Rolling Dragon Loofah
Bright green and refreshingly light, braised loofah scored with a decorative cut and simmered with mushrooms.
Ingredients
tender green loofah (scrape off skin, wash, cut into 6 cm segments, score in orchid pattern)
500 g
canned mushrooms (sliced)
50 g
fine salt
3 g
sesame oil
3 g
MSG
2 g
cornstarch slurry
4 g
peanut oil (about 35 g actually used)
300 g
water (for cooking)
150 g
Instructions
1
Prepare the ingredients
Choose a loofah about thumb-thick, scrape off the outer skin, wash and cut into 6 cm long segments, then score in an orchid-knife pattern; slice the mushrooms and set aside.
2
Cook the dish
Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil and heat to about 60% hot, briefly pass the loofah through the oil, then immediately remove and drain off the oil. Leave a little oil in the hot wok, add the mushroom slices and stir-fry briefly, add 150 g water and bring to a boil, add the loofah along with the fine salt and MSG, and cook until well-flavored. Remove the loofah and mushrooms and arrange them in a serving dish. Thicken the remaining sauce in the wok with the cornstarch slurry to a thin, glossy consistency, drizzle in the sesame oil, and pour it over the loofah.
