Sautéed Black Fungus with Celery

📝 ​I. Ingredient List​

Here are the ingredients and quantities needed to make Sautéed Black Fungus with Celery. It serves 2-3 people and requires about 40 minutes of preparation time (including time for soaking the fungus).

👩🍳 Today, I’m sharing a refreshing and healthy recipe for ​​”Sautéed Black Fungus with Celery”​​ (芹香木耳, Qín Xiāng Mù’ěr). This dish combines the crispness of celery with the smooth, gelatinous texture of black fungus (wood ear mushrooms). It’s rich in flavor, simple to prepare, low in calories, and very healthy, making it perfect for the everyday table.

📝 ​Ingredient List​

Here are the ingredients and quantities needed to make Sautéed Black Fungus with Celery. It serves 2-3 people and requires about 40 minutes of preparation time (including time for soaking the fungus).

👩🍳 ​II. Cooking Instructions​

​Step 1: Preparation​

1. 1.​Soak the Fungus:​​ Place the dried black fungus in a bowl with ample warm water (a dash of vinegar can be added to make the fungus more glossy). Soak for about 30 minutes until fully reconstituted. Gently rub to clean, remove any hard stems or impurities, tear into small bite-sized pieces, and drain thoroughly.
2. 2.​Prepare Vegetables:​​ Remove the leaves from the celery (save for other uses), wash thoroughly, and cut on the bias into 3-4 cm segments. Wash and slice the carrot. Mince the garlic, chop the scallion, and prepare the ginger and dried chilies.
3. 3.​Blanching:​​ Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and a few drops of oil. Blanch the fungus for about 1 minute, then remove. Blanch the celery segments for about 30 seconds. Immediately plunge them into ice water or cold water to stop the cooking process, then drain thoroughly. This step helps maintain the vegetables’ crisp texture and bright color.

​Step 2: Cooking the Dish​

1. 1.​Sauté Aromatics:​​ Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot (around 60% heat, you can add Sichuan peppercorns first to infuse the oil, then remove them), add the ginger, minced garlic, chopped scallion, and dried chili segments. Sauté gently over low heat until fragrant.
2. 2.​Stir-fry Fungus:​​ Increase the heat to high. Add the prepared black fungus and stir-fry quickly for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, allowing the fungus to heat through and absorb the aromatics’ flavors.
3. 3.​Add Celery:​​ Add the blanched and well-drained celery segments (and carrot slices if using). Continue to stir-fry quickly over high heat for about 1 minute until everything is well combined.
4. 4.​Seasoning:​​ Add salt, light soy sauce (or preferred soy sauce), and oyster sauce (optional) according to your taste. Stir-fry quickly to combine evenly. A few drops of sesame oil can be added for extra fragrance if desired.
5. 5.​Thicken (Optional):​​ If you prefer a richer coating sauce, you can thicken with a little starch slurry (mix 1 tsp starch with 2 tsp water) just before finishing. Stir quickly to combine, then remove from heat and plate.

🧂 ​III. Seasoning Ratio & Nutritional Information​

The suggested seasoning ratios below can be adjusted to personal taste. The nutritional information is an estimate based on the listed ingredients and common cooking methods (estimating about 20g cooking oil), for reference only.