Ingredients
Units
Scale
- SAUCE INGREDIENTS
- 4 tb Dark soy sauce
- 4 tb shaoxing wine
- 2 tb Water
- 2 Sq. white fermented bean curd – 豆腐乳
- 2 t Salt
- 1 ts Sugar
- 4 tb Sesame oil
- DRIED INGREDIENTS
- 4 Lily buds (金针; pinyin: jīnzhēn; also called “golden needles”)
- 4 Wood ear black fungus (木耳; pinyin: mù ěr; also called black fungus)
- 6 Dried Black mushrooms (冬菇; pinyin: dōnggū)
- 2 Bean curd sticks (腐竹; pinyin: fǔ zhú; also called “tofu bamboo”)
- 2 oz Cellophane noodles (粉絲; pinyin: fěn sī; also called “bean threads”)
- 4 dried Bamboo fungus (竹笙, pinyin: zhúshēng or 竹荪; pinyin: zhúsūn) if unavailable use fresh or canned Bamboo shoots instead (simplified: 笋; traditional; 筍; pinyin: sǔn)
- FRESH & CANNED INGREDIENTS
- 2 c Mung bean sprouts (豆芽, pinyin: dòu yá; 芽菜, pinyin: yá cài; or 银芽, pinyin: yín yá)
- 2 Stalks Chinese celery (芹菜; pinyin: qín cài) (prefered) or use western celery
- 2 medium Carrots
- 1 red Bell pepper
- 1/2 Lotus root (藕; pinyin: ǒu)
- 6 Fried or braised wheat gluten balls (traditional: 麵筋, simplified: 面筋; pinyin: miàn jīn)
- 8 fresh Water chestnuts, peeled (traditional: 荸薺; simplified: 荸荠; pinyin: bíqí), use canned if unavailable
- 1/3 cup Snow peas (traditional: 荷蘭豆; simplified: 荷兰豆; pinyin: hélándòu)
- 1/2 c Canned gingko nuts (traditional: 銀杏; simplified: 银杏, pinyin: yín xìng; or 白果, pinyin: bái guǒ)
- 1/2 c Canned baby corn
- 2 Cakes pressed bean curd
- 4 slices Takuan (Japanese pickled daikon radish, usually bright yellow in color)
- FOR COOKING
- 1 c Oil for deep-frying
Instructions
- Rinse, then soak dried ingredients in warm water: soak bean curd sticks overnight; soak rest about 1 hour.
- Cut bean curd sticks and lily buds into 2″ sections. Remove hard stems from wood ears, and slice thinly. Remove stems from black mushrooms (reserve for stock pot); halve the caps. Cut thin strands of bamboo fungus or shoots into 2″ lengths. Cut soaked bean thread noodles into 3″ pieces.
- Wash and blanch bean sprouts, lotus root, celery and pepper. Slice celery, pepper, carrots, and cabbage into 2″ long pencil-size pieces and/or decorative slices as you see fit. Halve baby corn on the bias. Slice takuan into strips. Cut lotus root thinly.
- Slice pressed bean curd same size as vegetables. Deep-fry in shallow oil until slightly tan but still pliable. Drain.
- Mash fermented bean curd, then blend with sugar, dark soy, sherry and water.
- Heat wok until medium-hot. Add 4 tablespoons of deep-frying oil. Add all dry ingredients, except noodles; stir-fry 1 minute.
- Turn wok to high. Add fresh and canned ingredients, and stir-fry for 2 more minutes: sprinkle in salt after first minute.
- Add ½ of the sauce mixture, mixing with juices in pan. Add noodles. Reduce heat to medium, cover wok, and steam for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked but still firm.
- Uncover, sprinkle in sesame oil and if desired more sauce. Toss briefly. Serve in a warm bowl with remaining sauce on side.
