How to Make a Wok Gift Basket

People love Asian food don't they? Capitalize on this Asian food adoration for a winning unique gift basket idea. Though commercial gourmet gift baskets are often overpriced and full of unusable items for the receiver, a homemade wok gift basket makes a classy and practical gift. Whether considering a unique gift basket for a housewarming party, budget gourmet or oriental cuisine enthusiast, a wok gift basket is scalable to please a variety of tastes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Wok (or substitute container)
• 4 to 8 oriental food items (oil, sauce, rice, noodles, vinegar, spice, beverage)
• Natural paper or colored confetti
• Chopsticks and/or wooden stir fry utensils
• Small decorative oriental rice bowls and/or sake carafe and cups
• Ties: strips of raffia, gold string or red ribbon
• Accents such as bamboo or origami
• Suggestions (any combination)
• 1 large bottle of homemade or purchased oriental sauce (Peanut, Teriyaki, Stir Fry)
• 1 bottle plum or duck sauce
• 1-2 bottles of oriental oil (I.e. Sesame, Peanut)
• 1 bottle of rice vinegar
• Oriental or Basmati rice
• Oriental noodles
• Organics such as fresh ginger, dried mushrooms
• Tea, sake

Wok Gift Basket Contents

1. Consider the gift basket budget ($30 to $100) and prioritize the main expenditures such as the wok, food stuffs and utensils/dishes. Add $5 to $10 more for filler items and decorations.
2. Decide if the wok is a primary purchase or secondary to the oriental food contents, even for decorative purpose only. Woks range in price, from under $10 to over $100, budget as per intended use.
3. Select among a mixture of durable oriental goods and food items for the wok gift basket. Oriental dishes may be found in the dollar store or department store as well as native Chinese and Japanese shops.
4. Locate paper accents that compliment the gift basket contents or try an oriental color scheme (e.g., red and gold, jade and pink) and inexpensive fillers such as chopsticks. Purchase enough confetti material to nearly fill the wok.
5. Locate oriental sauces and food items in the supermarket or an oriental store. If you're unsure of the products ask for advice on the best sellers.
6. Prepare the wok gift basket. Remove packaging for items such as bowels, chopsticks and utensils. Stack or tie together with decorative ribbon, sting or dried palm strips. Fill top bowel with dried mushrooms or fortune cookies.
7. Fill the wok as desired. Cover the wok gift basket with decorative paper or colored plastic wrap or leave as is.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid overly common or exotic items for best results.
• Aim for a utilitarian or gourmet theme.
• Substitute a wok with a bamboo bowl for a lovely gift basket.
• Plan on spending an average of $7 plus for decent sauces, less for some oils and vinegar.
• If the recipients dietary restrictions or food allergies is unknown a wok gift basket makes a risky gift.