中文菜谱：香菇肉燥

I made a batch of pork and shiitake mushroom meat sauce. It goes great with rice, noodles and stir-fry. I once even made Chinese version sloppy joes with it, and it turned out awesome too!

Shiitake is widely popular in Asian countries. I think it might be the most beloved mushroom there. The fresh ones have silky, smooth texture. They are my husband’s favorite. When cooked, they just melt in your mouth. The dried ones have more intense aroma because of the dehydration process. They are used in soup, porridge, and dumplings.

This recipe calls for dried shiitake mushrooms. They are available in every Asian grocery store. Yes, that is how much we love them.

Ingredients:

240 to 300g grounded pork shoulder
1 medium purple onion, peeled and minced
6 to 8dried shiitake mushrooms
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
1 slice of fresh ginger, minced
1/4 teaspoon five spice powder (available in Asian grocery store)
one pinch of white pepper powder
2 tablespoons cooking rice wine
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 to 1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 to 2 cups water
salt to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons oil for cooking

Directions:

Soak the dried shiitake mushrooms in water for at least 1 hour. Drain the water through a coffee filter or cheese cloth. Set the water aside for later use.

Chop mushrooms finely with a food processor.

Heat a wok over medium high heat. Add oil. Add garlic and ginger. When the garlic turns color, add ground pork. Stir fry over high heat for a couple minutes; add rice cooking wine and white pepper. Continue to stir fry until the pork is golden brown. About 4 to 6 minutes.

Add onion; cook until the onion turns transparent. Add shiitake mushroom, along with five spice powder, sugar, soy sauce and salt to taste. Stir fry for 1 minute; add water which is used to soak shiitake mushrooms and drained before.

When it comes to boil, cover with wok lid, and reduce the heat to simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.

Stir once in a while to prevent burning.