Mu shu vegetable rolls
I first was introduced to mu shu pork at Joyce Chen’s Cambridge restaurant years ago. Since then I have tasted many a mu shu, and it still remains one of my favorites, but these days I prefer a vegetarian version, such as the dish below.
3 1/2 cups Chinese garlic chives, cut into 1 inch lengths (or substitute leeks, cleaned, ends trimmed, and cut into thin julienne shreds)
¼ cup dried wood ears, softened in hot water to cover for 20 minutes, drained, hard ends removed, and cut into thin julienne strips
3/4 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, rinsed, drained, and cut into thin slices
5 cups julienned Napa cabbage (stem and leafy shreds separated)
2 tbsp canola or corn oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tbsp rice wine or sake
Seasonings
3 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Sauce (mixed together)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine or sake
1 tsp sugar
1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cornstarch
Accompaniments
24 spring roll skins, lumpia wrappers, Mandarin pancakes, or flour tortillas, separated, folded into quarters, and steamed for 10 minutes
3/4 cup hoisin sauce, mixed with 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2½ tablespoons water in a serving dish
Method
1. Prepare the Seasonings and vegetables, and set by the stove.
2. Heat a pan, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, and heat until hot. Add the beaten egg and stir-fry over high heat to scramble, then remove to a plate.
3. Add the other tablespoon of oil, heat until very hot, and add the Seasonings. Stir-fry for 10 seconds, until fragrant, then add the chives or leeks, wood ears, and mushrooms. Toss lightly over high heat for 1 1/2 minutes, then add the cabbage stem shreds, and continue to stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Add the rice wine and leafy cabbage shreds, and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Return the cooked egg to the pan, stir, then add the Sauce. Toss lightly to thicken it, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Scoop the food onto a serving platter.
4. To eat, each diner arranges a wrapper on a plate, smears a tablespoon of the hoisin mixture over a wrapper, and spoons some of the stir-fried mixture on top. Roll it up, tucking the ends in, and eat immediately.
Taken from Nina Simonds’s book “A Spoonful of Ginger” with permission. © Nina Simonds. Published by Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. ISBN 0-375-40036-2.
