The green-flecked plate I make when fresh edamame is in the shell is this one – edamame, xianggan and pork, and this home cook’s version boils the beans soft with a gram of salt and two grams of oil before anything else. A home cook wrote it in nine steps and closed with the move in the title: two spoons of water, stirred dry, for the wok breath. I made it as written, and it is the colorful, savory plate that is excellent over rice.

Mao dou xiang gan chao rou (毛豆香干炒肉) is edamame, xianggan and pork – soft-boiled edamame tossed with diced five-spice dried tofu and pork mince over ginger and garlic, glazed with light soy and oyster and finished with a splash of water.

What Is Edamame, Xianggan and Pork?

This is the green dice pan: pork is minced and the xiang-gan cut into dice. The edamame goes into boiling water with a gram of salt and two grams of oil and boils until soft, the recipe says – really soft. Ginger and garlic bloom in the pan, the pork breaks up, the xiang-gan dice join until fragrant, and the beans follow. A spoon of light soy, a third of oyster sauce, a little salt and chicken powder, and two spoons of water cook down for the wok breath – the recipe’s finish.

For the celery version of the same xianggan-and-pork stir, my spiced dried-tofu and pork stir is leaner and faster.

Why This Recipe Works

[‘
• The salted-oil boil. Edamame soft, bright, seasoned from within.

‘, ‘

• Pork first, broken up. The savory base.

‘, ‘

• Xiang-gan to fragrant. The five-spice dice.

‘, ‘

• Beans last of the three. Green against the brown.

‘, “

• The two-spoon splash, cooked dry. The wok breath – the recipe’s finish.

“]

Equipment Needed

• A pot for the edamame
• A wok
• A spatula

Ingredients

• 1 cup of edamame (shelled green soybeans)
• 2 blocks of xiang-gan (five-spice dried tofu), diced
• 100 g (3.5 oz) pork, minced
• A little ginger and garlic
• 1 tbsp light soy, 1/3 tbsp oyster sauce, a little salt and chicken powder, and 2 tbsp water

Ingredient Notes

Edamame: Boiled soft with salt and oil. Xiang-gan: The five-spice dice. My green pepper and dried tofu is the no-pork version. The finish: Two spoons of water, cooked dry.

Prep & Mise en Place

Shell the edamame; dice the xiang-gan; mince the pork; mince the aromatics.

Cooking Process

Step 1 – Mince the pork; dice the xiang-gan

Mince the pork; dice the xiang-gan.

Step 2 – Boil the edamame in water with 1 g of salt and 2 g of o

Boil the edamame in water with 1 g of salt and 2 g of oil until soft.

Step 3 – Bloom the ginger and garlic, then add the pork mince an

Bloom the ginger and garlic, then add the pork mince and break it up.

Step 4 – Add the xiang-gan and cook until fragrant

Add the xiang-gan and cook until fragrant.

Step 5 – Add the green beans and toss until fragrant

Add the green beans and toss until fragrant.

Step 6 – Add a spoon of light soy, a third-spoon of oyster sauce

Add a spoon of light soy, a third-spoon of oyster sauce, a little salt and chicken powder, and 2 spoons of water; stir until dry for the wok breath – done.

Step 7 – Good color and good taste

Good color and good taste.

Step 8 – First-rate over rice

First-rate over rice.

Step 9 – Delicious

Delicious.

Common Mistakes When Making This Dish

1. Hard, beany edamame. Cause: a short boil. Fix: soft, the recipe insists. 2. A clumpy pork mince. Cause: no breaking. Fix: work it loose in the oil. 3. A pale plate. Cause: shy soy. Fix: the full spoon. 4. A watery finish. Cause: splash and serve. Fix: stir until dry – the wok breath. 5. A raw ginger bite. Cause: not bloomed. Fix: fragrance first.

Variations

Spicier: Chili with the ginger. Vegetarian: Skip the pork. My bean sprout and xianggan is the green-on-dice plate of the same pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are mao dou? Edamame – fresh green soybeans, boiled here until soft. Why salt and oil in the boil? Seasoned from within, bright from the oil. What is the wok breath? The splash of water stirred dry at the end – the recipe’s finish. How long does it take? About 20 minutes. Is it spicy? Not by default – and my silken tofu potage is the soup to go with it, golden pan-fried tofu the crisp plate.

How to Serve

Serve over rice – with bean sprout and xianggan, spiced dried-tofu and pork stir, and home-style tofu for a rice-table set, or with red braised tofu and braised tofu with bok choy for variety.

Storage & Reheat

Refrigerate 2 days; reheat quickly. Never leave out more than 2 hours.

Allergen Notice

This recipe contains pork, soy (edamame, tofu, soy sauce), and shellfish (oyster sauce). It is free of gluten (verify the sauces), dairy, egg, nuts, and fish.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

About the Author & Recipe Development

I am Jason Guo, a Chinese chef who has cooked professionally for more than five years – including time as a head chef – and now runs my own small restaurant in China, where tofu appears on the menu almost every day. This xiachufang cook’s edamame, xianggan and pork is the green dice pan of my market days, and the recipe’s wok-breath splash is exactly how I finish a stir. I tested it as written. I have not tested the vegetarian version, so that is your experiment, not my claim.

Authoritative References

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for safe storage of cooked dishes.