In this recipe, I am going to show you how easy it is to make a delicious pork stir-fry using tender pork loin and using canned bamboo shoots and dried black fungus, also known as cloud ear fungus or wood fungus.
If you have been following me, you would have seen that I have used black fungus in my last recipe – chicken stir-fry. The difference is that last week I used the fresh black fungus, which I managed to find at my local fruit and vegetable supermarket. That was the first time I have bought it fresh in a punnet that cost $4.99 in Australian dollars. Since then, I bought a packet of dried black fungus at an Asian supermarket after finding out that eating black fungus has health benefits, especially for people who have high blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol. It’s not that I have either one of this health issue, but I like to share with you that it is good for you. I usually use shiitake mushrooms if I want to add mushrooms in my Chinese dish because it is meatier and has a stronger flavour. But, I enjoy the black fungus for it’s rubbery, chewy and jelly-like texture making the dish more interesting.
In this recipe – pork stir-fry – garlic and ginger were used to flavour the dish in addition to the standard Chinese sauces. I added chilli bean paste to give the dish a spicier flavour, which is a personal preference. I sliced the black fungus into thin strips, just like the pork loin and used canned bamboo shoots in strips so my dish has the same consistency with thinly sliced ingredients.
Below is my home recipe of a pork stir-fry with bamboo shoots and dried black fungus in spicy chili sauce, which you can also print out. However, if you prefer to watch how I make it, you can catch up on my video by visiting my YouTube channel. Remember to SUBSCRIBE if you enjoy watching my videos. Cheers!
How to make pork stir-fry with vegetables
- Servings: 4
- Difficulty: easy
- Rating: ★★★★★
Ingredients
- 1 pork loin (about 360gm)
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 thumb size fresh ginger
- 1 cup canned bamboo shoots (in strips)
- 1/2 cup dried black fungus / cloud ear fungus
- 1 egg
- light soy
- Chinkiang black vinegar
- Chinese cooking wine
- sesame oil
- chili bean paste
- corn starch
- chicken stock
- salt and sugar
Directions
- Soak dried black fungus in hot water for at least 30 minutes to reconstitute the fungus. Then drain the water, wash and rub any dirt off each of the fungus under running tap water or in a bowl of clean water. Dry on kitchen paper towel then slice into thin strips. Discard any woody stem bit of the fungus
- Slice the pork loin into thin strips. Marinade with 1 teaspoon light soy, 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 teaspoon corn starch, a pinch of salt and 1 egg white for 1 hour
- Open the canned bamboo shoots. Drain and wash the bamboo shoots under cold tap water. Set aside 1 cup to use. If there is any remaining bamboo shoots, cover with cling wrap. It should keep in the fridge for 2 days
- Slice the ginger into thin strips. Set aside
- Mince the garlic. Set aside
- Prepare the sauce in a bowl by mixing 1 cup chicken stock with 2 tablespoons Chinese cooking wine, 2 tablespoons Chinkiang black vinegar, 1 teaspoon light soy, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon corn starch, a pinch of salt (adjust to taste). Set aside. Note that some Chinese chili bean paste is already salty
- Heat a cup of cooking oil in a hot wok or pan. Once the oil is hot, toss in ginger first, follow by garlic and then the chili bean paste. Stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant
- Add the marinated pork. Spread out evenly and leave undisturbed for 30 seconds. Then stir-fry a few times before adding the bamboo shoots and reconstituted black fungus. Stir fry for 1 minute before adding the sauce mixture. Mix through evenly and stir fry for another minute or so until pork is cooked then turn off the heat
- Remove and plate the dish