The Shun Lee Cookbook - Michael Tong [66]
2. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to come 1 inch up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 300°F. Add the mushrooms and stir gently until they are shiny and glossy with oil, about 1 minute. Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the mushrooms to a colander to drain. Discard the oil.
3. Return the wok to high heat. Mix ½ cup of the stock with the soy sauce, rice wine, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and the oyster sauce in a small bowl. Add to the wok, and return the mushrooms to the wok. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce has reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
4. While the mushrooms are simmering, prepare the bok choy: Return the saucepan of water to a boil, add the bok choy, and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 ½ minutes. Drain in a colander.
5. Heat another large wok or a large skillet over high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Add the bok choy and the remaining ½ teaspoon sugar, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the remaining ½ cup chicken stock and bring to a boil.
6. Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water in a small bowl. Stir half the cornstarch mixture into the mushrooms, and stir the remaining half into the bok choy. Add the sesame oil to the mushrooms. Transfer the bok choy to a serving platter, and arrange in a circular pattern with the leafy tops in the center. Place the mushrooms in the center of the bok choy, and serve immediately.
IN SHANGHAI, the Chinese call this fast-cooking dish “Two Winters,” because it was traditionally made only with the mushrooms and bamboo shoots that grew in the winter—but now, with the availability of dried mushrooms and canned bamboo shoots, it can be made year-round. Buy canned whole bamboo shoots, not sliced; and if you want the best (and the priciest), look for “winter” on the label.
This dish makes four servings when it accompanies a whole chicken, for example, but only two servings when eaten by itself with rice. Makes 2 to 4 servings
Sautéed Mushrooms with Bamboo Shoots
Vegetable oil, for passing through
8 ounces (2 whole) canned bamboo shoots, cut into wedges 1 inch long and ½ inch at the thickest part
10 to 12 large Chinese dried black mushrooms (about 1 cup), soaked in hot tap water until softened, trimmed, caps cut in half
1 ½ cups Chicken Stock (page 70) or canned chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil
1. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough oil to come 1 inch up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 300°F. Add the bamboo shoots and mushrooms, and stir gently for 1 minute. Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the bamboo shoots and mushrooms to a colander to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the wok.
2. Mix the stock, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl, and set it aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in 3 tablespoons cold water in another small bowl, and set it aside.
3. Return the wok with the oil to high heat. Add the bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and soy sauce mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook for 20 seconds. Add the sesame oil, and serve immediately.
SINCE BEAN CURD is both inexpensive and nutritious, it is often served at family meals. This Sichuan dish, called Ma Po Bean Curd, is very popular because it is as tasty as it is inexpensive. While it sings out with the bold flavors of hot bean paste and garlic, Sichuan peppercorns are the real stars here. These unique dried berries have a strange numbing effect on the palate, even though they aren’t spicy-hot. They were outlawed in this country for a few years due to the allegation that they carried a citrus blight, but they have been cleared of any wrongdoing and are now available again.
As a one-dish meal accompanied by rice, this will serve two