Black flakes in food cooked with a wok... ugh!?!
Black flakes in food cooked with a wok... ugh!?
I ate some steamed vegetables in a Chinese restaurant - thinking I was making a healthy choice given the circumstances - but when I was eating them I noticed they were all covered in tiny, black flakes.
I've googled what they might have been and have come up with the black patina layer that covers a well seasoned wok. Somehow they must have flaked off into the food. Is this normal???
I know the chef used an iron wok... and it was black...
Thing is... are these flakes harmless or have I just eated a whole bunch of horrendous charcoal/iron/patina???
Anyone know if it's normal???
Answers:
Unlike western restaurant, chinese chef usually use a few woks to prepare food. So in case there is a continuous order of dishes and there may not be enough time to clean up each properly, there may be some food build-up like burnt garlic or soya sauce. Even wine can be burnt up to form flakes
I don't think it is iron. If the wok is worn down like this , the chef would be unable to use it.
It is normal I would say in chinese eateries using wok that are with high traffic in any places.