Tender pork strips, jade wood ear and carrot are coated in a tangy, lightly sweet garlic-chilli sauce. The pale ear pieces add a satisfying bite to this Chinese-style stir-fry, ideal for sharing with rice.
Times are estimates and include the stated soaking, preliminary cooking and waiting; check the stages described and allow longer when needed.
Recipe illustrations; measure ingredients using the written quantities.
Rinse the wood ear and submerge in at least 500 ml warm water for about 15–30 minutes. Unfold the pieces and check the thick parts have no dry, firm core. If needed, change to cold water and continue soaking, covered, in the fridge at 5°C or below. Discard the soaking water, rinse and trim hard bases.
Cover with fresh water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer steadily for 40–60 minutes, topping up with hot water as needed. Thick parts must be fully cooked and supple, with a little bite. Cook for another 10–15 minutes and check again if needed. Drain, cool just enough to handle and cut into roughly 5 mm strips. Soaking does not replace cooking.
As the wood ear finishes simmering, cut the pork on a separate board. Mix with 5 ml soy sauce, 15 ml water, 5 g cornflour and the freshly ground white pepper. Cover and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Clean hands, tools and surfaces. Separately mix 10 ml soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, 85 ml water and the remaining 5 g cornflour. Prepare the aromatics and carrot.
Heat 15 ml oil in a wide wok over medium-high heat. Spread out the pork and cook for about 4–6 minutes, in two batches if needed, until fully cooked. Check a thicker strip reaches 75°C for 30 seconds with a clean probe. Transfer to a clean plate, not the one used for raw pork.
Add the remaining 10 ml oil. Stir the bean paste over medium heat for about 30 seconds, then the ginger and garlic for about 20 seconds, without scorching. Add carrot and stir for 2–3 minutes until slightly softened, then add the cooked wood ear and pork. Stir the sauce again and pour it in. Toss at a gentle bubble for about 1–2 minutes until the cornflour is cooked and the sauce lightly coats everything. Add spring onion, taste and serve hot with rice.
Contains soya; soy sauce and bean paste may contain wheat. Check the actual labels. 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.
Follow the pork’s chilled storage instructions and separate raw and cooked utensils. If holding pre-cooked wood ear, cool promptly in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours. Do the same with leftovers, keeping them at 5°C or below and eating within 48 hours or freezing. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout.
