This is a traditional Sichuan recipe modified to become (ovo-) vegetarian. Toasted groundnuts combine with stir-fried sweet peppers, marinated onions, and a fiery ginger-garlic mix to make a flavorful, satisfying dish.
200 g small onions with greens, sliced thin
2 eggs
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine, sherry, or mead
500 g groundnuts
200 g sweet peppers
1 medium bulb garlic
1 1-inch piece fresh or dried ginger root, peeled and minced, or 2 tsp ground ginger
2–10 g dried chile peppers, depending on piquancy and preference
cooked rice
Frirst, prepare the marinade. Slice the onion bulbs into thin slices and the onion greens into ½-inch pieces. Add the eggs, sesame oil, rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and mead. Stir to combine and set aside while preparing the other ingredients.
Seed the sweet peppers and chop into 1-inch squares. Set aside.
Peel and mince the garlic. Seed (if desired) and mince the dried chile peppers. Slice the ginger root or dried ginger into thin slices across the grain and mince the slices. Combine the carlic, dried chile, and ginger in a cup and set aside. If the ginger is ground, add it to the onion marinade.
Now you are ready to cook. Have all the ingredients handy, as it goes quickly. Have ready a heatproof dish that can hold the groundnuts.
Roast the groundnuts. Put groundnuts and 1 Tbsp cooking oil into a large pot and set it over a medium fire. Cook, stirring constantly, until the groundnuts are roasted. (The most reliable way to tell if the groundnuts are done is to taste them.) Remove the groundnuts to the heatproof bowl and set aside.
Increase the fire to higher heat. Return the pot to the fire and add an additional 1 Tbsp oil. Just when the first small bubbles appear in the oil and you see the first wisps of smoke, add the sweet pepper chunks. Stir-fry for about thirty seconds, until they begin to become fragrant. While still stirring, add ½ tsp granulated salt or a splash of soy sauce and continue frying with constant stirring for about thirty more seconds, until the chunks just begin to soften. Remove the pepper chunks to their bowl and set aside.
Return the pot once again to the hot fire and add another 1 Tbsp oil. Just when the first small bubbles appear in the oil and you see the first wisps of smoke, add the chili-garlic mixture. Stir-fry on high heat until the garlic begins to brown, about fifteen seconds. Immediately add the onions with their marinade. Cook, occasionally stirring with scraping the bottom of the pan, until the egg is just cooked. Add the sweet pepper chunks and about 1 Tbsp soy sauce to taste and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is heated through. Add the roasted groundnuts and stir to mix. Remove from the fire.
Serve with cooked rice. Add soy sauce as desired.
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Copyright © 2017, Richard Barrans
Revised: 14 Sep 2017; Maintained by Richard Barrans.
URL: http://www.barransclass.com/kitchen/index.html