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Ginger-Shiitake Celery Stir-Fry

Ginger-Shiitake Celery Stir-Fry

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes
  • Rating

A celery salad from “A Spoonful of Ginger” by Nina Simonds inspired this stir-fry. The unique flavor of celery mellows and sweetens slightly with cooking and partners perfectly with nutty sesame oil, peppery ginger and the umami notes of soy sauce and shiitake mushrooms. Chinese chili bean sauce, or toban djan, is a spicy, salty fermented mixture of soybeans, broad beans and chilies that gives this stir-fry lots of character; it’s sold in jars in Asian grocery stores and in the international aisle of some supermarkets. If not available, use an equal amount of chili-garlic sauce; its sharper, more garlicky flavor gives the dish a slightly different, but still delicious, taste profile.

Tip

Don’t forget to reserve the scallion whites and greens separately, as they are added at different times in the recipe. Also, don’t use regular soy sauce, especially if using chili bean paste; both are high in sodium and combined may make the dish too salty (chili-garlic sauce is less salty than chili bean paste, so if using it, regular soy sauce is fine).

Ingredients
  • 2

    tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

  • 1

    tablespoon chili bean sauce (toban djan) or chili-garlic sauce (see note)

  • 1

    tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

  • 1

    tablespoon toasted sesame oil, plus more to serve

  • ½

    teaspoon ground white pepper

  • 3

    tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 8

    ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced

  • 1½

    -inch piece fresh ginger, peeled, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced

  • 1

    bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and green parts reserved separately

  • 2

    pounds celery, stalks halved lengthwise and sliced ⅛ inch thick on the diagonal

Step 1

In a small bowl, stir together the vinegar, chili bean sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper and ¼ cup water; set aside. In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the grapeseed oil until shimmering.

Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

Step 2

Add the ginger, the scallion whites and celery, then cook, stirring often, until the celery is crisp-tender and the ginger is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the sauce mixture and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the celery, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a serving dish, then sprinkle with scallion greens and drizzle with additional sesame oil.

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