This Stir-fried Celtuce recipe with wood ear mushrooms may look humble, but it’s one of the most satisfying vegetable stir-fries you can make. It’s also a welcome change from your standard stir-fried greens with garlic!

Just Like the Restaurant

There are some dishes that I always order when we hit our favorite Chinese restaurant, and stir-fried celtuce is one of them.

It may surprise you that a family of Chinese food bloggers hits up their local Chinese restaurant like anyone else, but even a food blogger needs a break sometimes!

The restaurant kitchen manages to cook everything together perfectly, coated in the most delicate of clear glistening sauces, perfect with a bowl of rice. My mom sometimes makes celtuce, but there’s just something about the pared down home-cooked version that never fully did it justice.

That said, after closely examining this dish upon our last restaurant trip (a bit of a wistful memory these days), there are few important keys to making this dish successfully:

Nothing should be browned! Don’t even let your garlic cook for too long. It’s just not the characteristic of the dish, which is why the ginger and chili peppers are lightly fried first, but the garlic gets added later.
The celtuce should be just cooked, with a slight crunch. It tastes fresher, and the texture is more pleasing to the palate. No one wants soggy vegetables!
The sauce is the key. A cornstarch slurry is the secret, flavored with a little Shaoxing wine, stock, and just a pinch of salt and sugar. I also wouldn’t tell on you if you wanted to add a small pinch of MSG.

It’s simple, delicious restaurant cooking at its best!

What is Celtuce?

Celtuce (wōsǔn, 莴笋), also called stem lettuce, is a particular type of lettuce grown specifically for its thick stem.

At first glance, the word If you’ve ever grown lettuce at home only to have the plants shoot prematurely to much taller than your average head of lettuce, with leaves poking off the sides, you know what I’m talking about.

When you buy these long, conical vegetables at the store, you can even see where the leaves were torn off all around the stem. It’s pretty commonly available in Chinese grocery stores along with other spring and summertime vegetables.

Look for specimens that are bright green (not yellowing), without too many brown spots. (Some brown spots where the leaves were removed are ok––you’ll be peeling it before you cook it.)

As for how to cook celtuce? This is my favorite way to prepare it, and one of our family’s favorite ways to eat it. You can also try it in my mom’s recipe for Pork with Garlic Sauce (鱼香肉丝, yuxiang rousi).

Stir-fried Celtuce Recipe Instructions

First, soak the wood ears in warm water to rehydrate (this should take about 30 minutes). You can also do this in advance and store them in the fridge. Rinse and cut them in half or thirds.

Next, peel the tough outer skin off the celtuce using a knife or peeler, and slice into thin ⅛-inch rounds on the diagonal. If using a knife, you could use a paring knife…

Or shave off the outer layer using a sharp chef’s knife:

You just want to reveal the tender green stem underneath the tough, stringy outer layer:

De-seed your peppers, and cut into small chunks. Have all your ingredients ready before you start cooking.

Mix ⅓ cup stock with ¼ teaspoon salt (or salt to taste), ¼ teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine. Set aside.

Heat your wok over high heat. When it starts smoking, pour 2 tablespoons of oil around the perimeter. Add the ginger and fry gently for 15-30 seconds.

Follow with the dried chili peppers, and cook for another few seconds.

Next, add the chunks of fresh peppers. Stir fry for about 30 seconds.

Add the wood ears. Toss to cook for about 1 minute. Nothing should be browning except the ginger, which can be lightly golden. We’re going for fresh flavors in this dish.

Next, add the garlic…

And the celtuce. Stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the pre-mixed stock mixture, and stir everything together. At this point, the celtuce and wood ears should be almost cooked to your liking—we like ours with a slight crunchy bite.

Stir up your cornstarch slurry to ensure it’s fully combined, and slowly stream it into the sauce while stirring constantly. Allow the sauce to thicken and coat the vegetables. This should take about 30 seconds.