Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. butter
- 1/2 to 1 T. peanut oil
- 4 stalks baby garlic, chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and cut into slivers
- 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch chunks
- 1 small stalk lovage, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 to 2 cups leftover meat (chicken or beef), cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup baby peas or snow peas
- 1/2 cup baby spinach
- 4 scallions, chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts (optional)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, kept warm
Note: The lovage in this recipe takes the place of celery, which usually isn’t available fresh in the spring. It has a very strong celery flavor, so use it sparingly.
Preparation
Soak mushroom slices in lukewarm water for about 15 minutes, then drain. (Shiitakes tend to be dry, unlike button mushrooms or portobellos, so soaking them prevents them from drying out during cooking. If you’re substituting another mushroom variety for shiitakes, you can skip this step.)
Beat egg in a small bowl. Warm butter in a small frying pan and add egg. Cook until nearly done, then flip and remove pan from burner. Let fried egg cool, then cut into 1/4-inch strips and set aside.
In a wok or large frying pan, heat peanut oil until it starts to sizzle. Stir and toss each ingredient as it is added. Push ingredients to the sides as you go, making room in the middle to add next ingredient.
Add in this order:
- Baby garlic and ginger; cook about 30 seconds
- Carrots; cook about 2 minutes
- Mushrooms; cook 1 minute
- Lovage; cook 1 minute
- Meat; cook 2 minutes
- Peas and spinach; cook 1 minute
Fold all ingredients in the pan together, then add cooked egg and toss to mix. Add scallions and peanuts, if using, and toss together with other ingredients. Sprinkle with soy sauce, mix together, and remove pan from heat. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes, to let flavors blend. Serve over rice.
Makes about 6 servings.
