Bacon and shiitake mushrooms are cooked with hearty stem-lettuce leaves in this simple stir-fry from Lillian Chou. This recipe first appeared with the 2015 SAVEUR 100 item Raid the Asian Market.
Stir-Fried Celtuce Tops with Mushrooms (Xianggu Chao Wosun Ye)
Bacon and shiitake mushrooms are cooked with hearty stem-lettuce leaves in this simple stir-fry from Lillian Chou.
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 lb. celtuce (stem lettuce) with leaves, stalks discarded or reserved for another use
- 2 tbsp. light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. shaoxing jiu (Chinese rice wine)
- 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1⁄2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 slice bacon, minced
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 (1″) piece leek, white part only, minced
- 8 large shiitake mushroom caps, halved
Instructions
- Chop leaves into 2″ pieces. Stir soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl; set sauce aside. Heat a 14″ flat-bottomed wok over medium-high. Cook bacon until fat is rendered, 1–2 minutes. Add oil and leek; cook until soft, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms; cook until soft, 1–2 minutes. Add reserved leaves; cook until wilted, 1–2 minutes. Stir in reserved sauce; boil until thickened, about 1 minute more.