1/2 cup good quality oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons sesame oil (for frying)
3/4 pound squid, either cut in half-inch rings or cut in half lengthwise and scored vertically
2 Thai chiles or 1 serrano chile, minced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 pound Chinese long beans, green beans, or French green beans (haricots verts), cut in 2-inch-long pieces
1/2 pound asparagus (about 1/2 bunch), cut in 2-inch-long pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced in 2-inch-long pieces
1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced in 2-inch-long pieces
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and quartered
1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
4 servings cooked rice
Mix oyster sauce and sugar together; set aside. Heat half the sesame oil in a very hot wok and stir-fry squid for about 20 seconds. Remove and set aside. Put remaining oil in wok and add next 8 ingredients, starting with chiles, garlic, and shallots, then beans, asparagus, and bell peppers, and finally mushrooms, stir-frying each group briefly before adding the next. Total time: 4 or 5 minutes. Add cilantro and oyster sauce mixture to wok and cook about 2 minutes, until sauce starts to thicken. Serve with rice on side. Serves 4.
