Are you trying to improve your game in the kitchen? If you’re bored making the same dishes now and again, maybe the fault isn’t in the recipes you know or the spices you have. Cooking methods play a huge role in what you’re able to accomplish in the kitchen. Upgrade your equipment from pots to a wok and pan, and you will expand the horizons of your unique cuisine.
Wok
A wok is a round-bottomed cooking utensil that originates in South East Asia. It usually cooks stir-fried dishes over high flame. It cooks quicker than the usual pans and requires less oil. It’s also the way to go for preparing larger meals.
Vegetable Stir Fry
A great way to add something interesting to your palate is to create a sweet and savoury side. Not only will you get more colours at the table, but it’s the healthiest way of adding more nutrients to your diet. Skip the dessert and create a sweet blend of vegetables: experimenting with textures and adding a delicious variety of veggies that floods your mouth.
Shrimp Stir Fry
Want something heavier? Cooking shrimp in a wok brings out its delectable flavours. What’s great is you can cook it with a sauce that suits your mood. A garlic shrimp stir fry for a tang, or sweet and spicy stir fry for the colder days.
Pad Thai
Or instead, use a wok to make the main event of your dinner: a rice and noodle stir-fry. However, the impression of Asian dishes prepared in a wok is that they probably will be very oily and unhealthy, especially if they’re fried noodles or rice. But pad thai is one of the healthiest dishes you can make in a wok. It has proteins in the form of beans, peanuts, and shrimp, carbohydrates in the form of noodles and rice, and all the healthy fats and vitamins in the vegetables.
If you already have a wok and pan and have never tried making pad thai, it’s the first thing you need to do.
Pans
Pans are shallower; chances are you already have one in your kitchen. It is one of the first things you buy when setting up a kitchen and can be used for the easiest recipes. It allows greater access to your food and is used for flatter preparations like omelettes, pancakes, or the South Indian dosas. You might have already tried the basic dishes, but here are some creative ones you might not have thought of.
Pan Lasagna
Lasagna doesn’t need to be a baked dish. The beauty of lasagna is in its layers, and you can create those in a pan too. Prepare your meat first, put it aside, then start preparing the layers, allowing each layer to cook and slightly solidify to prevent them from mixing. In 20 minutes, you will have a ready no-bake lasagna in a pan. The best part, it’s in a vessel that is easier to handle than a deep baking dish.
When you have a wok and pan in your kitchen, the possibilities are endless.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
If you are one of the rare ones who enjoy pineapple on pizza, perhaps you’ll enjoy it in fried rice too. Next time you’ve got leftover rice, veggies, and fruits you don’t know what to do with, try this juicy, tangy blend. You’ll get the fun of caramelized pineapple with the coziness of fried rice in a bowl.
