Braised Chinese Mushrooms Stuffed with Pork and Water Chestnuts
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INGREDIENTS 20 dried Chinese mushrooms, 1 to 1-½ inches in diameter, or substitute fresh mushrooms
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, or pale dry sherry
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
½ pound boneless pork shoulder, finely ground
4 peeled fresh water chestnuts or drained, rinsed, canned water chestnuts, finely
chopped
20 small leaves Chinese parsley, or substitute flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon peanut oil or flavorless vegetable oil
2 tablespoons oyster saucePREPARE AHEAD
In a small bowl, cover the mushrooms with 2 cups of warm water and let them soak for 30 minutes. Remove them with a slotted spoon. Strain the mushroom water through a fine sieve and save ¼ cup of it. With a cleaver or sharp knife, cut away and discard the tough stems of the mushrooms.
Combine in a small bowl the soy sauce, wine, sugar and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, and stir to dissolve the cornstarch. Add the ground pork and water chestnuts, and, with your hands or a large spoon, mix them together thoroughly.
Sprinkle a little cornstarch on the stem sides of the mushrooms (using about 1 teaspoon in all), then fill them with the pork mixture - dividing the filling equally among them and smoothing it flat with a small knife or your finger. Place a parsley leaf on top of each filled mushroom.
TO COOK
Set a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat for about 30 seconds. Pour in 1 tablespoon of oil, swirl it around in the pan, then arrange the mushrooms side by side in a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to moderate and let the mushrooms cook for about a minute to brown their bases lightly. Pour ¼ cup of the reserved mushroom-soaking water into the pan, bring to a boil and cover the pan tightly. Reduce the heat to its lowest point and simmer the mushrooms for 15 minutes. Then stir the oyster sauce into the pan liquid and, with a large spoon or bulb baster, baste each mushroom lightly. Cover the pan for a moment longer, then transfer the mushrooms to a heated platter with a slotted spatula or spoon. Serve hot.
Both as an hors d'oeuvre and as part of a Chinese meal, this will serve 10