Every other Sunday I take my little girl to visit my parents and hang out with her cousins. Now the kids are a little older, instead of having to watch over them to make sure no one gets in trouble, the adults actually have some time to catch up and relax. My Mama is a wonderful cook, and she’s thrilled I’ve taken an interest in cooking. We chat on the phone quite a bit about our meal plans and what to do to make dishes healthier/tastier. Last Sunday she decided to teach me this Fried Gluten dish, it’s something my Grandma used to cook, and I’ve always enjoyed. It is a little labor intensive, but the end result is definitely worth the efforts!

1 bag of bamboo shoots, slices thinly
1 bag of frozen fried gluten, thawed then tear into thin pieces
1 bag of wood ear fungus (soak in water, change the water out frequently until it’s mostly clear) cut into large bite size
or 6-8 dried shitake mushrooms (soaked in water then slices thinly)
1 can of flavored fried gluten (麵筋)
4 tbsp of oil
2 tbsp of light soy sauce
2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of brown sugar
2tbsp cooking wine
1 tsp of chicken flavored powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 cups of water
1tbsp of sesame oil

Cook the fried gluten in water. Once boiled, rinse with cold tap water and squeeze out excess water then set aside.
In a non stick pan, add in the mostly dried fried gluten, drip 3 tbsp of oil over, pan fry them until mostly golden
In another large non stick pan or wok, heat up 1 tbsp of oil, stir fry bamboo and wood ear fungus, then pour in the 1 can of flavored fried gluten (麵筋), then add in the pan fried gluten
Add dark and light soy sauce, brown sugar, cooking wine, chicken flavor powder, black pepper and water, cook for about 20-30 minutes, stir occasionally, when most of the liquid is gone, the dish should be almost ready.
Take everything out of the wok, pour 1 tbsp of sesame oil and mix well. We usually like to eat this dish chilled, so refrigerate and serve the next day if you are able to wait. Enjoy!