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How do you clean a wok?

Richard Cornish
Richard Cornish

A wok is ready to use when you crack an egg into it and it slides around the bowl.
A wok is ready to use when you crack an egg into it and it slides around the bowl.iStock

How should I clean my wok? A. Rehn

I put in a call to chef Victor Liong of Melbourne's Lee Ho Fook. He said: "When you buy a new wok it is covered with a thin film of mineral grease so the steel doesn't rust. Remove this by filling the wok with water and boiling the grease off, then scrubbing the wok with detergent." This is the last time you will ever use detergent on your wok. He says to then heat the wok until very hot and then create a layer of oil by spraying with canola spray and then wiping off. Repeat this process seven to eight times. "You know the wok is ready when you crack an egg into it and it slides around the bowl," says Liong. He says never use detergent on your wok and perhaps even buy a traditional bamboo or bristle wok brush to clean straight after use.

Last month I made what I thought were Anzac biscuits but one of my guests informed me that what was sent over to the troops was made to a completely different recipe. J. Naiditch

A few years ago an exhibition at the Victorian State Library called Gusto! displayed items from its collection to paint a picture of that state's history through food and wine. Many marvelled at items ranging from drawings of Aboriginal men hunting possums to original Vegemite jars. What struck many was a square, flat biscuit, made in Britain, and given to an Australian soldier in World War I. He wrote on the biscuit in pen: "A Soldier Has to Have Good Teeth," and sent it home to his family. The biscuits were not meant to be eaten like a cracker but were ground or broken up and cooked into a gruel. Arnott's made the Australian version, known as the Anzac wafer or Anzac tile. They were square, hard and dry according to a recipe provided by the Australian War Memorial, and made with flour, wholemeal flour, sugar, powdered milk, salt and water. The dough was very well worked, rolled into eight-millimetre-thick "tiles" and baked at 200C for 40 minutes. A Catholic padre serving at Gallipoli, Father John Fahey, wrote that "the man who invented the army biscuit was an unmitigated rascal ... there is little to choose between it and a seasoned jarrah board". Women back home made a more edible treat to a Scottish recipe with oats,sugar, plain flour, coconut, butter, golden syrup or treacle and bicarbonate of soda. They were called soldiers' biscuits but after Gallipoli were renamed Anzac biscuits.

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Can I eat the seeds from inside a pumpkin? J. Griffin

Take your fresh pumpkin seeds, place in a colander and rinse away as much of the flesh as possible. Boil he seeds in well-salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, pat dry, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with a little fine sea salt, shake them all about and spread in a single layer on a baking tray and roast in an oven preheated to 200C or 180C fan-forced. Roast until the seeds begin to brown, roughly seven to 15 minutes depending on the size of the seeds. Allow to cool. Crack open or munch whole. With beer.

Send your vexing culinary conundrums to brainfood@richardcornish.com.au or tweet to @FoodCornish

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Richard CornishRichard Cornish writes about food, drinks and producers for Good Food.

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