China · Other regional

Quick Stir-Fry

The eleventh of the twelve bowls, in the xu position, and the last hot dish before the close. Like 'cold dressed', the list gives only a daily name and does not say what goes in it. This version follows a published home-style quick stir-fry as a common, seasonally swappable combination: vermicelli is boiled and refreshed in cold water, the eggs fried first, and spring onion, ginger, carrot, vermicelli, bean sprouts, egg and chives go into the wok in that order, seasoned and tossed hard, so everything in the pan stays distinct. Public reference, home adaptation; not a historical original.

37 minutes · 6 servings · Easy

Quick Stir-Fry

Public reference · Home adaptation 「Quick stir-fry」 and 「cold dressed」 are the two plainest names on the list: a verb and an action. The source says 'the twelve bowls have no prettified commercial names, they speak of tradition' — other banquets would give a vegetable dish an auspicious name; here it is simply stir-fried. Its position tells you its job: second from last, right before the final rice balls, the last hot dish of the table, and by then the eight heavy courses have been followed by soup and sweets, so this last stir-fry wants to be fresh and to go with rice. **The source does not specify the ingredients; this combination is a common example, not fixed content of the original table.** The source is the Xuancheng municipal government's 'Maolin twelve bowls banquet', which records dish names and serving order only (xu-quick stir-fry) and explains why in its own opening line: 'Maolin town lies in Jing County, Xuancheng; the twelve bowls have no prettified commercial names, they speak of tradition' — a daily name like 'quick stir-fry' records a way of cooking whatever the season offers. **The source records only the dish name and its place, not the method, and does not say what is stir-fried; this version's technique comes from a published home-style quick stir-fry and has no correspondence to the Maolin twelve-bowls kitchen. It is not a historical original.** The reference states: prepare the vegetables; boil the vermicelli in hot water and plunge it into cold water, or it sticks together; fry two eggs and set aside; heat oil and add, in order, spring onion and ginger, carrot, vermicelli, bean sprouts, the fried egg and chives, then salt, a little dark soy for colour, two spoons of light soy and two spoons of seasoning. **This version uses vegetables, bean sprouts and vermicelli without meat, to keep it vegetarian; the reference's seasoning is left out and salt plus light and dark soy do the work instead — an editorial change, stated here.** On the table: placed second from last, immediately after the braised pork and immediately before the final rice balls, this is the last hot course, and it goes from pan to table in seconds, making it the easiest hot dish to keep to the schedule. Swappable seasonal examples (seasonal, not fixed content of the table): bamboo shoot shreds and garlic chives in spring; green beans and peppers in summer; water bamboo and chives in autumn; cabbage and vermicelli in winter. Vegetarian but contains egg, so it is not vegan; contains soy and wheat (light and dark soy sauce). Bean sprouts and chives are common allergens — leave them out if you react to them. Vermicelli is usually made from mung bean or sweet potato starch, but commercial products vary, so check labels. The vermicelli and sprouts must be heated through and are not eaten raw. AI-generated illustration, not a photograph of a kitchen-tested dish. 茂林十二碗宴席（宣城市人民政府，2023-02-13，信息来源：市文旅局） — Menu basis: it records that 'Maolin town lies in Jing County, Xuancheng; the twelve bowls have no prettified commercial names, they speak of tradition', and lists 'xu-quick stir-fry' in serving order. It records dish names and order only and does not say what the stir-fry contains. https://www.xuancheng.gov.cn/News/show/634526.html 皖美宝藏小城丨食遇泾县（泾县人民政府·泾县文化旅游） — Corroboration: it records that 'Maolin quick stir-fry, soaked with the aroma of meat, crisp yet mellow, holding a wish for "rising step by step"', which shows how the local stir-fry is described — meat aroma and crispness together — though the article likewise records no ingredients or method for it. https://www.ahjx.gov.cn/News/show/1698460.html 下厨房：家常小炒 — The method: two eggs, chives, mung bean sprouts, half a carrot, vermicelli, spring onion and ginger, dark soy, light soy and seasoning. Prepare the vegetables; boil the vermicelli in hot water and plunge it into cold water, or it sticks together; fry two eggs and set them aside; heat oil and add in order the spring onion and ginger, carrot, vermicelli, bean sprouts, the fried egg and chives, then salt, a little dark soy for colour, two spoons of light soy and two spoons of seasoning. https://m.xiachufang.com/recipe/103704005/

Ingredients

  • dry vermicelli120 g
  • egg2 piece
  • carrot, shredded150 g
  • mung bean sprouts150 g
  • chives, cut into lengths150 g
  • spring onion, cut into lengths20 g
  • ginger, minced10 g
  • light soy sauce30 ml
  • dark soy sauce, for colour5 ml
  • salt3 g
  • cooking oil40 ml
  • water, for the vermicelli and the cold plunge2000 ml

Directions

  1. 1

    Boil the vermicelli in hot water, then plunge it straight into cold water and drain; without the cold plunge it clumps and cannot be tossed apart in the wok.

  2. 2

    Shred the carrot, wash and drain the bean sprouts, cut the chives into lengths, and prepare the spring onion and minced ginger.

  3. 3

    In a hot wok with oil, fry two eggs into broken pieces first and set them aside; frying the egg first and returning it later keeps it tender.

  4. 4

    Leave a little oil in the wok, fry the spring onion and ginger until fragrant, then add the carrot shreds and soften them.

  5. 5

    Add the vermicelli and toss so it separates in the wok, then add the bean sprouts and turn them through.

  6. 6

    Add the fried egg and the chives and toss hard over high heat; the chives need only seconds, as they yellow and water out if left longer.

  7. 7

    Season with salt, two spoons of light soy and a little dark soy for colour, toss over high heat and serve; the whole thing takes no more than a minute or two.

Source: WorldBite · public-reference adaptation · Source-attributed editorial adaptation; AI illustration; not an authenticated original recipe.