Sichuan Spiced Pork Strips

Sichuan Spiced Pork Strips

This is one of my favorite Sichuan stir-fries. It is spicy without being numbingly hot and it is really quite easy to make. It is best to make it with boneless pork loin but not tenderloin. Frequently, whole or half boneless pork loins go on sale and after you remove one or two roasts, you can cut off half pound pieces and freeze them for making stir fries. It is best to cut them into matchstick size pieces while they are still partially frozen.

One of the key ingredients for this recipe is the small red Chinese chili pepper. They are sold by the pound, pre-packaged, in Chinese grocery stores. I highly recommend that you do not substitute other chilies because they may be hotter or milder than what is called for in this recipe. Buy plenty if you plan to do Sichuan cooking because you will need to make your own chili oil for some recipes.

You will need to locate a Chinese grocery store to get the Sichuan sweet bean paste and the cloud ears. I recommend that you buy Chinese soy sauce and not Kikkoman, which is Japanese and not the same. When it comes to sesame seed oil, however, I recommend the Kadoya, which is Japanese. As with all stir-fry cooking, prepare all of your ingredients before you begin to cook. The actual cooking part takes 10 minutes or less. In fact, the longest part of the process is cooking the rice, which takes about 30 minutes and should be the first thing you start.

One last point that should be made is that you may see Sichuan spelled Szechwan or Szechuan. They all refer to the same thing.

Difficulty: Easy

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

Cooking Time: 15 Minutes (30 minutes for the rice)

Ingredients:

4 Tablespoons oil (corn, soybean or peanut oil)

8 Oz. of Lean Pork cut into Match stick size strips and tossed with 2 Teaspoons of Cornstarch

1/3 Cup of Cloud Ears soaked in hot water for 15 minutes

1/3 Cup Bamboo Shoots cut into match stick like strips

2 Dried Chili Peppers – chop into small pieces but do not discard the seeds

1 Teaspoon minced Ginger Root

2 Teaspoons minced Garlic

3 Scallions cut into 1 ½ inch strips including the green

Sauce Mixture:

1 Tablespoon Black Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Sichuan Sweet Bean Sauce

1 Tablespoon Dry White Wine

2 Teaspoons Chinese red Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Sugar

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil

½ Cup of Water

2 Teaspoons Cornstarch mixed with 1 Tablespoon of Water

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat a large cast iron frying pan and add the 4 tablespoons of oil
2. When the oil is hot, add the pork and stir-fry it with a spatula until it is no longer pink.
3. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and add the ginger garlic, scallions and chili peppers and lightly brown them.
4. Then add the bamboo shoots and cloud ears and cook 30 seconds more.
5. Finally, add the sauce mixture and the cornstarch and toss for about a minute until the sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

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