Karl’s Beech and Oyster Mushroom Stir-fry

Eilene does not like mushrooms. I usually make a separate dish with the mushrooms for everybody else. Today, I am making a slow roasted pork shoulder and thought a mushroom stir-fry with beech and oyster mushrooms would be nice.

There are many possible ways to sauce this dish. I decided on black bean sauce as the base sauce and then I decided to throw in some black pepper sauce. There are several base sauces you can buy at any Asian store—black bean (Douchi), chili bean (Toban djan), chili garlic, hoisin, Sichuan spicy noodle, sweet bean (Tianmianjiang) sauces, etc. While you may simply use just one of these sauces in your dish, it is far more common to combine them to make a unique blend that pleases you.

Note: Most final sauces may also contain one or more of these ingredients—black vinegar, chili oil, light and/or dark soy sauce, sesame oil,  shaoxing, and fresh garlic and/or fresh ginger.

After Dinner Note: I had used two tablespoons of the black bean sauce. Black beans are very salty and, as a result, the dish turned out way too salty. I have reduced the amount  for this posting.

Karl’s Beech and Oyster Mushroom Stir-fry

Ingredients

Sauce

1 Tbs. black bean garlic sauce
1 Tbs. black pepper sauce
1+ Tbs. shaoxing, separate uses
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, slivered into fine matchsticks
2 tsp. light soy sauce
1 tsp. dark soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbs. peanut oil
8 oz. oyster mushrooms
8 oz. Beech mushrooms
5 green onions, sliced into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 Tbs. garlic, sliced into coins

Directions

1. Measure the sauce ingredients into a small bowl and set it aside.

Tip: It is usually a good idea to have your sauces measured and ready when you are cooking Chinese dishes. In the middle of a stir fry, you do not really have time to fuss around with measuring spoons.

2. Heat the oil in a pan or wok until shimmering.

3. Add the mushrooms and the white parts of the green onions.

Note: Tear any large mushrooms into smaller pieces.

4. After a quick stir to coat them with the oil, let them sit and fry for 1-2 minutes.

Tip: You want to get a good sear on the mushrooms. Knocking them about will only cause the moisture in them to escape and you will end up with steamed mushrooms.

5. Give the mushrooms a quick toss and continue frying for another 1-2 minutes.

Tip: Use a pair of chopsticks to turn over any mushrooms that ended up on the first side.

6. Pull the mushrooms to the sides of the pan and add the garlic to the hole in the center.

7. Sauté the garlic until fragrant, about one minute.

8. Deglaze the pan with a splash of shaoxing, about a tablespoon, and stir the garlic into the mushrooms.

9. Add the green parts of the green onions and stir-fry for another minute.

10. Add the sauce mixture to the pan.

11. Continue stir-frying until the sauce has thicken and coated the mushrooms, another 1-2 minutes.

12. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately.