This spicy eight treasures stir fry dish is much beloved by many, our family included.
It’s called “Eight Treasures” for a reason. Eight is a really lucky number in Chinese culture. A dish with 8 main ingredients? It’s luck in a bowl.
This Spicy Eight Treasures Stir Fry is another everyday home cooking dish from the old days in Shanghai.
I have to credit this recipe to my uncle. My aunt and uncle both love spicy food, and they MUST have something spicy with every meal. They used to stir-fry whole long hot peppers (seeds and all) as a side dish. Doesn’t that just make your mouth water? No? Well, it’s certainly not for the faint of heart.
I think the secret of my uncle’s version of this dish is a combination of 3 things: dried shrimp, loads of garlic and the substitution of spicy bean paste for the sweet bean paste that’s traditionally used (we’re using everyone’s favorite: Lao Gan Ma Black Bean Chili Sauce).
That’s what’s so great about Chinese cooking. You can make the dish to your own liking with the ingredients that suit you and your family. With each adjustment, you get another unique flavor.
If you don’t like your food too spicy, cut back on the hot bean paste and replace it with sweet bean paste. You can also get creative and replace some of the ingredients that I used here for our version of the Chinese eight treasures stir fry.
You could use lotus root, shiitake mushrooms, chicken, bamboo shoots…anything with a relatively firm texture that can stand up to all the other ingredients. As long as there are 8 things, you’re good. If you want to add the shrimp, you can find them in the Asian grocery store in the dry goods aisle.
Here’s what you need:
- 1 cup spiced bean curd (tofu), cut in ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup diced carrot, cut in ½-inch cubes
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 1 cup lean pork, diced into ½-inch cubes
- 2 whole heads of garlic, peeled and diced
- ½ cup small dried shrimp, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup raw shelled peanuts, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup diced green pepper (long hot pepper can be used for extra heat, or you can use bell peppers if you prefer it mild)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons hot bean paste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon Black Bean Hot Sauce (老干妈 – Lao Gan Ma brand)
Stir fry the spiced bean curd with a teaspoon of oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Then take it out of the wok and set aside. We’re going to be doing a lot of stir-frying/setting aside here. So just keep at it. It goes by quickly.
Stir fry the carrot with a teaspoon of oil using medium heat for about two minutes…until softens slightly. Set aside.
Repeat the process another two times with the edamame and the cubed pork and set both aside.
Then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir-fry the garlic over medium heat for about a minute.
Add the shrimp and stir to combine.
Add the peanuts and stir for another 3-5 minutes, until they start to smell fragrant. Then add the green pepper and mix well. Now add all the pre-cooked ingredients: the bean curd, carrot, edamame and pork. Continue to stir and cook so that everything comes together. Add cooking wine, spicy bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, and the black bean chili sauce. Stir everything together and keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and all the ingredients are well-coated in sauce.
Time to plate and serve. We also like to eat this eight treasures stir fry dish cold!
Chinese Spicy Eight Treasures Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 1 cup spiced bean curd (cut in ½-inch cubes)
- 1 cup carrot (diced in ½-inch cubes)
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame (thawed)
- 1 cup lean pork (diced into ½-inch cubes)
- 2 heads garlic (peeled and chopped)
- ½ cup small dried shrimp (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup raw shelled peanuts (rinsed and drained)
- 1 cup green pepper (diced; long hot peppers can be used for extra heat, or you can use bell peppers if you prefer it mild)
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons spicy bean paste (doubanjiang)
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon black bean chili sauce (Lao Gan Ma brand)
Instructions
- Stir fry the spiced bean curd with a teaspoon of oil over medium heat for 2 minutes. Take it out of wok and set aside. Stir fry the carrot with a teaspoon of oil using medium heat for about two minutes…until softens slightly. Take it out of wok and set aside. Repeat the process another two times with the edamame and the cubed pork and set both aside.
- Then add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and stir-fry the garlic over medium heat for about a minute. Add the shrimp and stir to combine. Add the peanuts and stir for another 3-5 minutes, until they start to smell fragrant. Then add the green pepper and mix well. Now add all the pre-cooked ingredients: the bean curd, carrot, edamame and pork. Continue to stir and cook for another few minutes so that everything comes together. Add cooking wine, spicy bean paste, sugar, sesame oil, and the black bean chili sauce. Stir everything together and keep stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated and all the ingredients are well-coated in sauce. Plate and serve!
