zeran paigu. or simply, cumin ribs. ♪ it takes two cooks working at once to make this dish.just right. another toasts the ginger, cumin and other spices in a wok. and then in go the ribs. and if you are a devotee of what's called wok-hei, you sit as close to the kitchen as possible to capture that elusive fast-dissipating breath flavor of the wok itself. toss them around, coating those bones with all that good stuff, then serve. and because we like it to burn, thomas orders some laza zhideng, a spicy chicken dish. hei means energy, life force or breath. and that's what you're looking for. the vestigal flavor, the essence of a very old, carefully seasoned cooking vessel. ♪ oddly enough, thomas tells me there's no mandarin or at least shanghainese word for wok, it's simply called a cooking pot, to which i say, i really do know nothing about this country. fantastic, wow. >> it's actually so-so. >> yeah? >> it's actually so-so. >> you're not loving that? >> not too good. but it's not bad. >> to me, and i've eaten a lot of food, this is spicy, fresh, bright, vibrant. >> i will ta