Braised Shiitake Mushrooms with Luffa
A tender, fragrant Zhejiang dish with elegant color and presentation.
Ingredients
Shiitake mushrooms (rehydrated, drained, stems removed and washed)
15 g
Luffa (peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into inch-long pieces, briefly blanched in boiling water and cooled)
500 g
Refined peanut oil
20 g
Fine salt
1 g
MSG
1 g
Shaoxing wine
5 g
Fresh ginger (peeled and minced very finely, steeped in water; use the liquid)
5 g
Sesame oil
15 g
Cornstarch (mixed with an equal part water, 25 g each, to make a slurry)
25 g
Instructions
1
Step 1
Drain the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and set the soaking liquid aside to settle, then pour it carefully into another bowl and reserve. Trim off and discard the stems, and wash the caps clean. Peel the luffa, halve each one lengthwise, and cut into inch-long pieces. Blanch briefly in boiling water, then refresh under cold water and drain. Finely mince the peeled ginger, steep in a little water, and set the ginger juice aside for cooking.
2
Step 2
Place a wok over high heat and add the peanut oil. Splash in the ginger juice, then add Shaoxing wine, the reserved mushroom soaking liquid, salt, MSG, the shiitake caps, and the luffa pieces. Slowly stream in the cornstarch slurry (25 g cornstarch whisked with 25 g water) while stirring to thicken. Drizzle in the sesame oil, give the wok a quick toss to coat everything evenly, and it is ready to serve.
