Home cooking · Xianyitang dried ingredients
Tender lily bulb pieces meet crisp celery, toasted cashews and a few red goji berries in a lightly seasoned side dish. Rehydrate and pre-cook the dried lily bulbs before the final stir-fry, keeping the pieces intact.
Times are estimates and include the soaking, proofing or chilling stated below. Some preparation can overlap. Check the ingredient and finished-dish conditions described in the method.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Discard any spoiled pieces and gently rinse 25 g dried lily bulbs. Cover with about 600 ml cold drinking water for roughly 45–60 minutes until pliable without a dry hard centre. Thickness affects the time. If needed, change the water and continue covered in the fridge rather than soaking for a long time at room temperature. Discard the water, rinse gently and drain.
Put the hydrated pieces in a pan with about 800 ml fresh water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 15–25 minutes or longer until the thickest pieces cut easily and are cooked and tender inside, while retaining their shape. Top up with hot water if needed, then drain. Dried bulbs need more preparation than briefly stir-frying fresh bulbs.
Wash and de-string celery and slice diagonally about 5 mm thick. Briefly rinse and drain the goji berries. Use unsalted roasted cashews labelled ready to eat. Mix 3 g cornflour with 30 ml cold water and stir again immediately before adding.
Warm the oil over medium heat and cook garlic for about 20 seconds. Add celery and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add 60 ml water, cover for around 2 minutes until hot and slightly tender with some bite. Add cooked lily bulbs, goji berries and salt and turn gently for 1–2 minutes. Stir in the slurry and bring to the boil until glossy and lightly coating.
Add the roasted cashews and toss for about 30 seconds until hot, then serve. Adding them last helps retain their texture. The sauce should lightly coat rather than form a thick paste; loosen with a little water and bring back to the boil if needed.
Contains cashew nuts and celery. The Xianyitang dried-ingredient packs state that they are packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check the actual labels of every brand used.
Cool promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours. Eat within 48 hours; cashews soften during storage. Reheat only once until hot throughout.
