Wok
The wok is a masterful invention of the Chinese. It is used throughout China and Southeast Asia. The Mohr Khang as it is called in Thai and Lao, has such great utility that no kitchen is without one. In it we can boil, stir fry, steam, braise, or deep fry. If you decide to make an investment in any piece of kitchen equipment, the wok is the single most versatile piece of equipment on which you cannot afford to skimp.

The very best woks are made from carbon steel and in truth are very inexpensive. Carbon steel retains the heat and evenly distributes it throughout the cooking surface. A good size for a normal kitchen is 24 inches across the widest part of the rim. In the restaurant we use 32 inch and 42 inch woks and we always have one or two extras in reserve. The down side of the carbon steel wok is that it is not pretty when it has been used. It discolors the very first time it is used and as I'll discuss a bit later it does require special preparation for the first time use.

Stainless steel is easier to clean and tends to look nicer after use. However I personally recommend that you never, never buy a stainless steel wok and expect to achieve the same results as when using a carbon steel wok. The surface of stainless steel is so smooth that the oil used for cooking will not remain on the side surfaces long enough to properly seal the ingredients you are cooking. While attractive and easy to clean, stainless steel simply will not yield the proper results.

Burner Collar
American stoves are not designed to handle a wok. The shape of the wok is rounded and a wok burner collar allows the wok to sit firmly over the flame of your burner. They are inexpensive, costing less than $5.00, and are essential to using your wok. An image of the wok collar show that it contains holes around its circumference. The holes allow oxygen to combust with the burner flame and forces the heat to be focused at the bottom of the wok; just where you need it. 

Spatula and Ladle
The Chinese invented this form of spatula. It is used in conjunction with the ladle (left image). The right handed Chef uses the Spatula in the right hand and the Ladle in the left hand to quickly toss and turn the ingredients in the wok.

A good quality spatula and ladle are made from stainless and have some weight to them. They are generally of the same length and have wooden handles to insulate them from the heat generated in the wok from eventually reaching your hands.

The Thai word for the spatula is Daliew and the ladle is called a Jong.

Seasoning the wok for first time use
The first thing you need to do before using your new carbon steel wok is to season it. Stainless steel woks do not require seasoning. The seasoning process is accomplished quite simply by first placing a cupful of vegetable into the wok and stirring it around so that it covers all exposed inside areas while your burner is at its highest setting. When the oil begins to smoke remove the wok from the burner and dump the oil into an old discarded coffee can. When the wok has cooled down slightly take a soft cloth and wipe out any remaining oil. Be very careful not to burn yourself, as the hot oil is easily absorbed into the cloth. Let the wok cool to room temperature and use paper towels to remove any excess oil. The wok is now seasoned and ready for service.

Never, I repeat never, use a scouring pad or scouring powder to clean your wok. If you do, you will need to repeat the seasoning process. To clean your wok between uses simply use lukewarm water and a sponge or a soft bristled brush similar to the one show at the right. Food will not stick to a properly seasoned wok. In the restaurant, we use a bristle brush between dishes to remove any debris in the wok. When we want to give them a thorough work over we literally burn the wok and re-season them.

A good quality Wok and associated utensils should last a lifetime in the average home environment. In the restaurant, the average useful life of the wok is about one year. Keep in mind that we prepare in one day what the average home cook would prepare in a year.

Other wok associated utensil include a cover, and perhaps an aluminum or bamboo steamer. These are not necessary items but they do extend the utility of the basic wok. If you purchase a steamer with its own cover you will not need to purchase a separate wok cover. Make sure that the steamer setup you do purchase is large enough so that when it is placed into the wok you will be able to add at least three inches of water without the water coming through the holes in the steamer. Most steamers are multi-level. In one level you can cook a steamed fish dish and in an upper level steamed vegetables.

Meat Cleaver
I prefer a meat cleaver over American knives when slicing, dicing, chopping and mincing ingredients for Asian cuisine. The cleaver is useful for smashing garlic, disjointing chickens and yet sharp enough for making the most delicate cut. My home cleaver is of the type found in most well stocked Chinese grocery stores that handle utensils as well as food ingredients. I keep my cleaver razor sharp by first honing it with a honing stone and running it against a butchers steel once or twice. A sharp knife or cleaver is much safer than a dull one and cutting is effortless. Cleavers come in many sizes and weights. A good size for home use (and for the Restaurant) is one that measures 7" from the tip of the blade to the end of the blade by 3.5" broadside. The cutting portion of the blade itself should be slightly curved so that when you rock the blade over the food it will make a clean cut.

Honing Stone
A good quality wet honing stone is indispensable. I use the wet stone for all my cutlery, American or Asian, to keep them in top notch condition. Hold the wet stone under a water tap and adjust the water flow to low. Take you knife and run it over the stone while the water is flowing over it and the stone. Take five strokes on one side of the blade edge and another five strokes on the opposite blade edge. After the blade is sharpened in this manner pass the blade over a butchers steel once or twice to remove any fine burrs that might have developed.

Butchers Steel
A butchers steel is made from, as its name implies, hardened steel. It is not used to sharpen a dull blade, but rather it is used to remove burrs and fine tune your cutting edge after sharpening with a stone. Any restaurant supply house or kitchen store will carry them. 

Chopping Boards and Cutting Boards
I prefer a wood chopping block over plastic. Plastic is too hard on the cutting edge of your cutting tools. In the restaurant we use chopping boards made from a special compound which has a feel of rubber to it. After excessive use we simply discard them and purchase new ones.  Whether you use wood or plastic, you will need to scrub it with a brush between uses and sanitize it with Clorox (see below Special Notes on Sanitizing). After excessive use, you can resurface a wood board by simply sanding it to remove knife scars. Plastic boards with deep scars are best discarded. The Lao word for a cutting board is "giang'.

Mortar and Pestle
While it may not appear on the surface that there is a difference between using a food blender as opposed to a mortar and pestle there is a significant difference. A food blender set to puree does not produce the same result as a mortar and pestle when crushing chili peppers. The object of the mortar and pestle is to extract the juices from the chili and to pulverize the fibrous cells of the pepper. At most, a food blender just gives you smaller pieces of the same chili.

Mortars and pestles come in different sizes and are made from different materials. An apothecary mortar and pestle is generally made from a ceramic and for home use they are quite adequate even though a bit smallish. Most any well stocked Southeast Asian grocery store have imported versions made from glazed baked clay or stone. We use the glazed baked clay version in the restaurant as it is large enough to allow us to pound the chili peppers into the slivered mango when making Dum Som.

Be sure to keep your mortar and pestle clean by sanitizing them as outlined below. From time to time inspect it for cracks. Cracks are easily detected by holding the morter by its base and tapping the rim. If the sound is clear as a bell and not muffled it most likely has no cracks. If it develops a crack, discard it and purchase a new one. Food particles can easily remain in the finest of cracks and have the potential of breeding food borne germs. Besides, a good mortar and pestle imported from Thailand, are relatively inexpensive items, costing about $10.00. The Lao word for the mortar is 'cloke' and the word for the pestle is 'sok'.

Mohr Nung and Houit
The Laotion people have a preference for sticky rice (cow neeow), a high glutton short grained rice. It is eaten almost exclusively by the Lao people. Indigenous tribal Hmong and Yao peoples living in the mountainous regions prefer white rice as do other Chinese or Vetnamese peoples living in Laos. Sticky rice is always eaten with ones fingers. Sticky rice must be steamed. No self respecting Lao person would dream of boiling it. A special pot (Mohr Nung) and a special steaming basket (Houit) yield the only acceptable results. There are differences in quality of sticky rice. The more broken pieces of rice kernels the more clumpy and less desirable will be the result. In addition, a new crop of rice will always have a stronger aroma and will require less time soaking before steaming.

Dip Cowe or Ap Cowe
Once the sticky rice is steamed, it is spread out on a cooking board to let off, some but not all, of the steam. It is then quickly placed in a woven basket (Dip Cowe). The basket allows the rice to breath so that it is not wet to the touch when taken with ones fingers. 

Many more specialized utensils are used in the Laotian, Thai, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Burmese kitchen. Finding picture for those items is a bit difficult. As I am able I will add new items to this section.

Special Notes on Sanitizing
After washing your utensils with warm water and soap, dip them in a solution of one part Clorox to five parts water and leave them to air dry. The sanitization process only takes place when the Clorox reacts with the germs. It makes no sense to apply Clorox and immediately wipe things dry.