SERVES 2 TO 3 AS A MAIN COURSE 4 TO 5 AS PART OF A MULTICOURSE MEAL
This is a pretty, lemony dish for summer, with its tumble of red and yellow cherry or pear tomatoes and jade green cucumber.
Look for cucumbers that are seedless and unwaxed. Lemon cucumbers, Japanese cucumbers, Kirbys, or Armenians all have wonderful flavor in the warm months; in the cold months, the slimmer so-called English hydroponics will do.
All of the preparations can be done in advance, leaving only the brief cooking for the last minute.
Tree ears are one of the most intriguing oddities of the Chinese kitchen. An ear-shaped fungus harvested from the forest, they range from coal-black to silver-white, from dime-size to Frisbee-size, and from beautifully thin and translucent to the texture of an old rubber tire. They are virtually tasteless but for a light smokiness, but the Chinese adore them and believe them to have a host of medicinal qualities, including the ability to quell high blood pressure. My idea of a grand retirement would be to write a thesis on tree ears!
I use the kind of small black tree ears found in plastic pouches in most all Chinese groceries. They always look puny and dusty in the bag, but will swell to about four times their size when soaked. For best flavor and texture, soak them in cold water. Use 2 cups water for every 2 tablespoons tree ears and soak until supple, about 20 minutes for the thin variety. After soaking, wash the tree ears in several changes of cold water to dislodge any grit and bits of the forest. Pluck off any woody knobs or weirdly gelatinous lumps. Tear larger tree ears into quarter-size pieces.
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 tablespoon China Moon Chili-Lemon Oil (page 12)
¾ pound boneless pork loin, cut against the grain into 2-inch ribbons ⅛ inch thick
AROMATICS:
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
3 tablespoons thinly sliced green and white scallion rings
2 teaspoons “goop” from China Moon Chili-Lemon Oil
SAUCE:
1½ cups China Moon Infusion (page 72), China Moon Double Stock (page 72), or unsalted chicken stock
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon mushroom soy sauce
1 tablespoon Serrano-Lemongrass Vinegar (page 19) or unseasoned Japanese rice vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
¼ cup hoisin sauce
1½ teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons dried tree ears
¼ pound seedless cucumbers
2 to 3 cups corn or peanut oil, for velveting and stir-frying
1 small red onion, cut into ¼-inch moons
¼ pound shiitake mushroom caps, cut into wedges
½ pound spinach leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons cold stock or water
1 rounded cup cherry or pear tomatoes, halved if large, or 8 pieces Oven-Dried Plum Tomatoes (page 36)
Finely julienned peel of ½ small scrubbed lemon
Diagonally cut green and white scallion rings, for garnish
1. In a bowl big enough to hold the pork, blend together all of the marinade ingredients through the chili oil until smooth. Add the pork and toss well. Seal and marinate for 3 to 4 hours at cool room temperature or refrigerate overnight. Let come to room temperature before cooking; toss to separate the ribbons.
2. Combine the aromatics in a small bowl and seal until ready to use.
3. Combine all of the sauce ingredients through the sugar in a small bowl. Stir to blend, leaving the spoon in the bowl. All the preparation to this point, including the vegetable cutting, may be done a day ahead. Seal and refrigerate the ingredients; bring to room temperature before cooking.
4. Soak the tree ears as directed in Tree Ear Basics (page 296). Cover with cold water until use; drain before cooking.
5. Cut lemon cucumbers into wedges. Cut Japanese cucumbers or other seedless varieties into diagonal coins ⅛-inch thick. Halve and seed English cucumbers; cut each half crosswise into moons. Do not peel the cucumbers unless they are waxed.
6. About 20 minutes before serving, velvet the pork following step 5 on page 295.
7. Return the wok or skillet to high heat until hot enough to sizzle a scallion ring. Reduce the heat to moderate and add the aromatics. Stir gently until fully fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds, adjusting the heat so they foam without browning. Add the onion and toss briskly until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the shiitake and the drained tree ears, and toss until hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust the heat to maintain a merry sizzle and drizzle a bit more oil down the side of the pan, if needed to prevent sticking. Add the spinach and the oven-dried plum tomatoes if using them; toss gently to mix.
8. Stir the sauce and add it to the pan. Raise the heat to high, cover the pan, and bring the sauce to a simmer. When the sauce simmers, stir the cornstarch mixture to recombine and add it to the pan. Stir until the sauce turns glossy and slightly thick, 10 to 20 seconds. Fold in the cherry tomatoes, lemon julienne, and pork ribbons, and toss gently until the pork is cooked through, about 10 seconds.
9. Serve immediately on heated plates or a platter of contrasting color. Garnish with a flurry of scallion rings.
Japanese cucumbers are a very slender and thin-skinned cucumber varietal with a discernibly sweet, fresh taste and no seeds. They are heads and shoulders above the comparatively vapid English, or hydroponic, cucumber. Look for them in a Japanese or farmer’s market. If you cannot find them, use Armenian cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, or other sweet farm varieties. Or, sigh deeply and use the ubiquitous English in their place.
MENU SUGGESTIONS: Served on top of a Pot-Browned Noodle Pillow (page 401) or alongside rice or a Pan-Fried Scallion-Chive Bread (page 382), this is a light, one-dish meal. Ears of steamed corn would be great accompaniments in summer; in winter, a dish of springrolls would be delicious.
