Wok of Death

Have you ever had that one recipe that you just can't wait to try? You go out, you buy the ingredients, you prep everything and get ready for the main event and get going then by the end you realize that you have made a horrible mistake? I am not referring to burning down the house (or any fires at all for that matter) or substituting salt for sugar. I am talking about the fact that you even made the dish in the first place.

It all started with, obviously, a cookbook. This cookbook was given to me as a gift before I moved to Columbus last year by a regular customer who knew that I wanted a book on cooking with a wok. After doing some reorganizing (and yes some unpacking too) I found the wok cookbook again. I flipped through and found a recipe that sounded very interesting and Chris agreed so I made my shopping list and off to the store I went. Now, I probably should have realized while making the list that I probably would not like the finished product because it called for peanut butter (I hate peanut sauces) and coconut milk (not a huge fan of coconut). I decided to ignore the warning signs because I was convinced that the sum would more than outweigh the parts.

Well. . .no. The parts overwhelmed the whole. I do have to say that it did smell yummy when I just had tofu and vegetables frying in oil with garlic, diced chili pepper, and scallions. I had an inkling that it was going downhill when I put the peanut butter in and the whole house was filled with the smell of burning peanuts. I probably still could have worked with it until I added the coconut milk which turned my wok into something resembling the texture and color of something that my cat just recently puked up onto the carpet. Not only did it look awful and taste awful but it smelled horrible. We still have the stench of coconut and peanut butter lingering in the house seven hours later. I really wish I had gotten a picture of how horrible this looked but Chris scooped it right up into a bag and ran it right out to the trash. I can't really blame him, it did stank to high hell! Anyhow, mental not to self "do not make a dish that calls for peanut butter and coconut milk ever again!"

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