Stir-fried pork with water bamboo and wood ear
Early-autumn water bamboo at its most tender, sliced and quickly stir-fried with wood ear and pork — crisp, clean-tasting and light on oil, it cools and goes well with rice.
- 25 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Damp-heat types have oily skin, a bitter taste and bad breath and are prone to spots, and Bailu's days are still hot, so damp heat lingers. Water bamboo is in season and clears heat, eases restlessness and drains damp; wood ear cools the blood and moistens, and lean pork nourishes without heaviness. Stir-fried with little oil and served with brown rice, it cools without upsetting the stomach.
Method
Prep 15 min · Cook 10 min- 1Soak the wood ear in water for 20 minutes until swollen and trim off the hard bits. Peel the water bamboo, shave off the tough outer layer and slice thinly on the diagonal; slice the carrot.
- 2Mix the pork with the soy sauce and cornflour and leave for 10 minutes.
- 3Heat the oil, fry the ginger and chopped garlic until fragrant, then stir-fry the pork until it changes colour and lift out.
- 4Add the water bamboo, carrot and wood ear to the wok and stir-fry over a high heat for 2 minutes, adding a splash of water, until the water bamboo is just cooked.
- 5Return the pork, season with salt, toss in the spring onion cut into lengths and serve with brown rice.
Cautions
- Water bamboo is cold, so go easy if your digestion is weak or you get loose stools.
Chef's tips
- Pick plump, smooth, ivory-white stems for the most tender water bamboo; shave off the tough outer layer and slice thinly on the diagonal so it cooks quickly and stays crisp.
The TCM view
Water bamboo is sweet and cold, entering the liver, spleen and lungs, clearing heat, easing restlessness and thirst and freeing both bowels and bladder — the Bencao Shiyi says it 'removes vexing heat and stops thirst'. Wood ear is sweet and neutral, cooling the blood and moistening dryness; lean pork nourishes yin without heaviness; carrot aids digestion; brown rice strengthens the spleen and drains damp.
