Wok Wednesdays (WW): Sugar Snap Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms

Better late than never. After hesitating, I've decided to join Wok Wednesdays based on the wonderful book Stir-Frying to the Sky's Edge by Grace Young.

Many years ago, I sat in on a Chinese cooking class and was hooked. Or so I thought. I bought a step-by-step Chinese cookbook that started with easy stir fry recipes and worked its way to more difficult dishes and a wok with all the accoutrments. Using the wok, I quickly learned to make amazing omelets and vegetable tempura. The one thing I did not do was stir-fry.  I can't even remember why.

Flash forward a couple of decades and I used my wok to make great lo mein. Again, something about stir-frying meat or vegetables intimidated me. When Matt from Green Eats Blog had the inspired idea to start Wok Wednesdays, I knew this was another opportunity. Also, the Tuesdays with Dorie / Baking with Julia blogging group was baking with a ton of butter and although it is a wonderful group, I needed an anecdote.

Our challenge; Sugar Snap Peas and Shiitake Mushrooms.  After careful preparation, the stir-frying itself flies by.  I enjoyed this dish, although I have to work on the timing. The snap peas were nice and crunchy, but the mushrooms were too soggy. Still, I enjoyed the mix of flavors and would make this dish again.  With practice, the textures should all work out fine.

I don't feel like I have the hang of stir frying yet, but I have found that blogging along with others is a great learning experience.  As part of this group, we do not publish the recipes. For that, you'll need to go to the book, which I highly recommend.   But, if you want to pick up tips, variations, ideas, check out the other Wok Wednesdays bloggers.