Wok around the clock: Cook the Jeremy Pang way

• Published date: 29 June 2022
• Publication title: Irish Times: Web Edition Articles (Dublin, Ireland)

Essentially, this involves preparing each of the ingredients in advance and laying them out in a clock formation, in the order in which they will be cooked. A simple tip, but one that brings order to a fast-paced cooking environment

His latest book, also called School of Wok, has recipes from China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Korea and Japan, using a wok to cook them, just as they would be in home kitchens across the globe.

General Tso's chicken

PREP: 25 MINS | COOK: 15 MINS | SERVES 2

Why is General Tso so popular? Well, this dish is sweet, sour, spicy and savoury with just the right amount of salty. It's the perfect balance of flavour, texture and colour and a wonderful place to start your wok journey.

Ingredients

10 dried red chillies

300g skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced

200g cornflour, seasoned with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper

½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and finely sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 spring onions, finely sliced

Vegetable oil

Sauce:

30g sugar

1 tsp sriracha chilli sauce

1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

1 tbsp oyster sauce

½ tbsp black rice vinegar

1 tbsp light soy sauce

½ tsp dark soy sauce

50ml water

Marinade:

1 tsp sesame oil

½ tsp sugar

1 tbsp light soy sauce

1 egg, lightly beaten

To serve:

Sliced red chilli

Sliced spring onions

Steamed rice

Flash-fried green vegetables

Method

1. Soak the dried red chillies in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain. Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl.

2. Place the chicken in a mixing bowl and massage the marinade ingredients into the meat. Then pour the seasoned cornflour over the chicken and massage until each piece of meat separates and has a dry dusty white coating.

3. Build your wok clock: Start at 12 o'clock with your bowl of cornflour-coated chicken, followed by the ginger, garlic and spring onions, the soaked red chillies, then lastly the sauce.

4. Deep-fry the coated chicken in vegetable oil at 180°C (350°F) for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Transfer the chicken to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

5. If using your wok for deep-frying, carefully pour out the oil into a heatproof bowl to cool and give your wok a quick wipe with kitchen paper. Place the wok back on the hob and bring 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to a high heat. Add in your ginger, garlic and spring onions and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

6. Next add the dried chillies, followed immediately by the sauce mixture. Bring the sauce to a vigorous boil...