The Wokstar and the Rockstar
Let us begin today’s story with the origin of the humble wok. Believed to have been invented in China during the Han Dynasty, this deep round-bottomed pot is one of the most commonly used cooking utensils in all of Asia. Clear by the schools namesake, the wok is regarded very highly by us here at School of Wok. Because of its durability, versatility and convenience - the wok is a tool that chefs of all levels can use. However, the chefs have mastered the art wokery and are thus often referred to as “wokstars”.
Miles Kane and Jeremy get to grips with the gyoza.
While the wokstars at School of Wok can cook up delicious meals and occasionally use the wok as an air guitar, it is not often we have a real rockstar in our midsts. This Friday's episode was an extra special affair as we were graced with the presence of Miles Kane. Solo artist and co-frontman of the Last Shadow Puppets - this indie rock musician has been an industry hit for over 15 years. Throughout the day, it became apparent that Miles is not only a talented performer but also an avid food enthusiast with superior knife skills.
The day began with a pork and shrimp gyoza. This simple but delicious recipe is a Chinese staple featuring homemade dough, minced pork and shrimp, napa cabbage, scallions, garlic and soy sauce. Throughout the process, Jeremy provides useful tips and tricks as Miles navigates his way through this experience. Jeremy says that the first step is working with the dough, he notes that it is important for it to be a play dough like consistency - not breaking apart but not too thick either. As for the ingredients in the filling, Jeremy mentions how the garlic should be briefly soaked in water so that it breaks apart easier, and how the best way to mince the prawns is to smash them the way one would smash ginger.
Going back to the dough, in order for it to be the perfect play dough-like texture - it needs to be tenderised so the air is knocked out of it. This is done by scooping up the dough and throwing it into the air 10-15 times, this part was thoroughly enjoyed by both the rockstar and the Wokstar. While this creates quite the raucous Jeremey says the more noise, the better - and hey it's not like that's something a rockstar hasn’t heard before right?
The next step is to insert the filling into the dough, which should be rolled into a cylinder about a centimetre thick. Then Jeremy and Miles pick off pieces of the dough to get ready to shape them. Oftentimes in the West, Gyoza’s are made by using a cooker cutter instead of pinching off sections of the dough - while this is faster, doing them individually results in a thinner desired texture. Next they do something Jeremy refers to as “pinchy pinchy twisty twisty” where you push into the dough with your thumb then pinch and twist in order to get the gyoza into the intended shape.
After the gyoza are finally shaped, the final step is to fry them for 2-3 minutes on each side until they are a nice golden brown. The gyoza should only be removed when they are slightly stuck to the pan. Jeremy shares that this is why in some parts of the world they are referred to as pot stickers. Finally, Jeremy and Miles remove the glistening gyozas from the pan and serve them with a side of soy sauce.
They wipe out the plate in mere minutes. While it is delicious they are nowhere near full, watch the video below to see them attempt to satisfy their hunger with a delicious crispy Korean fried chicken and a mouthwatering pork larb! It is not often you get both a rockstar and a wokstar in a room, but it is clear that when you do it results in a lot of noise and delicious food!