Stir-fried Fiddlehead Ferns with Preserved Pork

Stir-fried Fiddlehead Ferns with Preserved Pork

　　Ingredients: A handful of dried fiddlehead ferns, one slice of preserved pork, one spoonful of Pixian bean paste, sugar, salt, stock, soy sauce, green onions, and an appropriate amount of chicken essence.

Method: 1. Soak the fiddlehead ferns in warm water in advance, clean them thoroughly, then blanch them in boiling water for about 5 minutes before removing. Rinse with clean water. If you can get fresh fiddlehead ferns, this step can be skipped, then cut them into approximately 3 cm sections for later use.

2. While blanching the fiddlehead ferns, gently pan-fry the preserved pork in a pan over low heat until it renders its fat and the originally white fat turns golden, with the edges slightly curled, then remove.

3. Continue heating the oil until it reaches 60% heat, sauté the green onion sections, then stir-fry the fiddlehead fern sections. Add the pan-fried preserved pork, one spoonful of Pixian bean paste, a small spoonful of soy sauce for color, a small spoonful of sugar to mix well, add an appropriate amount of stock, and reduce over high heat. Finally, adjust the flavor with salt and chicken essence to taste.

The preserved pork itself is salty, so the amount of bean paste and soy sauce should be moderate. If the flavor seems too strong, you can omit the soy sauce and salt. A little bit of stock helps the dried fiddlehead ferns absorb more flavor, and the final taste will be richer. If you don’t have stock, you can substitute with water—just don’t use too much, about 2–3 tablespoons is enough. If using fresh fiddlehead ferns, it’s recommended to add some green peppers for a refreshing and appetizing taste. If you can find the locally produced Zhaotong sauce from Yunnan, that would be absolutely fantastic.

One thing to note is that this is a dish with a relatively high fat content, so portion sizes should be moderate.