Fish-Fragrant Rape Stems
A Sichuan dish featuring a subtly sweet, tangy, and mildly spicy flavor. Rapeseed stems are stir-fried and finished with a classic yuxiang (fish-fragrant) sauce.
Ingredients
rape stems (roots and tough fibers removed, washed, cut into 5 cm segments)
to taste
peanut oil
to taste
soy sauce (for the sauce)
to taste
vinegar (for the sauce)
to taste
sugar (for the sauce)
to taste
pickled chili peppers (to render out red oil)
to taste
fine salt (for the sauce)
to taste
ginger (finely minced)
to taste
scallion (finely minced)
to taste
garlic (finely minced)
to taste
cornstarch (mixed with water for the sauce)
to taste
MSG (for the sauce)
to taste
Shaoxing cooking wine (for the sauce)
to taste
Instructions
1
Prepare the Ingredients
Strip the roots and tough fibers from the rape stems, wash them well, and cut into 5 cm long segments. Finely mince the ginger, scallion, and garlic.
2
Mix the Sauce
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing cooking wine, MSG, sugar, vinegar, fine salt, minced ginger, minced scallion, minced garlic, and a cornstarch-and-water slurry to make the sauce.
3
Stir-Fry
Place a wok over the heat, pour in the peanut oil, and heat until about 80% hot. Add the rape stems and stir-fry briefly for a few tosses, then drain off the excess water. In a separate wok, stir-fry the pickled chili peppers until they release their red oil, add the pre-fried rape stems, pour in the prepared sauce, toss quickly to coat, and serve immediately.
