Fiddlehead Stir Fry with Pork

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 egg white

Stir Fry:

  • 1 pound pork loin, cut into 1/4-inch matchsticks
  • 2 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
  • 1/2 to 1 pound fiddleheads
  • 1/4 pound green beans
  • 1/4 cup ramps, sliced on the diagonal

Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the pork and make sure each piece is well coated. Set aside at room temperature while you chop vegetables. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in another bowl.
  2. Heat oil in a large frying pan, approximately on medium heat. Working with 1/4 of the pork at a time, fry the meat in the hot oil for 30 to 45 seconds, just to set the coating. Move to plate and repeat with the rest of the pork. When you are down, remove all but three tablespoons of oil.
  3. Heat the remaining oil over very high heat over your hottest burner. When the oil is almost smoking add the fiddleheads. Sauté them until you get a little charing on the outside of the fiddleheads, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  4. Add green beans and sauté for another few minutes. Add garlic and sliced onion and sauté for one more minute. Finally, stir in the sauce and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Original recipe by Hank Shaw.