Ingredients
500 g fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 1 lb)
Seasonings
1 large scallion, 1 piece ginger, 15 g red chili peppers, 10 g fennel seeds, 8 g nutmeg, 2 star anise, 3 g each dried tangerine peel, cardamom, and bay leaves, 4 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon each MSG and lard, 100 g sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3000 g (about 3 quarts) master stock.
Preparation
1. Wash the scallions, finely chop a small portion into pieces, and cut the remaining into sections; dice the red chili pepper.
2. Wash the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems, soak them in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, then drain. Blanch them in boiling water, drain, and set aside.
Steps
1. Place a pot over heat, add sugar and a little water, and cook over low heat until it turns dark red. Add 500 g (about 1 lb) of water, bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and let cool to form caramel color.
2. Heat rendered lard in a wok over medium-high heat until it reaches 60% hot (about 350°F/175°C), then add scallion segments and ginger pieces, stir-frying until fragrant. Add star anise, dried tangerine peel, fennel seeds, bay leaves, black cardamom, and nutmeg, stirring well to combine. Pour in the master stock and bring to a boil.
3. Then add caramelized sugar color, soy sauce, fine salt, and MSG, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove any impurities to create the seasoned sauce.
4. Add the mushrooms to the seasoned sauce and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and diced red bell pepper, stir to combine evenly, drizzle with sesame oil, then remove from heat and plate to serve.