Wok Hay

Wok Hay. let it sink in.

The essence of the wok. It's my new favorite tool. I can honestly say that I have never had food so genuine as right out of a proper wok, properly used. My attempts, while tasty and almost always edible are nowhere near what a master can do. A master that knows his wok hay. The search for the mysterious, genuine article and the mystery that comes out of it are underway.

Wok Hay. The essence. One has to know the essence of the wok. (And this applies to all of your tools, dummy) Knowing what it will do, how will it do it and what limits you can stretch out of it of paramount. The wok is at once, one of the simplest and most complex tools you can use in the kitchen. But you must know it. You must know your wok's essence. Masters of the wok talk about it's soul, it's fire and how that column of fire changes your food from ordinary to mystical. How only the right amount of heat and motion in the wok makes the food magical.

I'm not talking about those Calfalon, non-stick coated, wok-posers. It has to be a proper wok. I'm refering to a high carbon steel, hand shaped, seasoned wok. One that will tolerate super high heat and give back in such ways that you never imagined possible. The blacker the better.
I've added to my Seattle to-do list, find that end result of a master and his wok hay. and a proper wok itself. I say this about Seattle only because I've had the wok food here in the Fort and I think there is a much higher plane that I'm imagining. With the greater population from the east on our west coast, my chances should be greater, yes? The key will be to get some inside information.

I've tried wok cooking a number of times and usually with good results. Follow the rules and you'll almost always have a decent product (mis en place, everything cut so that it cooks at the same interval, searing your meat or seafood, etc) But they were not transcendent. I don't know my wok hay. Part of this is because even though I know that my Calfalon, non stick coated wok was created for amateurs and used by amateurs (me being one of them), it can only do so much under that wimpy flame of our gas stove. I should know my wok hay, but sadly, I do not. I am spending more time with it, but what I really want it a proper wok. I'll gladly donate the Calfalon to goodwill or give it to someone that will use it for what it is. But I really want a proper wok.

My search begins.