Family Recipe 04 --- Mushroom Pork Stir-fry

Ingredients: Dried shiitake mushrooms, ground pork, scallions, garlic, rice wine, sugar, salt, soy sauce, tapioca starch Instructions: 1. Wash dried shiitake mushrooms and soak them in water for about 2-6 hours. Dice them and reserve the soaking water. (If the inside is still hard after dicing, you can put them back in the soaking water to continue soaking.) 2. Mince the garlic and chop the scallions, setting them aside separately. 3. Heat oil in a pan, stir-fry the diced shiitake mushrooms until fragrant. Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the ground pork. (Before adding the shiitake mushrooms to the pan, I lightly squeeze out some water to prevent oil splattering and to help release the aroma.) 4. Stir-fry the ground pork until it breaks apart. Add rice wine to remove any gamey smell, then season with sugar, salt, and soy sauce. 5. Stir-fry evenly. Add the reserved shiitake mushroom water. If there isn't enough water, add more. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for ten minutes. 6. Mix tapioca starch with water to create a slurry. Thicken the sauce with the slurry. Finally, add chopped scallions and mix well. When adding the shiitake mushroom water, be careful not to pour in the sediment at the bottom. Some people dislike shiitake mushroom water and can omit it, but it adds a mushroom flavor to the pork stir-fry. If you don't like it, you can substitute it with plain water or even broth. This mushroom pork stir-fry is great mixed with rice or noodles. It's not as greasy as braised pork rice and is easier on the stomach!