Dinner Lately…

Lotus Roots Stirfry with Fungus

November 12, 2007 · 2 Comments

This is another easy stirfry using lotus roots, fungus (mook yee / “wooden ear”), raw peanuts, and julienned ginger. You can find lotus roots and dehydrated “wooden ear” fungus in many Asian grocery stores.

Pre-soak the fungus overnight so that it is soft enough to clean between the folds. Remove hard/woody parts of the fungus. Tear the big pieces into approx. 1 square inch pieces. Drain off excess water.

Also pre-soak the raw peanuts so that the skin of the peanut loosen and you can remove them easily by rubbing them between your palms. You don’t have to remove all the skin from the peanuts, but as much as you can. Drain off excess water.

Clean the outside of the lotus root with the edge of a metal spoon. Sometimes, they are really covered in mud. Cut the ends off each “limb / section” of the root. Slice the lotus root as thin as you can, or use a mandolin for even slices if you prefer. I think random thickness gives it a more “homecooked” rustic feel.

Julienne the ginger thinly.

Heat a few tablespoons of oil in the wok. Firstly, brown the ginger and peanuts.

Next, add in the sliced lotus roots and fungus. Let the ingredients cook for a little bit until the lotus root start to soften.

Season the dish with salt, white pepper, vegetable seasoning and a dash of white / cooking wine. :)

Categories: Chinese
Tagged: , ,

Asparagus & Pork in Mango Sauce

November 12, 2007 · Leave a Comment

As usual, this is a vegetarian dish. I made this using vegetarian pork slices (Princess Meat) that I had brought from home (Malaysia), but Morningstar chicken slices will do the trick as well. I had just moved to Canada recently, so I hadn’t been able to blog much. Anyway, here’s a creation from last week using leftover mango sauce that I made for my office’s ice-cream sundae party. The mango sauce acts as a sweet and sour sauce in this stirfry dish.

Initially, we ate this dish with rice, but Andy had a great idea to mix the leftover dish with Gorgonzola & Walnut Tortellini from Trader Joe’s. It worked really well, I must say!

 

Categories: Chinese