Shrimp & Lion's Mane Noodle Stir-Fry

Shrimp, our mushrooms & the garden, glossed in a garlic-ginger sauce

Serves 4 · 25 min

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1 lb shrimp, peeled
1 cluster lion's mane, torn into bite-size pieces
2 garden peppers — a sweet banana + one hot (see the sauce), sliced
2 carrots, cut in thin coins or matchsticks
1 onion, sliced
~12 oz noodles (lo mein, rice, or egg), cooked & tossed with a little oil
neutral oil · scallions, cilantro & sesame to finish
The sauce — garlic-ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce or tamari
⅓ cup stock or broth — balances the soy's salt (add more to taste)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce (or hoisin, for sweeter)
1 Tbsp rice vinegar · 1–2 tsp honey (or macerated blackberries — see the tip) · 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves + 1 Tbsp grated ginger
1 Buena Mulata , thin-sliced (seed to dial) — or serrano/jalapeño for cleaner heat
1½ tsp cornstarch, whisked into the broth — to gloss

Whisk the sauce. Stir the soy, broth, oyster sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame, garlic, ginger, and chili together; whisk the cornstarch into a little of the broth and keep it aside for the end. Taste — it should read savory, not salty. The broth is there to soften the soy, so add another splash if it bites.
Sear the lion's mane hard. Get the wok ripping hot with a little oil; brown the torn mushroom deep and undisturbed — that's what makes it meaty. Set it aside.
Shrimp, fast. Same hot wok; cook the shrimp just to pink, 90 seconds, and pull them — they'll finish at the end so they never turn to rubber.
Fire the veg. A little more oil; stir-fry the carrots and onion first (they take longest), then the peppers, keeping everything moving and crisp-tender.
Bring it together. Add the noodles and the sauce; toss to coat, then stir in the cornstarch slurry and let it turn glossy. Fold the mushroom and shrimp back in just to warm.
Finish. Off the heat: scallions, cilantro, sesame — and a few raw chili slivers if you want the color (a cooked Buena Mulata loses its purple in about 90 seconds).

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Whisk the sauce. Stir the soy, broth, oyster sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame, garlic, ginger, and chili together; whisk the cornstarch into a little of the broth and keep it aside for the end. Taste — it should read savory, not salty. The broth is there to soften the soy, so add another splash if it bites.

2. Sear the lion's mane hard. Get the wok ripping hot with a little oil; brown the torn mushroom deep and undisturbed — that's what makes it meaty. Set it aside.

3. Shrimp, fast. Same hot wok; cook the shrimp just to pink, 90 seconds, and pull them — they'll finish at the end so they never turn to rubber.

4. Fire the veg. A little more oil; stir-fry the carrots and onion first (they take longest), then the peppers, keeping everything moving and crisp-tender.

5. Bring it together. Add the noodles and the sauce; toss to coat, then stir in the cornstarch slurry and let it turn glossy. Fold the mushroom and shrimp back in just to warm.

6. Finish. Off the heat: scallions, cilantro, sesame — and a few raw chili slivers if you want the color (a cooked Buena Mulata loses its purple in about 90 seconds).

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.