What is wok hei?
Wok hei, or “breath of the wok” in Cantonese, is a smokey, rich flavour and aroma that is characteristic of much Asian wok cooking. Wok hei is created through a combination of high heat, the physical properties of the wok, and cooking technique. It involves the Maillard reaction, the scientific name for the chemical reactions and creations of new compounds that happens when we brown foods over heat.
What equipment is available to achieve wok hei on induction?
High-power induction woks are already in commercial use internationally and are purpose-built to deliver the intense, responsive heat required for wok cooking. These commercial induction woks have a concave cooking area so the heat can envelop the food inside the wok, just like with gas stoves.
Wok hei relies on very high heat, which can be difficult to achieve outside of a restaurant, regardless of your style of stove. In order to create the best wok cooking at home without a custom induction wok stove, a flat bottomed wok is the best way to ensure there is enough contact between the induction stove and the pan.
Demand for commercial induction woks is growing, with leading suppliers sourcing proven models from established markets such as the UK and China. As uptake increases, local options will continue to expand, following the same pattern seen with other commercial kitchen technologies.
Quotes from our chefs
“Wok hei is something people think you can’t do on induction. That is wrong. We have been doing it at School of Wok for 20 years. Getting wok hei out of an induction hob is about timing and knowing when to maneuver the heat. I use a lot more horizontal circulation of heat rather than vertical as I would on a gas hob. Gas loses energy on the outside of your cooking equipment instead of intensifying the heat inside the wok.”
– Jeremy Pang, chef and owner, School of Wok, UK
“It’s almost impossible to achieve [wok hei] in a gas setting [at home]. In a wok that’s suitable for the gas ring, as soon as you put the vegetables in, the temperature just drops.”
– Victor Liong, chef and owner, Lee Ho Fook, Australia
“A lot of times people think that when you cook with a wok, you need gas. But induction is actually more powerful than gas.”
– Junda Khoo, chef and owner, Ho Jiak, Tam Jiak, Australia
