Stir-Fried Corn without Pine Nuts
没有松仁的玉米 · pan chinese cuisine
This home-style dish plays on the classic corn-and-pine-nut stir-fry but skips the pine nuts. The author notes regular white sugar works fine in place of rock sugar, which was used only because that was what was on hand.
Lucia FerrariMilanese living in Chicago. I will die on the hill that carbonara has no cream. Sunday ragù takes six hours and I wouldn't change a thing.Nutrition & allergens
No supported allergens detected from surveyed ingredients.
Per serving (4 servings)
- Energy (kcal)
- Unknown
- Protein (g)
- Unknown
- Fat (g)
- Unknown
- Carbs (g)
- Unknown
- Sodium (mg)
- 19.5(Main ingredients only; seasoning not counted)
Estimated from verified ingredient data for the original formula — not lab values, and one dish is not a full meal.
Techniques you'll use
- Blanching (chao shui) ↗
Par-cook in boiling water to clean, tighten, or prep ingredients.
- Aromatic blooming (bao xiang) ↗
Bloom ginger, garlic, and chili in hot oil to build the aroma base.
- Stir-frying ↗
Cook small pieces in stages, then bring them together while their textures are distinct.
- Starch thickening (gou qian) ↗
Thicken sauce so it clings to every piece.
Steps
- 1
Step 1
Rinse, peel, and dice the carrot.
✅ Done when: The carrot is fully peeled and cut into even, small dice.
Blanch the corn kernels in boiling hot water.
✅ Done when: The corn kernels are heated through and glisten after their hot-water blanch.
- 3
Step 3
Drain the corn and rinse it under cold water.
✅ Done when: The kernels are cool to the touch and no longer steaming.
Add oil to a cold pan, then add the diced carrot and stir-fry until the oil takes on color from the carrot.
✅ Done when: The oil in the pan turns orange-tinged from the cooking carrot.
Add the corn kernels and stir-fry, then add water.
✅ Done when: The corn and carrot are evenly combined and sizzling in the pan.
Add rock sugar (regular white sugar works fine) and once it has melted, pour in the starch water to thicken the sauce.
✅ Done when: The sugar has fully melted and the sauce coats the kernels with a light, glossy glaze.
- 7
Step 7
Plate and serve.
✅ Done when: The dish is glazed and evenly mixed, ready to be served.