Bamboo Shoot and Chicken Stir-Fry in Ketchup and Soy Sauce Based Seasonings

If you can find super fresh bamboo shoot, that's great. However, if you are using the pre-boiled version or even cooked plus frozen version, just remember to squeeze out as much liquid as possible before stir-frying.

Bamboo shoot and chicken stir-fry in ketchup and soy sauce based seasonings - 

Ingredients?

• 2 bamboo shoots
• 200 grams chicken tenders
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 string scallion

Chicken marinade:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon grated garlic
• 1/8 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon granulated sugar

How?

Remove the tendons from the chicken tenders. Slice the chicken to thicker and wider pieces. Just try your best there, it doesn't have to be master chef quality. Use the ingredients listed under the "chicken marinade" section to massage in and marinate the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes.

Peel the garlic. Scrape-off the skin for a chunk of ginger. Grate these two till you get about 1/4 teaspoon of grated garlic and 1/8 teaspoon of grated ginger. Mix both of that together with other ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Set aside for later use.

Peel and trim the bamboo shoots if you're using the fresh kind. Slice into long and wider pieces, also about 1 to 1.5 mm in thickness. Sometimes you can get a nice triangular shaped bamboo shoot slices, but not much luck there for my bunch.

If using pre-boiled version, slice the bamboo shoot, try to squeeze out and pat dry any liquid remain.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and switch to medium heat. Wait till warm then add in the chicken. Sear till both sides turn slightly golden brown. Scoop out first.

Still using the same pan, add more oil if it appears too dry. Use medium high heat this time and add in the bamboo shoot slices. Sear till some sides turn lightly browned.

Add back the chicken and give it a quick mix. Pour in pre-mixed sauce. Give it a few tosses till combined. Continue to cook till slightly reduced.

Plate the stir-fry ingredients. Chop or use a scissor to get some scallion bits as garnish on top.

If you're using fresh bamboo shoot then you'll get a much crunchier bite in the end. However, for pre-boiled version, if you really get the liquid out before cooking then you can still get a nice sear later on. That means you can also end with somewhat crunchy bite as a result.

Don't get disappointed if you were left with slightly soggy or soft bamboo shoot slices though. I think the sweet and savory seasonings can do a good job compensating any texture lost in the end. Overall it'll still be a flavorful dish, and goes really well with some steamed rice alongside. 

 

Extended reading:

• Bamboo shoot and pork stir-fry in spicy fermented bean paste seasoning 豆瓣竹筍炒松阪豬
• Summer vegetable curry

Cilantro and Beef Stir-Fry 香菜炒牛肉

Do you know that due to the genetic variation, certain population do not enjoy cilantro as most of the people do. It's like cilantro will actually taste similar to soap, which will make whichever dish using cilantro become weird and unpleasant. 

That I probably can't help at all. However, there's this one other herbal plant that can be used as a substitute for this recipe. I'm talking about dill, a very thin leafy plant that looks similar to the leafy part of a fennel. Taste-wise dill is quite aromatic and a bit grassy, making it a good candidate in this beef stir-fry recipe.

Cilantro and beef stir-fry 香菜炒牛肉 - 

Ingredients?

• 400 grams beef slices (tender part better)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 to 3 garlic cloves
• 1 red chili
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 bundle cilantro

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon potato starch
• 1/2 egg white
• 2 sprinkles white pepper powder

How?

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem and chop the red chili, use two red chilies if you can handle the heat. Destem and roughly chop the cilantro.

Mix all the ingredients listed under the "marinade" section. As for the 1/2 egg white, I mean the egg white from one single egg, and use just half of that. Add in the beef and massage in the marinade. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.

Have a wok ready and drizzle a bit more oil than usual for stir-fry dishes. I used 3 tablespoons. Switch to medium heat, or high heat if you are sure that you can cook these ingredients in a speedy way with precise timing.

Add in chopped garlic and red chili. Cook till aromatic but not burning the garlic bits.

Add in the beef along with its marinade. However, the marinade should be fully absorbed by the meat by this time. Give the beef a quick stir-fry and cook till about 70% cooked-through.

Add in 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and give the whole thing a quick mix. Toss in chopped cilantro. Give it a quick mix, it'll take less than 30 seconds here, plate and serve right away.

By the way, this recipe is more of a regular family style beef stir-fry, so we simply cook the beef along with other ingredients at the same time. However, if you have any similar dishes at the restaurant, they might use more oil and quickly stir-fry the beef first. Then they'll scoop out the beef, sear some aromatics, lastly add the beef back again.

I skipped that pre-cooking and re-adding process, especially I think that the final flavor is still pretty darn good. So why not save some troubles and make the housewife's life a little bit easier?

Extended reading:

• Pickled chilies and beef stir-fry 剁椒牛肉