Innovation is a virtue in Hong Kong cuisine and chefs there are quick to adopt non-traditional vegetables in their repertoire. In this case, we find broccoli, flown in fresh daily from California, and baby corn, flown in from Thailand. Put them together with traditional Chinese seasonings and flavourings and you have a colourful blend of East and West – so easy to prepare in your wok and serve as a side dish. If you use dark soy sauce instead of oyster sauce, this dish is perfect for vegetarians.
| East meets West |
| Preparation time 40 minutes |
| Serves 4 |
450 g (1 lb) (2 heads) broccoli
225 g (8 oz) (1 cup) baby corn
4 tablespoons Chinese dried mushrooms
1½ tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce or dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 Separate the broccoli heads into small florets, then peel and slice the stems. Blanch the broccoli pieces and baby corn in a large pan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes and then immerse them in cold water. Drain thoroughly.
2 Soak the mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then drain them and squeeze out the excess liquid. Remove and discard the stems and finely shred the caps.
3 Heat a wok or large frying pan over a high heat and add the oil. When it is very hot and slightly smoking, add the broccoli, corn and mushrooms and stir-fry for 3 minutes.
4 Add the salt, pepper, sugar, rice wine or dry sherry, light soy sauce and oyster sauce or dark soy sauce and continue to stir-fry at a moderate to high heat for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly heated through. Add the sesame oil and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then transfer to a warm platter and serve at once.