Garlic and pork are two very familiar items in Chinese cuisine. Pork is the ‘red meat’ of Chinese cookery, since the lack of grazing land and pastures makes raising beef on a large scale impossible. Garlic is one of the three main spices (with ginger and soy sauce) in Chinese cuisine. The two ingredients go so well together, with the garlic nicely enhancing the fine qualities of the pork.
The black beans in this recipe are also important, giving the dish its trademark salty pungency. It is altogether very much a southern Chinese concoction, balancing crisp, clean, distinct flavours. My mother often made this dish and it has always been a favourite of mine. She would vary the taste once in a while by adding a dash of spicy chilli bean sauce. An easy dish to make in the wok, it goes perfectly with plain rice (see here) and any stir-fried vegetable.
| Classic Chinese |
| Preparation time 30 minutes |
| Serves 4 |
450 g (1 lb) lean pork
2 tablespoons groundnut (peanut) oil
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 teaspoons chilli bean sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon Chicken Stock (see here) or water
1 tablespoon sesame oil
FOR THE MARINADE:
1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornflour (cornstarch)
1 Cut the pork into thin slices 5 cm (2 inches) long. Put the slices into a small bowl and mix them well with all the marinade ingredients. Leave to marinate for about 20 minutes.
2 Heat a wok or large frying pan and add half the groundnut oil. When it is very hot and almost smoking, lift the pork out of the marinade with a slotted spoon, put it in the wok and stir-fry quickly for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the wok and drain well.
3 Wipe the wok clean, reheat it and add the rest of the oil. Then quickly add the garlic, spring onions and chilli bean sauce. A few seconds later, add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to the boil, return the pork to the wok or pan and stir-fry for 5 minutes. Turn on to a warm platter and serve at once.