Chinese Cuisine
Lotus Root and Pork Stir-Fry
A quick and flavorful stir-fry featuring crisp lotus root, tender marinated pork slices, and wood ear mushrooms. Lightly seasoned with pickled chilies, vinegar, and aromatics, this dish offers a refreshing balance of savory, tangy, and mildly spicy flavors.
- Total
- 10 minutes
Quick Recipe Summary
- Cuisine
- Chinese
- Category
- Chinese Cuisine
- Method
- Stir-fry
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Main Ingredient
- root Lotus Root
About This Recipe
A quick and flavorful stir-fry featuring crisp lotus root, tender marinated pork slices, and wood ear mushrooms. Lightly seasoned with pickled chilies, vinegar, and aromatics, this dish offers a refreshing balance of savory, tangy, and mildly spicy flavors.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ready in about 10 minutes, so it can fit into a busy cooking day.
- Beginner-friendly enough for cooks who are still building confidence in the kitchen.
- Helpful for practicing timing, heat control, and the order of adding ingredients.
- Shows a practical way to cook pork with clear preparation and cooking cues.
- Gives the dish a clear mildly spicy flavor profile without making the method feel complicated.
Ingredients
- 1 root Lotus Root
- 150g Pork
- 20g Wood Ear Mushrooms
- to taste Scallions
- to taste Ginger
- to taste Pickled Chili Peppers
Ingredient Notes
These notes explain the role of the main ingredients so the recipe is easier to adjust.
root Lotus Root
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Pork
Pork brings savory depth and works well with ginger, garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and vegetables.
Wood Ear Mushrooms
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Scallions
Scallions add freshness and are useful both as an aromatic base and as a finishing flavor.
Ingredients & Techniques Used in This Recipe
These guides explain the key sauces, ingredients, and cooking techniques used in this recipe, so you can understand the dish instead of only following steps.
Sauce
Shaoxing Wine
Chinese cooking wine used in marinades, stir-fries, braises, and sauces.
Sauce
Light Soy Sauce
The everyday soy sauce for salt, umami, marinades, and stir-fry seasoning.
Ingredient
Sichuan Peppercorn
The citrusy, numbing spice behind many Sichuan dishes.
Ingredient
Wood Ear Mushroom
A crunchy mushroom used in salads, soups, hot pot, and stir-fries.
Ingredient
Lotus Root
A crisp root vegetable used in soups, stir-fries, salads, and braised dishes.
Technique
How to Stir Fry Properly
Learn heat control, ingredient order, sauce timing, and quick wok cooking.
Technique
Velveting
A Chinese technique for keeping sliced meat, chicken, shrimp, and beef tender.
Technique
Wok Hei
The smoky high-heat flavor associated with fast wok cooking.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Peel the lotus root. Soak the wood ear mushrooms until softened, rinse well, and tear into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the pork.
Step 2
Slice the pork thinly and marinate with cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, Sichuan pepper, starch slurry, and a small amount of seasoning for 10 minutes.
Step 3
Slice the lotus root into thin rounds.
Step 4
Soak the sliced lotus root in water if not cooking immediately to prevent discoloration.
Step 5
Heat a little oil in a wok. Add ginger, scallions, and pickled chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant.
Step 6
Add the marinated pork slices.
Step 7
Stir-fry until the pork changes color.
Step 8
Cook for another few seconds, then remove the pork from the wok.
Step 9
Add the lotus root slices to the wok.
Step 10
Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Step 11
Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Step 12
Season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir-fry quickly.
Step 13
Add a splash of water if the wok becomes too dry.
Step 14
Add the wood ear mushrooms.
Step 15
Stir-fry over high heat until everything is evenly combined.
Step 16
Return the pork to the wok and stir-fry briefly until heated through.
Step 17
Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
- Lotus root is naturally rich in fiber and minerals. To keep it crisp and white, soak sliced lotus root in water before cooking and add vinegar during stir-frying. Marinating the pork beforehand helps keep it tender and flavorful.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it with steamed rice when you want a simple Chinese home-cooked meal.
- Use it as a small side dish with congee, noodles, dumplings, or a rich braised main.
- A small portion can brighten heavier dishes because the sour, salty flavor cuts through richness.
Recipe Card
A quick and flavorful stir-fry featuring crisp lotus root, tender marinated pork slices, and wood ear mushrooms. Lightly seasoned with pickled chilies, vinegar, and aromatics, this dish offers a refreshing balance of savory, tangy, and mildly spicy flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 root Lotus Root
- 150g Pork
- 20g Wood Ear Mushrooms
- to taste Scallions
- to taste Ginger
- to taste Pickled Chili Peppers
Method
- Peel the lotus root. Soak the wood ear mushrooms until softened, rinse well, and tear into bite-sized pieces. Prepare the pork.
- Slice the pork thinly and marinate with cooking wine, light soy sauce, salt, Sichuan pepper, starch slurry, and a small amount of seasoning for 10 minutes.
- Slice the lotus root into thin rounds.
- Soak the sliced lotus root in water if not cooking immediately to prevent discoloration.
- Heat a little oil in a wok. Add ginger, scallions, and pickled chili peppers and stir-fry until fragrant.
- Add the marinated pork slices.
- Stir-fry until the pork changes color.
- Cook for another few seconds, then remove the pork from the wok.
- Add the lotus root slices to the wok.
- Add 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
- Add 1 tablespoon of sugar.
- Season with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir-fry quickly.
- Add a splash of water if the wok becomes too dry.
- Add the wood ear mushrooms.
- Stir-fry over high heat until everything is evenly combined.
- Return the pork to the wok and stir-fry briefly until heated through.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately.
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