are appropriate to one style and not the other (one can saute' or `jump' ingredients with the long-handled northern style but not the southern style') there is no serious discussion of this technique. Second, the book intimates that the wok, unlike any western cooking implement, can perform just about every savory cooking method there is, including braising, steaming, poaching, and deep-frying. I don't object to claims for poaching and there is no question that steaming has been a time-honored use of the wok for centuries, with special bamboo steamers of ancient design constructed especially for the purpose. On the other side of the coin, I cannot seriously agree that the wok is a good tool for either braising or deep-frying. Classic braising requires a low pot with a tight fitting lid that can fit in the oven. Similarly, deep-frying requires a LOT of oil in contrast to the very little oil that is the forte of the wok's techniques. Third, the author explains how to season a traditional iron or carbon steel wok, and does not succeed in explaining why Chinese chives are used in this seasoning technique. Part of her explanation for the efficacy of heating the wok while coating the surface with oil is that the pores in the metal open with the high heat and are more easily filled with the oil. The problem with this is that Shirley Corriher has claimed exactly the opposite behavior for heated metal cooking utensils in explaining why high heat will improve the non-sticking properties of the pan by closing the pores and cracks in the metal. The author mentions that the traditional oil for seasoning is pork fat, but fails to point out why this is actually desirable even today. My interpretation is that animal fats are a good choice because they are solid at room temperature and they go rancid much more slowly than vegetable oils. After saying all that, I must repeat that the author does succeed in bringing to life the `wok hay' or breath of the wok for non-Chinese readers like myself. Aside from excellent recipes covering a large number of different cooking techniques and ingredients, the author recounts several especially warm family gatherings involving both her own family of aunties, uncles, and cousins and the family of novelist Amy Tan. Another very nice aspect of the book is on the opening pages which have a quick tour of how woks are made by hand in rural and suburban blacksmith shops and how they are used by rapidly disappearing street food vendors at a `dai pai dong' in the outskirts of Foshan. After the rather loosely organized historical and cultural tour, the author gets down to the serious business of how to select, buy, season, and clean a good wok. For cooks with standard home cooking ranges, the author strongly recommends a carbon steel wok with a flat bottom and discourages us from using stainless steel, nonstick surfaced, electric, or multilayered metals. Oddly, she does not give an opinion on purely aluminum woks. The instructions for seasoning are thorough, with six different methods from which to choose. I feel the discussion of technique is much better than the explanations for how these techniques work. The book now addresses it's heart, the notion of `wok hay', which I feel the author turns into something which is just a bit more mystical than it really is. If Marcella Hazen can spell out with clear sentences some notions that are at the heart of Italian cooking technique, then why must Ms. Young resort to metaphor and reverence for what is simply a matter of technique. I thoroughly enjoyed the portions of the book devoted to recipes, especially the excellent discussion of making the famous pork barbecue steamed dumplings, as done by the family of Amy Tan. Recipes also cover stir-frying poultry, meat, seafood, rice and noodles, vegetables plus smoking, pan-frying, `braising', poaching, steaming, and deep-frying. The book ends with an excellent directory of Chinese pantry ingredients. This alone is worth the cost of the book. The appendices also include menus that would be of great use to a Chinese heritage or to someone who wishes to entertain in the Chinese manner. This is a beautiful, informative, and useful cookbook, essential to someone who wants to get the most from their wok. It must, however, be approached with a critical mind.

Being 1st generation Chinese American, I bought a wok in college and never seasoned it. It soon rusted and was thrown away. Ever since then, I have stayed away from using authentic woks (used non stick woks) but my mom kept on saying that I should try using a traditional wok. Long story short, I bought this book on a whim and WOW, what a book. It has instructions on how to purchase a wok, how to care for one, and numerous authentic Chinese recipes for cooking with one (and some even without). The book also has great pictures and details about the history of the wok and how it ties into Chinese culture. I have really enjoyed reading the book and cooking some of the recipes. If you are looking for an informative look into the history of the wok along with modern practical advice on how to cook with a wok (it even has pictures of condiments so you can find them at your local Asian grocery mart!!) - you cannot go wrong with this book. This will be one of the books I'll be using for the rest of my life.

This is a simple and authentic Chinese cookbook to add to your cookbook collection. I also have Grace Young's "The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen", but I reach for "The Breath of Wok" more often. This cookbook has more recipes and uses more accessible ingredient than her last cookbook. I made many of her recipes in the wok, but sometimes I make them in the dutch oven, and sometimes I make them in my non-stick skillet, and they all turned out fine. Even if you don't own a wok, this cookbook would still work for you. Some recipes that I made so far from this cookbook are Chicken Lo Mein (p.125), Henry Hugh's Chinkiang Pork Chops (p.165), Martin Yan's Mandarin Five-Flavored Boneless Pork Chops (p.188), Ray Lee's Chicken and Choy Sum (p. 77), Cousin Zane's Sichuan Beef (p.95), and they are all very delicious and easy to make. It is definitely a cookbook worth buying.

Thus is the true guide to purchasing and seasoning a wok. Grace is truly eloquent is how she does into depth about woks. The recipes are simply amazing. If you want to learn how to master Chinese cuisine, start with this book

Great read and fantastic selection of recipes.

Simply love, love, love this book...talk about nostalgia within the binds of the hardback covers...having lived in China for seven years this hit the spot for authenticity & back story. I've gifted it to others as well as myself...well worth the purchase...

Me gusta que explica cómo elegir un wok, además de tener recetas.

Lots of information and facts and the recipes are easy to follow along.

What a book. Everthing you need re: woks, techniques & fantastic mouthwatering recipes. Wish this book was availablw when I was a lot younger, although it is fantastic to read the stories & explore the recipes. Worth every cent & more.