Wok

A wok being used for stir frying

Wok
"Wok" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters
Traditional Chinese	鑊
Simplified Chinese	镬
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin huò Wade–Giles huo4 IPA [xwô] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization wohk Jyutping wok6 IPA [wɔk̚˨]
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	炒鍋
Simplified Chinese	炒锅
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin chǎoguō Southern Min Hokkien POJ tshá-ko

A wok (simplified Chinese: 镬; traditional Chinese: 鑊; pinyin: huò; Cantonese Yale: wohk) is a deep round-bottomed cooking pan of either indigenous Chinese origin or derived from the South Asian karahi. It is common in Greater China, and similar pans are found in parts of East, South and Southeast Asia, as well as being popular in other parts of the world.

Woks are used in a range of Chinese cooking techniques, including stir frying, steaming, pan frying, deep frying, poaching, boiling, braising, searing, stewing, making soup, smoking and roasting nuts. Wok cooking is often done with utensils called chǎn (spatula) or sháo (ladle) whose long handles protect cooks from high heat. The uniqueness of wok cooking includes the Cantonese tradition of wok hei, "breath of the wok".