Wok Hei is a takeaway at 10/563 Springs Road, Prebbleton, a Selwyn township on Christchurch's south-western fringe, with a 4.3 rating on Google. The name borrows the Cantonese term for the prized "breath of the wok".
Wok hei is the smoky, seared flavour that only a fiercely hot wok imparts — the benchmark for any stir-fry kitchen. The signs of a good one are food cooked to order rather than held in a warmer, vegetables with bite, and sauces that coat rather than pool. Wok-cooked dishes fade fast, so regulars eat theirs soon after collection and judge a kitchen by its simplest dish rather than its showiest. A steady stream of orders is a good sign too, since constant turnover means nothing sits around.
For Prebbleton locals after a hot dinner close to home, Wok Hei is a handy Springs Road option without the drive into Christchurch.