Stir-fried Meat with Eggs and Vegetables

Stir-fried Meat with Eggs and Vegetables

　　In this dish, the term "苜蓿" (mùxu) is sometimes written as "木须" (mùxū), but it refers to eggs. In earlier times, people avoided using the word "蛋" (dàn, meaning egg) out of superstition (in Fugu, the number 1 is called "蛋"). They would not say they were eating eggs. Two or three eggs are cracked into a bowl, seasoned with a little salt and cooking wine, and the yolks are beaten. The wok is heated with oil until very hot, then the eggs are poured in and stirred to break them up. Once the eggs are cooked, they are removed from the wok. Next, the wok is reheated with oil until about 70% hot, then thinly sliced or shredded marinated meat (see previous method for velveting) is added, followed by scallion strips, garlic slices, vinegar, soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings. The mixture is stir-fried until well flavored and the meat is aromatic. Finally, the cooked eggs are added back into the wok, mixed evenly, and the dish is ready to be served.