You need both the right tools, AND the right techniques to be successful at stir frying and that's why I've included instructional discs as part of my Kit.  Read numerous testimonials from people who tell me my site was very informative and that my instructions were crucial in their decision to purchase my Kit. 

    Those who already own a wok think if they just purchase my instructions, they can learn wok cooking.  You will NOT succeed if you use a non-stick wok (see Wok Set for extensive explanation) or a glass flat electric stovetop (see Stir Fry Stove for explanation). 

    My audience are people who value their time and appreciate the fact I’ve put everything together so it’s convenient and easy.  Those who enjoy Kung Pao chicken and other popular restaurant dishes will be thrilled and pleased to be able to create these dishes using my simple, foolproof technique. You’ll realize when you cook at home, you can control what you put into your food and have it exactly how you like it.

    From past experience, I’ve learned that if people don’t have success the first time they stir fry, they’ll give it up. So, it’s very important for you to have a good and successful experience.  There are 3 ESSENTIAL requirements that will ensure your success with wok cooking:

  1. 1.    A lightweight cast iron, round bottom wok

  2. 2.    High heat

  3. 3.    The right technique.  That’s why I’ve included three discs in my Kit which includes almost three hours of video...


  4.             •   "Wok Star” DVD  (Easy Style Cooking With an Asian Flair)
            •    Wok Star Audio CD  cookalongs with handouts
            •   "Ho Wok Mei" DVD

  5. • "WOK STAR DVD” (Easy Style Cooking With an Asian Flair)

    This is the first DVD with over an hour and fourty-five minutes of video. The first section is my entire class shot on-location.  I explain my visual approach and cook three different meals that illustrate the two paths of stir frying (it's as simple as following a road map). You'll understand how the paths are like "chord changes" a musician improvises versus playing a fixed score,

    This is the “Easy Style Concepts” sub-menu from the
    “Wok Star” DVD.

    note-by-note (which is very similar to following a recipe, step-by-step). Once you get the picture of the paths in your head, you'll be liberated to create your own dishes and never have to read another recipe again (except when you're seeking inspiration for new creations). These "Easy Style" movies are edited into 5 to 10 minute clips which make the material easy to navigate and return to for review. (sample video clip)

    --"Video Meals" in which I show two meals in my kitchen. You can watch the entire meal preparation in less than 10 minutes. There is a timer so you can see the duration and all the steps involved in preparing a dish.

    -- "Care and Feeding of Your Wok" is an amusing video of my husband’s mistakes  when he first started cooking, so you’ll avoid making the same mistakes.  It’s an "owner's manual" of how to take care of your wok so it will last a lifetime. We uploaded this clip to Youtube and his viewership has surpassed mine!  (watch the video)

    -- "Wok Up and Smell the Coffee" is my husband's method of cooking breakfast in the wok. (He claims this video clip is worth the cost of the entire Kit all by itself!). The example he's included on the disk is "salmonbrocbanapricot"... salmon, broccoli, banana, & apricot. It is a preview of an entire DVD that will explore exotic breakfast combinations. (A favorite of mine is when he puts curry powder in the pancake batter).

Side Note: My husband co-wrote, shot, and edited "Ho Wok Mei", my first cooking video (which is included in this Kit). Despite his familiarity with the cooking concepts, it wasn't until he saw the "big picture" of the stir fry process illustrated in a visual diagram that he finally "got it". He now makes breakfast EVERY morning, listening to music or lectures on his iPod while he cooks. This time has become his creative "morning meditation".

    •  AUDIO PODCAST COOKALONGS: Now that you understand all of the concepts, you're ready to go into your kitchen and try it yourself. Some students "freeze up" at this step, maybe forgetting an essential ingredient or omitting an important step, which  turns their stir fry into a frenzied mess. To avoid this, I've created "Audio Cookalongs" which are real-time recordings of the meal preparations. You can download these to your iPod and cook along in real time.  It’s as if I'm in your kitchen coaching you every step of the way. Some listen to the cookalongs prior to cooking to refresh their memory of the steps. Others jump right in and fry right away without any audio assist. Whatever you choose, they're there for you to use. I recommend their use for your FIRST stir fry because it will help you achieve the proper rhythm and pacing. It's also a great audio "checklist", which will make sure you don't forget any ingredients, steps, or utensils. (listen to sample)

 

“The videos are great and so clear and the notes are perfect for refreshing!!  We will definitely watch the video again and again so thank you for all of the tips.  We want to do it right!”     Rochelle and Axel, Wok Stars :)


“You must do a cookbook!  I have thought about purchasing a stir fry cookbook but am so worried that it will be too complicated. I like that you have the same basic steps for cooking veggies, meats and preparing a marinade.  And it is especially helpful that you have DVDs and a flowchart. I am such a visual person that it would be extremely difficult for me to cook from a recipe without having seen what the dish looks like at each stage.”  Avier


“What the discs do for me is to reinforce what you teach in class but the discs covers so much more.  It is loaded with tips on how to choose and prep ingredients. How to clean the wok and what products you like.  Also the importance of cooking dry vs “splattering”. With every tip, you explain the why of it.  I could view the discs many times and take away something new from it each time as well as reinforce all that I’ve learned about “Ho Wok Mei”.  Mary


"Terrific approach, very organized and easy to follow. Your technique really works great!! The charts are great." -Jill

“I did an experiment... I marinated chicken in lap sang souchong (tea leaves) and your chilli sauce. I stir fried onions, carrots, celery, asparagus, and pine nuts. It was delicious. I only added soy sauce to my dish afterwards (because of my husband's food allergy)." -Kyra

"I made some stir fry veggies with tofu and took it to a friend I work with - she loved it! It's a great way to cook in the summer also, as you don't heat up the whole kitchen." - Donna

"I decided to be bold--squash. I have never eaten it in my life because it just doesn't sound good, and my family fries it, so it doesn't look good either. I enjoyed the squash which will now be added to my regular grocery shopping list. Eleanor, thanks to you there will be a lot of "new" things to enjoy, now that I have the benefit of your experiences and techniques in the Asian style of cooking". -Richard

"...all the little tips you gave us make the cooking faster, smarter, and therefore more enjoyable, I found them priceless. To use a corporate expression, your tips are results oriented: they prevent mistakes and the whole cooking process turns out as expected or better." -Desiree

"I forgot how much fun it is to cook. I’m a know it all but I learnt a lot. The new ingredients put a zing into the food." -Kelly

"Tell Eleanor I was “King”. The kids usually do their own thing but decided to check out my cooking. They even had seconds." -Joe

"I'll tell you that the little tricks and suggestions that you provided in the class enhanced my cooking as a whole, not just as it applies to stir-frying". -Theresa

"Even though I've been stir frying for years, I learned new things" -Cheryl

"I had a great time and I have to say that I learned not to be afraid to cook by the seat of my pants.  In other words, I always have to have a recipe, measuring cups/spoons and the exact ingredients. I attribute this to the fact that I bake and in baking, everything needs to be precise. Now, I can cook with abandonment and throw in whatever I think goes." -Dianne

"Your audiotape was very helpful for those little details I could not remember--it was just like you were in the room with me while I was cooking". -Gwen

"I have already done three stir-fry meals. Think the CD helped with getting the pacing." - Sharon

“PLUS..my wife really enjoys watching cooking shows, so the fact that your package has the DVD videos, I KNOW my wife will actually watch them so it's money well spent!!!!”
Bob

“I really understand the basic steps and it seems as if you could do hundreds of  combinations based on them.”  Nayda


“I also love that you have a cheat sheet for the Asian market.  A trip to the Asian markets can be very intimidating!  Thanks to your worksheet with pictures of the products and name brands it was much less scary.  I am ready to experiment!  Avier


“I used to get frustrated with wok recipes because they throw everything in together and never turn out well. Thanks for breaking down wok cooking into such an easy process - cook everything separately then recombine. Now that I "get it," I've been creating my own dishes and I'm able to adapt any recipe using your technique. It works everytime! Thanks!”   Barbara


"It has made it very easy to put together meals.  I really like not having to follow a recipe sheet or specific instructions.  I actually went to the store and found quite a few fresh vegetables with a variety of colors.  We bought vegetables that our family normally doesn't eat.  I used your easy technique to prepare the meal and put the wok in the sink right after cooking the meal.  It cleaned up very easily and we had a nice healthy meal.  I really do like the wok also.  It is much different from the wok that I used to have.  It cleaned up so much easier and I don't have to use as much oil in the cast iron wok to prevent food from sticking.  Thanks,"  Anthony

 • My Philosophy  

Here's the intro from "Ho Wok Mei" which explains my philosophy of cooking.


  • "Easy Style" Approach  

"Easy Style" demystifies wok cooking with a unique, simple, visual flow chart. No recipes, No measuring, No calorie counting! 


  • Audio cookalong 

I join you in your kitchen with podcasts recorded in "real time". These cookalongs will help you get  into the rhythm & pacing and make sure you don't forget anything

•  Care and Feeding Of Your Wok
This video is from the Wok Star DVD and includes some tips on how to take care of your wok so it will last a life time.

Discs & Digital

Handouts

•  HO WOK MEI (GOOD WOK FLAVOR)    56min DVD.


This is a video I produced when I had my cooking school in Key West. We’ve converted it to a DVD so it’s easy to search by chapters.  (watch video clip)


It includes:  

    • 3 meals (fish in black bean sauce, beef with broccoli and two great party dishes for entertaining... rainbow lettuce and summer noodles (dishes you can prep ahead of time so you can enjoy the company of your friends).

    • A shopping trip to San Francisco

    • "Tips for perfect results"  
    • A visit to one of my favorite Chinese restaurants to watch the chef stir fry
    • You’ll learn 5 new sauces



This video was produced in my “old days” when I provided recipes (a handout with all the recipes in the video is included with the kit).  Since I follow the flow chart approach in this video, but with the structure of written recipes, it’s a great “stepping off” point for taking any recipe you see in a cookbook and converting it to the “Wok Star” format.


SF Examiner -- “Hoh’s philosophy (fresh ingredients, a few simple rules) makes Chinese cooking as easy and natural as eating.”

Library Journal --- “Hoh’s philosophy (fresh ingredients, a few simple rules) makes Chinese cooking as easy and natural as eating. Highly recommended for all libraries.”

SF Chronicle --  "...will help you overcome the fear of frying.”

Eating Well -- “...a teaching style other videos would do well to emulate...”

Solares Hill -- “This video is the next best thing to having your own Chinese mother teach you how to cook.”

Miami-Dade Public Library -- “...accessible to the novice but not boring for an accomplished cook.”


"Your videos were very helpful and really made me feel confident in cooking my first meal."  Anthony


“Personally I just felt really empowered with the easy outline method of cooking you gave us.  Rock on!”  Chrystal

 

© 2008 eleanor hoh


main • wok set • discs • caddy • seasonings • mitt • knife • stove

 

main • wok set • discs • caddy • seasonings • mitt • knife • stove