Thanks Peter, Jungle Walls Miami for hosting another enjoyable cooking class.

Thanks everyone for coming to my Wok Star cooking class today! Thanks to new Wok Star Maggie who came to pick up her Wok Star Kit and took this group shot for us. Most other shots taken by Carl Hildebrand on my iPhone.

A delicious Rainbow Lettuce Wrap appetizer and Gancia Prosecco greet guests when they arrive.

Jenna looks so proud of the sauce for the Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy & carrot stir fry. She was surprised how high the heat was and thought her shrimp was burning but turned out crunchy on the outside and juicy inside.

Howard is going to be very popular with his dates, showing off his new Stir fry technique! I think he liked the food, he went for thirds he told me.

Jenna got this class for Howard's birthday prez, what a sweet sister. Notice the mint 'stick' behind them? We plucked some off to sprinkle into the Rainbow Lettuce Appetizer.

The AMAZING Jungle Walls Miami lookin' good. Peter can custom make any hydroponic plant wall!

Jonathan is already a Wok Star but brought his daughter, Ivy Marie cause she wants to be a professional chef!

Peter Kastan and Barney enjoying a cold, refreshing Fiji Water, it was a scorcher today.

Shrimp, asparagus, baby bok choy and carrot stir fry in cast iron wok and gas stove setup.  A typical one-dish dinner for busy weeknights.

Sexy Dejha enjoying her shrimp stir fry.

Ivy Marie showing off her stir fry skills. She stir fried zucchini, yellow squash and red bell peppers for the Tilapia in spicy brown bean sauce.  It was a hit!  The Tilapia is melt-in-your-mouth tender and absorbs all the flavors from the sauce.

 

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I LOVE hot curry powder from MySpiceSage.com perfect on grilled pork shoulder! Stir fried a simple rapini, sweetcorn and grape tomatoes. YUM.

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Here's a Wok Star tip: My thought process for this stir fry came from a perfect broccolini we had at a restaurant recently. This is rapini but it's close. See how I don't even bother to dice the garlic? The rest of the veggies are just what I found in my fridge: sweetcorn, grape tomatoes to give some color, chopped onions and scallions. I use Earthy Delights' organic tea seed oil to fry garlic and shredded ginger in my cast iron wok and gas stove setup. Add in veggies, stir fry till crunchy but slightly wilted. Add a dash of San-j tamari and sherry are all you need to give these veggies an Asian flair! Viola. Happy vegetarian week. You can use this same technique for an endless combination of veggies you like, enjoy.

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There are no rules when it comes to combining different veggies for a stir fry. I even like soft & crunchy together!
Here are a few tips to help you. Don't be afraid to experiment. You just can't go wrong.

Fried snow peas & red bell peppers in one batch, then sweet corn with scallions in another batch. Fry in a little oil & garlic and ginger. Add a dash of sherry & tamari, that simple.

Tip 1: Don't fry too much in one batch because it lowers the heat in your wok.
Tip 2: fry hard stem veg first
Tip 3: if you don't have a good cast iron wok, use a stainless steel pot (so veggies don't spill out of flat pan)rather than non-stick.

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I already mentioned I got a terrible Pad Thai from a food truck. There were tough, chewy beef bits, no eggs, peanuts or tasted anything like one! I had to completely makeover this dish by adding Lingham's chili sauce to add some spunk & spice. What with the chewy leg of lamb, overhauled Pad Thai, I was getting anxious. I stir fried a simple side dish of bok choy and red peppers. Turned out quite delish, whew!

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Love explanations of why this lamb is chewy from twitter buddies: left leg is more tender than right leg cause they get up with right & scratch with left!? I have to remember to ask next time, ha, ha.

Too bad, the salad was magnificent: mango, pineapple, snow peas, cue, tomatoes, scallions, carrots, black quinoa. Dressing is what brings your salad to life: balsamic & rice vinegar, tamari, French mustard, olive oil AND Yuzu Pao chili sauce! This salad took TWICE as long as if I had just stir fried baby bok choy with bell peppers! It was my initial idea but dying to try mango.

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This is my version of Kung Pao with shrimp instead of chicken and cashews instead of peanuts! Yeah, just put my own spin on a traditional dish.

My newest thrill are these chili threads! When they touch your tongue, they fizzle and the flavor explodes slowly! Very interesting way to deliver spice.

I stir fried a pile of Shanghai baby bok Choy with red bell peppers. Added stir fried Jumbo shrimp and at the last, threw in cashews and those chili threads! Winner!!! A very simple, quick one-dish dinner.

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The amount of hands that shot up when I asked 'Who wants to stir fry?' It was great to see them cooking up Pineapple Stir Fried Rice with some to take home! Will post more photos & my experience later. Glad to be part of their day, thanks for inviting me Common Threads and Chef Alicia Cabase Toledo of Onceuponathyme.

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My thought process for this dish? I wanted to do something other than grilled salmon. So, I used a "breaded" technique but with yoki (seasoned cassava flour) and Myspicesage.com curry powder. Yup, curry again! Stir frying the curry yoki salmon in my cast iron wok gave it a nice, crispy texture. The yoki burned quite quickly so i have to watch it more closely.

Presented on a bed of field greens & topped with a few cubes of pineapple. They gave a juicy sweetness that I love with fish.

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Dynamite combination! And came from having no fresh veggies! Frozen peas & edamame with one last scallion. Adding fried pineapple gave it a lovely juicy, sweet touch to the spiciness of the curried lamb. I'd make this again.

Curry powder I'm using is from Myspicesage.com Just right amount of heat, not too hot, nice and intense flavors. I love the smell when it hits heat, addictive!

 

 

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