#43: Spicy Stir-Fried Pork

I am slowly warming up to experimenting on Asian flavors. It's ironic that I am Asian yet I am totally foreign to the flavors of our neighbors like kaffir, galangal, coriander, rice wine, lemongrass, cardamom, and many others. What I usually find in groceries are ingredients that lean towards Western cooking. So in a quest for new flavor dimensions, I recently tried an Asian-inspired salad and this delectable stir-fry dish.

This flavorful stirfry may take some time to prep but is a breeze to cook. The secret to quick stir-fry meals is having ingredients that are cut in smaller pieces so the heat can go through it quicker. Guess what else?

The sauce! Oyster sauce, hoisin sauce and sesame oil are invaluable items that we can add to our pantry for great Chinese food! Then if you want to take it a bit further, Chinese cooking wine will also be good. There are in fact a lot of inexpensive cooking wine in the bigger Philippine supermarkets. I found one small bottle, about 150ml, for only Php 65. 

This dish will entail some marinating so be sure to prep early. Now let's get to it!

Spicy Stir-Fried Pork

Sosy level: 3

Pawis Levle: 2

Featured Ingredient: Oyster sauce

Don't be greedy. Share this nice lunch with 3 more friends!

Ingredients:

300g pork kasim (shoulder) cut into bite-sized pieces

1tbsp cornstarch

2tsps sesame oil

2 tbsps soy sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

3 cloves of garlic minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsps oyster sauce

2 tbsps hoisin sauce

1 tbsp soy bean paste

2 tsps chili paste (add or lessen according to your courage)

1 onion sliced

1 bell pepper shopped into bite-sized pieces

1 carrot peeled and sliced into circles

How To:

1. In a bowl, mix the pork with the cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauce, pepper and garlic. Give it some tender-loving massage and let it soak all the goodness for about 30 minutes to an hour. If you want to marinate it longer, be sure to pop it in the ref to keep the freshness of the pork.

2. In another bowl, mix together the milk, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, bean paste, and chili paste. Set aside.

3. Drizzle a hot wok over medium high heat with 2 tbsps cooking oil. Stir fry the pork until brown. Set marinade aside for later.

4. When the pork is browned, add the onions and carrots. Stir fry for 1 minute then add the bell pepper then cook for 1 minute more.

5. Add the sauce mixture then stir some more until it simmers. How easy is that? 

And hey, for beef-lovers. you may substitute the pork meat with your choice of tender beef cut. Serve it hot with steamed rice and some napkins to wipe your sweat off your brows. :-)