Stir-fried beef with lotus root & wood-ear fungus
Crisp lotus root, silky wood-ear and tender beef stir-fried with ginger and onion — meat and veg on one plate.
- 30 min
- Serves 2
- Stir-fry
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis shows as a dull complexion, cold hands and period pain, and needs gentle, warm blood-moving food. Wood-ear, lotus root and vinegar disperse stasis, while onion and ginger warm the circulation — a piping-hot stir-fry suits the cooler Autumn Equinox evenings.
Method
Prep 20 min · Cook 10 min- 1Soak the wood-ear for 20 minutes until swollen and trim off the hard bits. Peel the lotus root, slice thinly and keep in water so it doesn't darken.
- 2Slice the beef thinly across the grain, mix with the soy sauce, sugar, cornflour and 1 tbsp water, then a little oil, and marinate for 15 minutes.
- 3Blanch the lotus root and wood-ear for 2 minutes and drain.
- 4Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the beef over high heat until 70% cooked, then set aside.
- 5In the same wok fry the ginger and onion until fragrant, add the lotus root and wood-ear for 2 minutes, return the beef, splash the vinegar round the edge of the wok, toss and serve with rice.
Cautions
- Wood-ear fungus has a blood-thinning effect — check with your doctor if you take anticoagulants such as warfarin, and go easy during heavy periods.
Chef's tips
- Choose lotus root with short, unbroken sections; soaking the slices keeps them white and crunchy.
The TCM view
Lotus root is sweet and cool, turning neutral when cooked, and disperses stasis and nourishes blood; wood-ear is sweet and neutral and moves blood; onion and ginger are pungent and warm and promote circulation; vinegar is sour, bitter and warm and disperses stasis; beef is sweet and warm and builds qi and blood. Slightly warm, it moves blood without drying.
