The Dish (Celery Stir Fry)

• servings: 2-3 (with rice)
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Celery - 1/2 pound

Any meat - 1/3 pound

Optional marinade for the meat:

Dark soy sauce - 1/4 tsp

Shaoxing wine - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/8 tsp

Cornstarch - 1/2 tsp

Sichuan chili broad bean paste (pixiandoubanjiang) - 1 tbsp

Aromatics:

Ginger - half inch or 5g, minced

Garlic - 3-4 big cloves or 10g, minced

Sauce for finishing the stir fry:

Soy sauce - 1/2 tbsp

MSG - 1/4 tsp

Cornstarch - 1 tsp

Water - 2 tbsp

Directions

Marinate meat and set aside.

Peel off any fibrous outer layer with western celery. Cut into half, split the wider part into 3-4 strips and thinner part into 2-3. Cut into half cm dice. Mix with 1/4 tsp salt, purge for 10 minutes. Roughly chop the celery leaves, set aside separately.

Mince the aromatics and make the sauce.

Squeeze the celery to expel as much water as possible.

Long yau: get your wok piping hot, shut off the heat, add in 2 tbsp oil, give it a swirl to get a nice nonstick surface.

Heat on medium high, add in beef, quickly break it up. Fry it until the color's changed and the beef is cooked.

Heat off, scooch the beef to the side, add in 1 tbsp oil then the chili broad bean paste. Fry on low heat for ~1.5 minute till the oil is stained red.

Add in the aromatics, fry for ~1.5 minute till fragrant, mix beef back in. Turn heat on high, quick fry then add in celery, another super brief fry, add in the stir fry sauce. Quick mix. Taste for seasoning, optionally adding more soy sauce, sugar, or spice.

Heat off, add in celery leaves, mix and out.

Notes

Serves 2 with rice