Wood Ear Mushroom & Velveted Chicken Stirfry. If you like Wood Ear Mushrooms, you’ll absolutely love this dish! It’s simple to make, nutritious and works beautifully with a bowl of hot rice. Wood Ear Mushrooms are very popular in Chinese homecooking. (They’re also used in Korea’s Japchae Noodles). These mushrooms are very crunchy and add a nice contrast to soft veggies in stir-fries. Try ’em out!
You can find Wood Ear Mushrooms at most Asian markets. They are sold dried, so you’ll need to soak them in water before cooking.
For this dish, we will also velvet chicken. Velveting is a Chinese technique that keeps meat incredibly tender and juicy – the process locks in the chicken’s natural juices. It involves blanching the chicken in hot water (or oil) for a brief period of time. But if you’re running low on time… skip it!
Few cooking notes:
- If you’re running low on time, no need to velvet the chicken – simply stir-fry with the mushrooms
- Feel free swap out any mushroom with local ones
- If the stir-fry sauces thickens too much – simply add in a few drizzles of water
- Serving size: 2 people
That’s it folks! Bookmark this recipe – after you taste it, you’ll be back for more… 🕺
Note: The original recipe is from Shao Z. at Serious Eats (props to her!)
Ingredients
- 250 grams Chicken Breast
- 1/4 cup Dried Wood Ear Mushroom
- 2 Shiitake Mushrooms (Or use any local mushroom)
- 1 handful of Oyster Mushrooms (Or use any local mushroom)
For Velveting Chicken
- 1 Tablespoon Egg White
- 2 teaspoons (!) Corn Starch (Or Potato Starch)
- 2 teaspoons (!) Mirim (Or any cooking wine)
- 2 big pinches of Salt
Stir-Fry Sauce
- 1 teaspoon (!) Corn Starch (Or Potato Starch)
- 1 teaspoon (!) Sesame Oil
- 2 teaspoons (!) Oyster Sauce
- 1 teaspoon (!) Soy Sauce
- 1 clove of Garlic
- 2 Tablespoons of Water
Instructions
Velvet chicken
- Cut chicken breasts into thin slices. Crack an egg and separate the yolk - we'll only use the white. Place the egg white into a small bowl and whisk it. Then scoop out (1 Tablespoon) of the egg-white and place into a mixing bowl. To this, add Corn Starch (2 teaspoons), Mirim (2 teaspoons) and Salt (2 big pinches). Give it a thorough mix. Then add in the chicken and mix - get it evenly coated.
Prep Ingredients
- Place dried Wood Ear Mushrooms into warm water. Let it rehydrate for 15 minutes. Next, slice Shiitake Mushroom into small pieces. Then, trim the ends of the oyster mushrooms and separate the bundles with your hands.
- Make Stir-Fry Sauce: Mix Corn Starch (1 teaspoon), Sesame Oil (1 teaspoon), Oyster Sauce (2 teaspoons), Soy Sauce (1 teaspoon), Mince 1 clove of Garlic, and Water (2 Tablespoons)
- Now, let's check back on the wood ear mushrooms. They should have blossomed - and be much larger in size. Use a pair of kitchen scissors and snip off the small hard stems in the middle. If the mushroom are very big, split them in half as well.
Blanche Chicken
- Fill a small pot or wok with water. Add-in a drizzle of vegetable oil. Give the coated chicken another mix. Then carefully add it to the boiling water. Mix the chicken pieces around with your chopstick so they don't stick. Then boil for only 40 seconds. Drain the water through a sieve. Set the chicken aside for now.
Do Stir-fry
- Place wok on a medium-high heat. Add a few Tablespoons of vegetable oil into the frying pan. Once its hot, add the Shiitake and Oyster mushrooms in. Season them with a few pinches of salt (DON'T FORGET!). Then stir-fry for 2 minutes - you want the moisture in the mushrooms to cook-out. Now add in the Wood Ear Mushroom. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Then, empty the cooked mushrooms into a bowl and clean out the wok with a paper towel.
- Next, we'll cook the chicken: Place in a few tablespoons of cooking oil. Once it's hot, add the blanched chicken in. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Then add the cooked mushrooms back in. Next, add in the stir-fry sauce. Stir-fry everything for a final 30 seconds. (Note: If the sauce thickens too much - simply add in some water).
- Serve with a bowl of hot rice - enjoy!
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