Chiu Chow–Style Pork Spring Moon

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Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal.

Ingredients

One 1.76-ounce package cellophane noodles
1⁄2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Shao Hsing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 large eggs
1⁄8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced ginger
4 ounces ground pork (about 1⁄2 cup)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, soak the cellophane noodles in cold water to cover 15 minutes or until softened. Drain thoroughly. In a 14-inch flat-bottomed wok combine the broth, 1 teaspoon of the rice wine, the soy sauce, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, the bean sprouts, and the cellophane noodles. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes or until the noodles and bean sprouts are just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Rinse the wok and dry it thoroughly. In a small bowl beat the eggs with 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.

2. Heat the wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in the oil, add the ginger, and stir-fry 10 seconds. Add the pork, spreading it evenly in the wok. Cook undisturbed 20 seconds, letting the pork begin to brown. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon rice wine. Then, using a metal spatula, stir-fry the pork, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 30 seconds. Add the bean sprout mixture and the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt, and stir-fry 15 seconds. Swirl in the eggs and stir-fry 15 seconds. Remove from the heat and continue to stir-fry until the eggs are just set and the pork is cooked through, about 30 seconds.

Recipe excerpted The Breath of a Wok by Grace Young and Alan Richardson (Simon & Schuster, 2004)