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–+ servings

Moo Shu Vegetables

5 from 3 votes
Moo Shu Vegetables is a quick and delicious dish that you can serve as a side or enjoy as a main. Learn how to use wood ear mushrooms and lily flowers to add flavor and texture to your veggie dish like a real Chinese chef.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Course: Main, Side
Cuisine: Chinese
Servings: 2 to 4
Author: Maggie Zhu

Ingredients

  • 1 handful dried lily flowers yields 1 and 1/2 cup after rehydration
  • 6 to 8 pieces dried wood ear mushrooms yields 1 cup after rehydration
  • 3 tablespoons peanut oil (*See footnote 1)
  • 3 big eggs , beaten
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 small carrot , sliced
  • 1 English cucumber , sliced (*See footnote 2)
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons homemade chicken stock, or 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add lily flowers and hot water to cover. Let rehydrate for at least 1 hour. When the lily flowers turn very tender, gently rinse off the sediment in the rehydrating water and drain. Snip off the tough ends. Halve them if too long. Do not squeeze the rehydrated lily flowers (*See footnote 3).
  • In another large bowl, add wood ears and hot water to fill up the bowl (*See footnote 4). Let rehydrate for at least 1 hour. When the mushrooms turn very tender, rinse a few times and drain. Remove and discard the tough parts. Slice into small pieces.
  • Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat in a large nonstick skillet until warm. Add egg. Cook and stir like you would when making scrambled eggs. Transfer to a bowl immediately after the egg is cooked.
  • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and garlic into the same skillet. Stir a few times until fragrant.
  • Add lily flowers and wood ear mushrooms. Cook and stir for 1 minute.
  • Add carrot. Cook and stir until the carrot turns tender, about 1 minute.
  • Add cucumber. Swirl in soy sauce and sugar. Immediately stir to mix well.
  • (Optional) If you have homemade chicken stock, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of it to the skillet at this point. You can also add 1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon powder if you don’t have chicken stock. (*See footnote 5)
  • Return cooked egg to the skillet. Season with sea salt. Continue stirring until all the ingredients are mixed well. Turn to low heat and taste the vegetables. Add more salt if necessary.
  • Stop heat. Swirl in the sesame oil and stir to mix well.
  • Serve warm over steamed rice.

Notes

  1. This dish requires a relatively large amount of oil. If you skimp on the oil, the dish will turn out very dry.
  2. English cucumber has a crisper texture and a very thin rind that does not require removal. It works better in stir fried dishes than the short or the dark varieties of cucumber.
  3. The lily flowers will requires some time to cook and the water inside will keep them from turning too dry.
  4. The wood ear mushrooms will absorb water and turn a few times larger than they were when dried. If you don’t add enough water to the bowl, some parts of the mushroom won’t be submerged well and will remain very tough after soaking.
  5. The homemade chicken stock is very thick and flavorful, so you can add a small amount to enhance the flavor without making the dish watery. Do not use store bought clear chicken stock. It won’t add much flavor in this case.