Stir-fried Four Treasures

This is a simplified variation of the ‘Eight Precious Jewels’ dish, rather like the mixed vegetables you get in a frozen packet, but with a difference.

5-6 dried mushrooms (or ¼lb/100 g fresh mushrooms)
1/4 lb (100 g) baby corn (also known as dwarf or young corn)
1/4 lb (100 g) mange-touts peas
1/2 lb (225 g) carrots
3-4 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp rice wine or sherry (optional)
2 tsp light soy sauce

Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes. Squeeze them dry, discard the stalks, and cut the mushrooms into thin slices. If fresh baby corns are not available, use canned ones. Leave them whole if tiny, otherwise cut each one into 3-4 small diamond-shaped pieces. Wash, top and tail the mange-touts. Thinly slice the carrots diagonally.

Heat the oil in a hot wok or large frying pan. Stir-fry the carrots first, then the baby corn and mange-touts peas, and finally the mushrooms. After about 1 minute, add salt, sugar and wine. Continue stirring for another minute or so. Add the soy sauce and, if the vegetables dry out, a little water as well.

Serve as soon as all the liquid has evaporated.

© Deh-Ta Hsiung and reproduced with his kind permission.