oil, and add ½ cup of sliced unpeeled ginger and 1 bunch of
scallions cut into 2-inch pieces. Reduce the heat to medium and
stir-fry for several minutes (as much as 15 minutes), pushing
the mixture all around the wok with a metal spatula. When the
scallions are brown and crusty, remove the wok to a cold burner
and throw out everything. When the wok is cool, wash it with
hot water and a sponge, this time without soap. Finally, place
the rinsed wok on low heat and heat for 1 to 2 minutes or until
all the rinse water has evaporated. Now you have a seasoned
wok that you can maintain by using it and by washing it, like a
cast-iron skillet, without soap (unless truly necessary).
Avoid generic soy sauce, which contains sodium benzoate, and
use organic (Kikkoman makes a good one). As for oyster sauce,
use Lee Kum Kee. Look for the one with the mother and child
on the label (Young prefers this), not the panda.
To understand why you cut against the grain, imagine a bunch
of rubber tubes lying on top of each other. If you were to cut
them the long way (with the grain), you’d get a bunch of long
strings in each bite; if you cut them the other way (against the
grain), you get a bunch of little bites that are more manageable.