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Vegetable oil, for passing through
8 Chinese dried black mushrooms, soaked
in hot tap water
until softened, stems trimmed,
caps cut in half
⅓ cup canned
straw mushrooms, drained and cut in half lengthwise
⅓ cup sliced
fresh mushrooms
450g soft or silken bean curd, drained,
cut in half lengthwise, and
cut crosswise 5 times to get 12
pieces
1 scallion, white and green parts,
trimmed and sliced diagonally into
½-inch pieces
1½ cups plus 3 tablespoons chicken stock
or canned chicken broth
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
a pinch of sugar
a pinch of ground white pepper
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
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Method:
Heat a large wok over high heat.
Add enough oil to come about 1 inch up the sides of the wok, and heat
it to 180°C. Add the soaked mushrooms, straw mushrooms and fresh
mushrooms, and stir gently until the fresh mushrooms are soft and
light brown, about 1 minute. Using a smooth metal strainer,
transfer the mushrooms to a colander to drain. Carefully add the
bean curd to the wok, and pan-fry, barely moving the bean curd, until
it is light brown, about 30 seconds. Using a spatula, gently
turn the bean curd over, one or two pieces at a time, so as to avoid
breaking the pieces. Cook for 30 seconds. Using a smooth
metal strainer, transfer the bean curd to a shallow, smooth colander
to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the oil from the wok.
Return the wok with the oil to high heat. Add the scallion and
stir-fry for 10 seconds. Stir in the 1½ cups stock and the rice
wine. Then add the bean curd an dmushrooms, and bring to a
simmer. Meanwhile, mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and
white pepper in a small bowl; add to the boiling liquid. Reduce
the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, uncovered, for 3 minutes.
Add the peas and cook for 30 seconds. Dissolve the cornstarch in
the remaining 3 tablespoons stock in a small bowl. Add to the
wok and cook until the sauce thickens, about 30 seconds. Add the
sesame oil, and serve immediately. Note that fragile silken bean
curd requires gently handling, or it will break into little messy
pieces. To open a package of silken bean curd, use a sharp knife
or scissors to cut through the paper on all four sides. Discard
the paper, and gently tilt the package to drain off the water.
Invert a plate over the top of the package, and quickly invert the
package and plate together; remove the packaging. The bean curd
will sit whole on the plate, ready to be cut up. The bean curd
will continue to give off water, so it must be drained again before it
is cooked - just hold the bean curd and tilt the plate to drain off
the water. Choose the utensil used to remove the bean curd from
the wok carefully. A shallow, smooth strainer made from fine
wire mesh works well, but the typical wide wire-mesh strainer may cut
into the bean curd and break it.
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