Chinese Pork

Pork Tenderloin with Bean Sauce

Serves 3 as a main course with rice or noodles.

• 1/2 lb (250 g) pork tenderloin, sliced
• 4 tsp soy sauce
• 4 tsp dry sherry
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 bunch green onions
• 1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp water

1. Slice pork into 2 x 1/4 inch strips.
2. Stir in mixing bowl: soy sauce, sherry, cornstarch.
3. Add pork to bowl and stir to coat. Let stand 30 minutes.
4. Cut onions into fourths lengthwise (2" or 5 cm lengths). Spread on small serving platter.
5. Reserving 1 Tbsp of the oil, pour rest of the oil into a wok. Heat over high heat 2-3 minutes then when very hot, add pork a handful at a time and stir-fry about 30 seconds. Use slotted spoon to remove pork and drain on paper towels.
6. Remove oil from wok; wipe clean. Add reserved 1 Tbsp oil and heat over medium-hgih.
7. Stir in hoisin sauce and water, bring to boil. Return pork to wok and stir until coated and heated through.
8. Spoon hot pork over green onions.

Pork with Hot Peppers

• 1/2 lb lean pork, sliced thin
• 10 fresh red or green, long hot peppers
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp dry sherry
• 2 Tbsp peanut or vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup bamboo shoots, finely shredded 

1. Remove seeds from peppers, cut into fine shreds or 2 inch pieces.
2. Blend soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch in mixing bowl.
3. Toss pork slices in soy sauce mixture.
4. Heat oil in pan, stir fry pork about 3 minutes or till browned.
5. Add bamboo shoots and stir-fry 30 seconds.
6. Add peppers and cook 1 minute.
7. Add sherry, toss, cook 15 seconds, add salt or more soy sauce to taste.
8. Serve hot.

Red-Cooked Pork

Serves 8-10

• 1 7-lb whole bone-in pork shoulder roast, trimmed of skin & excess fat
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 3"x1" strips fresh orange peel
• 1 3-inch long cinnamon stick
• 1 whole star anise
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 cup plus 1 Tbsp packed brown sugar
• 1 cup dry sherry
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• corn starch

1. Heat 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot.
2. Add pork and cook until browned on all sides, about 15 minutes.
3. Transfer pork to plate.
4. Reduce heat to medium.
5. Add ginger, garlic, orange peel, cinnamon, star anise, crushed red pepper.
6. Cook 5 minutes, stirring.
7. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar .
8. Coo 10 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
9. Add sherry (or water) stirring to loosen brown bits, cook 2 minutes.
10. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
11. Stir soy sauce, rice vinegar and 4-1/2 cups water into mixture in Dutch oven.
12. Add pork.
13. Heat to boiling over high heat.
14. Cover Dutch oven and place in preheated oven.
15. Bake 2-1/2 hours, turning meat over once after 75 minutes.
16. Cook until meat is fork-tender.  Remove Dutch oven from oven. Transfer meat to platter, cover and keep warm.
17. Skim fat from cooking broth. Strain broth through fine mesh sieve into large glass measuring cup to measure yield of broth. Pour broth back into Dutch oven.
18. In cup, with small wire whisk, mix 1-1/2 tsp cornstarch for each 1 cup of cooking broth with 1/2 cup cold water until blended. Slowly whisk cornstarch mixture into broth in Dutch oven.
19. Heat broth over medium high heat until mixture boils and thickens slightly, stirring. Boil 1 minute.
20. Ladle 1 cup broth into 1-quart saucepan, stir in 1 Tbsp brown sugar.
21. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat. Boil 15 minutes or until broth is thick and syrupy.
22. With pastry brush,, brush syrup over pork.
23. To serve, pour broth into gravy boat.
24. Slice pork or shred coarsely with 2 forks.

Reserve 2 cups of  shredded pork from this meal AND 1/2 cup of the cooking broth if you want to make Mu-Shu pork (see below).

Mu-Shu Pork

• 3 tsp vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 10 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups shredded carrots (4 oz)
• 1/2 small head (1 lb) Napa (Chinese) cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 1 Tbsp grated, peeled fresh ginger
• 8 oz. (2 cups) shredded red-cooked pork (see recipe above)
• 1/2 cup cooking broth from red-cooked pork
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts (4 oz pkg)
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas, warmed
• hoisin sauce

1. In 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tsp oil over medium heat until hot.
2. Add eggs. Stir and cook 1-2 minutes until eggs are set and scrambled.
3. Transfer eggs to medium bowl.
4. Increase heat to medium-high.
5. In same skillet, in 1 tsp oil, cook mushrooms until browned, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add carrots and cook 2 minutes longer, stirring.
7. Transfer vegetables into bowl with eggs.
8. In remaining 1 tsp oil, cook cabbage 5-7 minutes until tender and golden, stirring occasionally.
9. Add garlic and ginger. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring.
10. Return vegetable mixture to skillet.
11. Add pork and pork cooking broth. Heat through, stirring to loosen brown bits from bottom of skillet. Remove skillet from heat.
12. Stir in bean sprouts. Sprinkle with green onions.
13. To serve, spread thin coating of hoisin sauce on warm tortillas.Top with pork mixture.
14. Roll up tortilla with filling, jelly-roll fashion.