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When Food Lab author and GoPro-wearing kitchen icon J. Kenji López-Alt announced his new cookbook, The Wok, my first reaction was unadulterated excitement. My second was regret because after a messy roommate divorce, I no longer have a wok in my kitchen. Still, as a long-time fan of López-Alt’s work and a collector of cookbooks, I picked up a copy of The Wok to see what I could glean.
Early on, López-Alt introduces the term wok hei. First coined by Grace Young in her book The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen, it translates to “wok energy” or “wok aroma.” While the definition is nuanced, López-Alt simplified it for me as the deep, smoky flavor common in wok-cooked Cantonese dishes like beef chow fun. The flavor comes from three main sources: the vaporized oils that catch fire as flames from the burner leap into the pan; the high-heat transformations of ingredients like soy sauce and vinegar; and, most notably, the seasoning of the wok itself. All of that points to the necessity of a real wok in order to achieve wok hei.
But before you add a carbon-steel pan to your shopping cart, hold up. López-Alt has identified a shockingly easy way to infuse some wok hei flavor into any dish—no wok required. You just need to make toasted salt.
Okay, “toasted salt” is a bit of a misnomer. Culinary salt is a relatively stable compound, so heating it on your stove won’t change its actual chemical composition. But when heated in a seasoned pan—like a Western-style cast-iron skillet or a carbon-steel wok—the salt picks up a deep brown hue and the smoky flavor of the pan’s seasoning. As the pan smokes, those gases bind to the salt crystals, similar to how wood-smoked salt picks up flavors like cherry wood or hickory. You can sprinkle that salt on anything that would benefit from some smoky wok hei—meats, seafood, vegetables, even buttered toast.
Some dimensions of wok hei can only be achieved with the right pan, but toasted salt offers a way around that requirement. It’s the primary source of wok hei in López-Alt’s Cantonese salt-and-pepper shrimp and Málà chicken wings, in which it brings a subtle smokiness that more than satisfies. Even without the oily flare-ups, the toasted salt captures the flavors that come courtesy of a well-seasoned pan, and for many dishes, that’s more than enough.
Convinced? Here’s how to make toasted salt:
López-Alt’s original method for toasted salt is as simple as could be: Over medium heat, add Diamond crystal kosher salt to the bottom of an empty wok. Heat until the pan begins to smoke while agitating the salt to ensure even browning. You can speed up the process and achieve a deeper color by covering the pan with a lid while the salt “cooks,” which captures the smoke that seasons the salt. Then simply allow the salt to cook until it achieves a deep brown color, reminiscent of browned toast, over the course of 7–10 minutes. Because this process creates smoke, you’ll want to use a vent hood, if you have one, or open your windows and turn on a fan to get the air circulating.
If you don’t own a wok, I’ve found that the method works with other seasoned pans like Western-style cast-iron skillets. Again, since the salt itself isn’t toasting, but rather picking up the deposits of oils and polymers on the pan’s surface, a well-seasoned vessel is essential. It can’t be stainless or nonstick.
The result is a versatile seasoning that captures a portion of wok hei and can be added to dishes cooked in any pan. It’s subtle, smoky, and so simple to make. Is it as dense and complex as the wok hei in a restaurant-cooked chow fun? Probably not. Will it tide me over until I buy myself a real carbon-steel wok? Absolutely.
