The recipe.

Here's what my wok cooked up this week:

Stir-Fried Pork, Mushrooms, and Carrots

6 dried shiitake mushrooms

8 ounces lean pork or chicken

1 tsp. dry sherry

1.5 tsp. cornstarch

.5 tsp. soy sauce

.5 tsp. sesame oil

1.25 tsp. salt

.5 tsp. sugar

2 T. vegetable or peanut oil

1.5 tsp. minced garlic

2 cups shredded Napa cabbage

2 cups julienned celery

1 cup julienned carrots

.5 cup canned shredded bamboo shoots, rinsed

.5 cup thinly sliced scallions

.25 tsp. ground white pepper

1. In a medium bowl soak the mushrooms in .5 cup cold water 30 minutes or until softened.  Drain and squeeze dry.  Cut off and discard the stems and thinly slice the caps.  Set aside.  Cut the pork/chicken into 2 inch wide strips. Put the strips into a shallow bowl and add the sherry, cornstarch, soy sauce, sesame oil, .25 tsp. salt, and .25 tsp. sugar.

2. Heat a flat-bottomed wok over high heat.  Swirl in 1 T. of vegetable oil and add the pork/chicken, spreading it evenly in the wok.  Cook undisturbed for 20 seconds, letting the meat begin to brown.  Then, stir-fry with a spatula separating the pieces until the meat is browned but still slightly rare.  Transfer to a plate or bowl.

3.  Swirl the remaining 1 T. of oil into the wok, add the garlic, and stir-fry 5 seconds or until the garlic is fragrant.  Add the cabbage, celery, carrots, bamboo shoots, scallions, and sliced mushrooms and stir-fry 2-3 minutes or until the cabbage and celery are just limp. Stir in the meat, pepper and the remaining 1 tsp. of salt and .25 tsp. of sugar, and stir-fry 1 minute or until the meat is cooked through.

Serves 4.

Taken from The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson