Spicy Stir-Fried Button Mushrooms with Peppers

Spicy Stir-Fried Button Mushrooms with Peppers

Ingredients

• 500g button mushrooms
• 3 screw peppers (green chili peppers)
• 1-2 red chili peppers
• a small handful wood ear mushrooms
• to taste minced garlic
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions

1. Soak wood ear mushrooms in advance. Once rehydrated, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the wood ear mushrooms, and cook for 2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Drain and set aside. This recipe uses pre-blanched wood ear mushrooms — raw wood ear mushrooms may not cook through with a quick stir-fry, so blanching is essential.
2. Slice the button mushrooms and cut the peppers into sections.
3. Prepare the minced garlic.
4. Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok and stir-fry the peppers over medium-high heat until lightly blistered (tiger-skin effect), then remove and set aside. I prefer the charred, blistered peppers for extra flavor — if you prefer crisp, fresh peppers, skip this step.
5. Add oil to the wok, and once hot, add the sliced mushrooms. Stir-fry over high heat until they turn golden and soften, then add the minced garlic and toss until fragrant.
6. Add 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce and continue stir-frying until the mushrooms release all their liquid.
7. Add the blistered peppers and blanched wood ear mushrooms, along with 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce. Continue stir-frying. For a lighter flavor, you can omit the oyster sauce.
8. Stir-fry until all the mushroom liquid has reduced and the sauce is dry. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then serve.