Based on a dish I had out recently. You can adjust the ginger to your liking, and if you run hot water over the ginger if will mitigate some of the heat while leaving the gingery flavor behind. Although the recipe looks long, it is a quick and flexible dish to make. Add beef or tofu to the sauté if you wish, and serve with rice.
INGREDIENTS:
2 head mei-quin, leaves removed and shredded, stalks cut into thin slivers lengthwise, kept separate 2-3 carrots, cleaned, split lengthwise and thinly sliced (1/8th inch) on a long diagonal 3-4 celery stalks, trimmed and cleaned, thinly sliced (1/8th inch) on a long diagonal 4 green onions, trimmed, greens and whites separated, sliced thinly on a long diagonal 1 piece of young fresh ginger*, 1 x 2½-inches, peeled (to peel ginger, just use the top of a butter knife or edge of a spoon to simple scrape away the skin. Anything will do, really, I have even used a nickel once. Just don’t try a peeler…) and cut into julienne-1/8th x 1/8th x 2½ inches ¼ medium yellow onion, cut through root, sliced lengthwise radially into ¼-inch slices -Optional- 1 green bell pepper cored and sliced into ¼-inch lengths 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablespoons nam pla (fish sauce) ** 2 tablespoons black bean sauce 1 tablespoon white vinegar or rice vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar or agave syrup 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons cornstarch Water as needed Oil as needed-grapeseed, peanut, sunflower, or other neutral flavored high heat tolerant oilMETHOD:
Taste a strip of ginger. If very hot, you may decide to use less ginger, or pour hot water over it to mitigate the heat yet allow for lots of ginger flavor in the dish. Your choice.
Mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water and form a slurry. Using your finger is actually one of the easiest ways to mix this. Reserve near the stove.
Heat a very large pan or wok over medium high. When the pan is very hot, film it with oil and get it very hot. When just about smoking, add the carrots and cook, stirring to prevent burning. Add a splash of water so the carrots soften.
Make a well in the center of the pan, add a little oil and wait for it to get hot. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds or so, then add the ginger and onion. Stir to soften a little. The dish should be fragrant now.
Raise the heat to high. Add the celery, scallion whites, mei-quin stalks, bell per if using and stir-fry 5 minutes. Add the scallion and mei-quin greens and toss to combine. Add the nam pla, vinegar, sweetener, and black bean sauce, and stir well into the rest of the ingredients. Cook one minute, then stir the slurry and add to the pan. Toss and stir. Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes more so the sauce thickens, then serve.
Chef’s Notes: *Look for bright colored skin that looks pale and soft. Check any cut ends for threads, which signify older ginger, and smell it. Fresh young ginger has a floral smell as well as the signature gingery aroma. The flavor is brighter, not as “hot” typically, had a lot of depth to it.
**Nam pla is also known as nuoc mam in Vietnamese cooking, and either will do. If you are buying your first bottle, do a little research. A lot of cheap nam pla does not taste very good. Off flavors and very, very salty. Bear in mind that this is not soy sauce, nor should it be used as such. Soy can sometimes be used where nam pla might be called for, but not the reverse. And it really does only take a few drops of nam pla to infuse a dish. Try to use more and you can ruin a meal.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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