Recipe: Stir-Fried Wild Mushrooms with Snap Peas in Oyster Sauce

Stir-Fried Wild Mushrooms with Snap Peas in Oyster Sauce
Source: Cooking Live, recipe courtesy of Nina Simonds
alt.cooking-chien/Kazuaki/1999

1 pound snap peas, strings removed (I blanched & refreshed the peas)
1 teaspoon canola or corn oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 pound each of shiitake, oyster, and cremini mushrooms

Oyster Sauce, mixed together
3 1/2 tablespoons good quality oyster sauce (I recommend Lee Kum Kee premium - boy and woman in boat)
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine or sake
1 1/4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil (Using the toasted oil makes a real difference in taste. Highly recommended if you can find it.)
1/2 cup chicken broth or water
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 1/2 teaspoons canola or corn oil

Cut mushrooms on the diagonal into quarters, depending on the size.

Blanch & refresh the snap peas. Prepare 1 tablespoon garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger and set aside. Heat a wok or skillet until very hot, add 1 teaspoon oil until hot. Add snap peas, 1 tablespoon garlic, rice wine and salt, toss lightly for about 1 1/2 minutes until peas are just tender. Remove from pan and set aside.

Reheat the pan adding the remaining oil until very hot. Add 1 tablespoon garlic and 1 tablespoon ginger and stir-fry about 10 seconds until fragrant.

Add the mushrooms and toss lightly over high heat for about 1 minute.

Add the oyster sauce toss lightly to thicken, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Arrange the mushrooms inside a ring of snap peas on a platter.

I liked the oyster sauce stir fry sauce so much that I have taken to making it in batches and storing it in the refrigerator for use on almost anything. It's my "Essence." I don't know how it will keep in the refrigerator. I toss after a week.