Thick white wood ear · Chicken strips · Colourful sweet peppers
Rehydrate and fully cook jade wood ear, then stir-fry it with thin chicken strips and colourful sweet peppers. Use 12 g dried wood ear from a 180 g pack, with soaking and pre-cooking clearly included.
Times are estimates and some preparation can overlap cooking. Check that fungi are soft throughout and use the doneness checks in the method; thicker ingredients or smaller pans may take longer. If using frozen chicken, thaw in the fridge following the pack first; allow extra thawing time.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Pick over and rinse 12 g dried jade wood ear. Cover in a roomy bowl with about 500 ml lukewarm drinking water, approximately 30–40°C. Following the pack, soak for 15–30 minutes until the lobes open and are soft throughout. Check and continue as needed, without leaving it at room temperature for prolonged periods; if preparation must wait, cover and move to a fridge at 5°C or below. Discard soaking water, rinse each lobe and tear into 3–4 cm pieces. This is thick white wood ear, not frilly snow fungus; expansion or colour does not prove it is cooked. Drain, cover with about 1 litre fresh water, bring to the boil and maintain a gentle boil for 40–60 minutes following the pack, until even thick parts are cooked and tender to bite. Top up with boiling water if low. Drain; the final stir-fry cannot replace this cooking stage.
Fully thaw chicken, cut into strips about 4 cm long and 5 mm thick and do not wash it. Mix with 5 ml soy and 3 g cornflour, cover and refrigerate for 10 minutes. Deseed and cut peppers, shred ginger and slice garlic. Clean raw-chicken boards and tools before touching cooked food.
Heat 15 ml oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and fry ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds. Cook chicken strips in a single layer in batches for about 4–6 minutes, turning, then add peppers for about 2–3 minutes. Batch if crowded so pieces can cook evenly.
Add cooked wood ear, the remaining 10 ml soy and 30 ml water. Stir-fry for about 1–2 minutes until hot throughout with cooked but still crisp peppers. Use a clean probe to confirm 75°C for 30 seconds in the thickest chicken strips. Continue cooking and recheck if needed; surface colour alone is insufficient. Serve immediately with rice.
Light soy sauce usually contains soya and wheat (gluten). The Xianyitang pack states that it is packed in a facility also handling peanuts, tree nuts, sesame and soya. Check every actual ingredient label.
Keep raw chicken and rehydrated fungi refrigerated at 5°C or below; follow chicken pack instructions. Separate raw and cooked utensils and clean hands and tools after handling raw chicken. Divide cooked leftovers into shallow containers, cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 48 hours or freeze. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
