What Cantonese chefs share with kung fu fighters speed and timing, necessary to produce breat
Tsang pinpoints a key element of good wok cooking, often referred to as the Maillard reaction – when the proteins and sugars in food are transformed by heat, creating more complex flavours, aromas and colours.
“Wok hei is the effect of food cooked at high temperatures over an open fire,” he says. “When the ingredients are repeatedly stir-fried at high temperatures, the liquids in the food will reach boiling point in a short time, the fat will vaporise and the surface of the ingredients will retain a unique light oily texture, with a slightly charred surface and aroma.”What is special about wok hei is that it is, by all accounts, unique to Cantonese cuisine. According to Tsang, while different food cultures also have high-temperature, stir-fry cooking methods, the wok hei effect is discussed only within Cantonese cuisine.
A distinguishing characteristic of Cantonese-style cooking stoves is that they are often equipped with fans to increase their firepower, which greatly raises the temperature of each stove. This, in turn, aids in creating the wok hei effect.
Of the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine, which comprise – besides Cantonese – Sichuan, Jiangsu, Shandong, Fujian, Hunan, Anhui and Zhejiang, Tsang notes: “As far as I know, the other seven culinary disciplines do not have the concept of wok hei.”
While observing Tsang working the stove and wok to create his signature stir-fried beef noodles, I realise the process of imbuing a simple dish with wok hei is far more complicated than it appears.
“It’s a skill that must be cultivated to become a Cantonese cuisine chef,” Tsang says. “Years of accumulated experience, knowledge of ingredients and personal skills are all essential for making a dish with wok hei.”
Tsang demonstrates the quick actions required when tossing the beef separately and then together with the noodles; at one point, there is so much smoke that one cannot see what’s happening inside the wok at all.
“When the smoke gets in the way of seeing what is in the wok, then it comes down to the chef’s experience, training and intuition to make the dish right,” he says.
Tsang’s stir-fried beef noodles are more than just “right”. There is a distinct charred flavour, but what is impressive is that the edges of the sliced beef are subtly caramelised yet the meat remains tender. The noodles don’t stick together and there is just the right amount of sauce and sheen, without being greasy.
“The technique is the expression of the accumulated experience,” says Tsang. “Cantonese chefs need to master the time, temperature and number of ingredients, and cook at high temperatures for a short period of time. One wrong judgment could mean uncooked or burnt food.”
To learn more, I speak with Jaden He Jingde – a Hong Kong-based national wushu champion who has won many accolades for broadsword, staff and double broadsword, and shares the same sifu (master) as action star Jet Li.“Martial arts is essentially about speed, timing and distance,” he says. “These three things are very important in a real fight.
“Speed refers to how quickly you can strike. You might want to punch someone, but without training, you might be pulling your punches and you lose the element of surprise. It’s always important to hit your target quickly and efficiently.
“Timing is observing your opponent. For example, if the person you are fighting gets distracted and looks away for a split second then that will be a good time to strike.”
Lastly, closing the distance between you and your opponent so you are within striking distance but also being aware that you are vulnerable to attack, and balancing that, is crucial.
“Speed, timing and distance are high-level kung fu and can only be achieved after a lot of training and sparring,” He says.
With He’s concepts in mind, I meet young chef ArChan Chan Kit-ying to decode the concept of wok hei from another perspective. Chan is head chef of modern Chinese restaurant Ho Lee Fook in Central, and has distinct memories of what wok hei meant to her as a child growing up in Prince Edward in Kowloon, where many dai pai dong remain.
These food stalls are often known for their stir-fries, with almost everything on the menu made within a small, open-air kitchen, usually with a stove and wok.
“One of my earliest memories of going to a dai pai dong is just eating a simple wok-fried vegetable dish,” recalls Chan. “I thought to myself, ‘How can it be so tasty? What is the magic here?’ Because the dish is just vegetables and garlic, you know? I was drawn to try to replicate it.”
Asked about the essence of wok cooking, or woking, she says, “Food that’s made in a wok gets cooked really, really fast. From the outside, it looks like a lot of fast and intensive tossing, but you can’t toss something like a fish fillet like you do vegetables, because you should not toss it as much or as intensely as a vegetable.”
So speed is an obvious trait that woking shares with martial arts, but what about timing?
When we watch Chan make her stir-fry king (siu caau wong in Cantonese), which has about 13 ingredients, we see the chef adjusting the heat multiple times in the few minutes it takes to cook the dish.
There is also the time she uses to layer the ingredients, and ways of seasoning according to the heat of the wok or oil – everything requires impeccable timing and close observation of what is happening during those seconds.
Explaining the challenges of making a dish such as sweet-and-sour pork in a wok, she says, “It’s actually a hard dish to make because you have ingredients that are crispy. There’s a sauce that has a lot of sugar content that’s combined with vinegar. You can’t use just intense heat as it’ll get burnt.
“To get the right consistency, you add the pork, do a quick toss so that the sauce just coats the pre-fried pork. If there’s too much sauce the pork will get soggy real fast.”
Every dish has its own set of guidelines. When Chan makes stir-fried clams with black beans and chilli, she points out that the high-power tossing you would apply to a stir-fry should not be used.
“You can’t just toss clams in a wok or you’ll break the shell,” she says. “So you use a slightly different technique, like turning the clams in the wok. You have to do it lighter and not like the stir-fry king where you just keep tossing.”
Speed, timing and distance are essential in kung fu fighting. A fight is over in minutes, sometimes seconds – and the subjects’ decisions regarding speed, timing and judgment of distance can be the difference between winning a fight or ending up in hospital.
The same concept applies to chefs making dishes with wok hei. Their split-second decisions and intuition when it comes to woking can mean the difference between an unforgettable meal full of wok hei and one that is memorable for all the wrong reasons.
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