Wokky's Tools · 勇记厨房
Cook it like the Den Below.
Ten years of hawker cooking downstairs at 11 Mott taught us which gear and pantry staples actually matter. This is what we'd tell a friend who wants to cook Malaysian food at home.
炒锅
Wok Gear
Wok hei starts here. Skip the nonstick.
Carbon steel wok, 14 inch
Heats fast, gets screaming hot and seasons itself over time. Flat bottom for home stoves, round bottom if you have a gas ring.
Wokky says: Season it once. After that, no soap.
Shop on Amazon ↗Wok spatula (chuan)
The curved edge follows the wok, so you can toss char kway teow without breaking the noodles.
Shop on Amazon ↗Bamboo wok brush
Hot water and a bamboo brush clean a seasoned wok in seconds. Every hawker stall does it this way.
Shop on Amazon ↗Wok ring
Keeps a round-bottom wok steady on a home burner. Small part, big difference.
Shop on Amazon ↗刀与砧板
Knives & Boards
One good cleaver does the work of a whole knife block.
Chinese cleaver
Slices, smashes garlic and scoops everything off the board. For chicken bones, get a heavier bone cleaver too.
Shop on Amazon ↗Thick wood chopping block
A heavy end-grain block won't slide and is kind to your cleaver's edge. You need one for Hainanese chicken.
Shop on Amazon ↗Whetstone
A dull cleaver is a dangerous cleaver. A two-sided stone keeps it sharp for years.
Shop on Amazon ↗小贩工具
Hawker Tools
The everyday workhorses of a Malaysian kitchen.
Granite mortar & pestle
For rempah and sambal, pounding beats blending. It pulls the oils out of chili, shallot and lemongrass.
Wokky says: Go big. Small ones just spill.
Shop on Amazon ↗Spider strainer
Blanch noodles and bean sprouts for laksa, then lift them straight into the bowl.
Shop on Amazon ↗搬运
Haul & Carry
For grocery runs, recycling day and everything in between.
Blomoba folding wagon
Takes a full load of boxes and recycling in one trip, folds flat into the trunk, then opens back up as a trunk organizer so groceries don't slide around on the drive home.
Wokky says: Unfold it right in the trunk before you load up.
Shop on Amazon ↗调味料
Pantry Staples
Stock these and you're halfway to Penang.
Belacan (shrimp paste)
The funky backbone of sambal and half the Malaysian kitchen. Toast it before you use it.
Wokky says: Open a window first.
Shop on Amazon ↗Dried shrimp
Pounded into sambal or fried for crunch. Deep savory flavor for stir-fries.
Shop on Amazon ↗Light & dark soy sauce
Light soy for salt, dark soy for color and caramel. Proper fried noodles need both.
Shop on Amazon ↗Gula Melaka (palm sugar)
Smoky, caramel sweetness for cendol and kuih, and for balancing a curry.
Shop on Amazon ↗食谱
Cookbooks
Go deeper into Malaysian and Nyonya cooking.
Malaysian cookbooks
Hawker classics, home cooking and the stories behind the dishes.
Browse on Amazon ↗Nyonya & Peranakan cooking
The Straits Chinese kitchens of Penang and Malacca, where much of our menu comes from.
Browse on Amazon ↗Rather leave it to us?
Some things are worth the trip downstairs. Curry laksa, char kway teow and nasi lemak, cooked on high flame at 11 Mott Street.
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