Braised Monkey Head Mushroom in White Sauce

Braised Monkey Head Mushroom in White Sauce

　　A traditional famous dish from Inner Mongolia. Made primarily with the locally specialty monkey head mushroom. The soaked, cleaned, and trimmed monkey head mushrooms are briefly blanched in boiling broth, then removed and drained of all moisture. They are sliced along the grain into appropriately sized pieces, arranged neatly in a bowl with the grain side facing down. The wok is heated with an appropriate amount of cooked lard, and sliced scallions and ginger are added and slightly fried. Then an appropriate amount of chicken broth, cooking wine, salt, monosodium glutamate, and other seasonings are added and brought to a boil. The scallions and ginger are removed, the foam is skimmed off, and the monkey head mushrooms from the bowl are transferred into the wok. After bringing to a boil, they are simmered over low heat until cooked. When the broth has slightly thickened, a starch slurry is added to thicken the sauce, cooked lard is drizzled in, the wok is flipped to coat evenly, and the dish is served in a bowl, garnished around the edges with intricately shaped monkey faces. The dish features a milky white color, neat shape, tender and smooth texture, a distinctive mushroom aroma, and a long-lasting aftertaste.