This one has been a favorite for many years. It takes a little bit of planning since the pork butt needs cooking a day ahead, but it’s well worth the time. I added these cute little yellow squash I got at a farmers market. You could cut them into chunks, but I julienned them.
Preparation time: About 5 minutes
Cooking time: About 45 minutes to simmer; about 6 minutes to stir-fry.
The pork in this spicy Szechwan dish really is cooked twice. First simmered, then stir-fried (if you like, you can even do the cooking on different days). Sweet and hot bean sauces add a distinctive flavor-but if you can’t find them, you may use hoisin sauce and chilies with equally tasty results.
1 pound lean boneless pork (such as shoulder or butt), in 1 piece
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 thin, quarter-size slice fresh ginger, crushed with the side of a cleaver
3 green onions (including tops)
2 teaspoons hot bean sauce; or 2 small dried hot red chilies, crumbled
4 teaspoons sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
2 small green bell peppers or 1 each small green and red bell pepper
3 tablespoons salad oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (If you use dried, be sure to reconstitute it. Little dry chunks of ginger are no fun to bite into.)
- Place pork, sherry, and ginger slice in a 2-quart pan. Cut 1 of the green onions in half crosswise and add to pork, then add enough water to barely cover meat. Bring to a simmer; cover and simmer until meat is tender when pierced (about 45 minutes). Lift meat from broth and refrigerate until cold.
- The next day, cut into 1 ½ inch square pieces about 1/2 inch thick. (The fatty parts of the meat are considered a delicacy, but remove them if you wish. (I certainly did.) In a bowl, combine hot bean sauce, sweet bean sauce, soy, and sugar.
- Seed bell peppers and cut into 1 inch squares; cut remaining 2 green onions into 1 inch lengths.
- Place a wok over high heat; when wok is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the oil. When oil is hot, add bell peppers and Stir-fry for 1 ½ minutes, adding a few drops of water if wok appears dry. Sprinkle with salt and stir once, then remove peppers from wok.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok. When oil begins to heat, add garlic and minced ginger and stir once; then add pork and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add bean sauce mixture and toss until pork is coated with sauce. Return bell peppers to wok along with onion. Stir for 30 seconds to heat through.
Makes 3 or 4 servings. I put it over rice. You could also serve without.
Nutritional info does not include rice. Per serving: 302 calories, 24 g protein, B g carbohydrates, 20 g total fat,
76 mg cholesterol, T90 mg sodium