Single Meal - Sugar Snap Pea Soy Sauce Pork Stomach Stir Fry (蜜豆炒豉油豬肚, Mat6 Dau6 Caau2 Si6 Jau4 Zyu1 Tou5)

The poaching liquid from the soy sauce pork stomach is used as the basis for the sauce for this stir fry dish. Pork stomach is one of my favorite parts of the pig to eat, but it has to be poached first using the Soy Sauce Pork Stomach (豉油豬肚, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Zyu¹ Tou⁵) recipe before being stir fried for this dish.

Enjoy!

Soy Sauce Pork Stomach (豉油豬肚, Si6 Jau4 Zyu1 Tou5)

Pork stomach is an underutilized part of the pig, in my opinion, here in the USA, but are quite good when prepared correctly. Using the technique to make a poached soy sauce chicken, Soy Sauce Chicken (豉油鷄, Si⁶ Jau⁴ Gai¹), pork stomach can be made tender and tasty. The soy sauce poaching liquid gives this recipe its distinctive flavor. You often find soy sauce pork stomach in Chinese delicatessens.

Pork stomachs are commonly available fresh at your local Asian market. Unlike beef tripe (stomach), there’s a layer of meat on the outside of the stomach. The pork stomach is usually used as an ingredient in another dish and is not eaten all by itself. You also don’t have to poach the pork stomach in soy sauce, for instance, if you make the Steamed Ginger Scallion Pork Stomach with Green String Beans (青豆角薑葱蒸豬肚, Ceng¹ Dau⁶ Gok³ Goeng¹ Cung¹ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Tou⁵). The poaching liquid also makes a good basis for a sauce, but is usually not used alone since it’s very salty.

Enjoy!

Black Vinegar Sugar Snap Pea Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (黑米醋蜜豆炒涮涮锅豬肉, Hak1 Mai5 Cou3 Mat6 Dau6 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute thinly sliced pork loin or butt cut into 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. Black vinegar is the basis for the sauce and provides a nice taste contrast to the richness of the pork.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Pork Chops with Skin (燒烤豆科木豬排, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Zyu1 Paai4)

This is a variation on a previously posted recipe, Grilled Hickory Smoked Rib Eye Pork Chops, which uses the most basic method to wood smoke (mesquite, in this case) pork rib chops on a grill. For this recipe, pork rib chops with the skin on are used. Skin-on pork rib chops can be purchased at your local Asian market. You need to cut the skin in two to three places so that the pork chops don’t curl up when the skin contracts as it is grilled. There’s no marinating involved – just take the pork rib chops out of the refrigerator one hour before grilling, coat with sesame oil, salt or Lawry’s seasoned salt, and pepper, and then grill. The flavor is also at its most basic – just pork and wood smoke.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Cantonese Sausage Hong Kong Noodles (臘腸鷄炒雲吞麵, Laap6 Coeng4 Gai1 Caau2 Wan4 Tan1 Min6)

I always have a package of Cantonese pork sausage in my refrigerator. The sausages have a characteristic deep red color and provide a tasty addition to any dish, in this case, Hong Kong noodles. The sausages are dried, so they are dense and hard, and not at all like fresh sausages. The sausages can be purchased at your local Asian market. Cantonese pork sausage can be made with many ingredients, but this dish uses the pork only version. The sausages are also available lean, with less fat content. Oil may be need to be added to the wok if the lean version is used, otherwise the sausages produce their own oil when cooked.

Enjoy!

Steamed Pork with Dried Shrimp, Preserved Mustard Stem, and Salted Duck Egg (蝦米碎米芽菜鹹鴨蛋蒸豬肉, Haa1 Mai5 Seoi3 Mai5 Ngaa4 Coi3 Haam4 Aap3 Daan6 Zing1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Steamed pork is a dish I grew up eating and all Chinese Moms have a recipe for this dish. Steamed pork is usually never the only ingredient used in making this dish and there are innumerable recipe variations for additions. Here are some other recipes: Steamed Pork with Salted Fish (鹹魚蒸豬肉, Haam⁴ Jyu⁴ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶) , Steamed Pork with Salted Duck Egg (鹹鴨蛋蒸豬肉, Haam⁴ Aap³ Daan⁶ Zing¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶).

This version uses an uncooked salted duck egg and dried shrimp, whose saltiness goes well with the savory pork flavor. You can buy uncooked salted duck eggs and dried shrimp at your local Asian market, but the uncooked duck eggs can be hard to find and not always in stock. I buy my uncooked salted duck eggs at my local Farmer’s Market. The third ingredient is called suimiyacai, which is preserved mustard stems, and can be bought at your local Asian market in small packets. The preserved mustard stems add a mild sweetness to the dish and can be omitted if you cannot obtain them, or you can substitute another preserved vegetable.

On the surface, this seems like an easy dish to make. If this dish is prepared correctly, the steamed ground pork has a tender mouth feel when eaten. I have found, through many attempts, that if you add 1 Tbs. (15 ml.) corn starch per ½ lb. (250 g.) ground pork, together with the other marinade ingredients, you get the desired result.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi) Stir Fry

This recipe uses the pork prepared using the Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi) recipe. I used the pork much like I would Cantonese barbeque pork in a stir fry dish. The pork is, of course, spicier than Cantonese barbeque pork, and the dish itself is even spicier with the addition of whole Japanese chilies.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Asparagus Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油蘆筍炒涮涮锅豬肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Lou4 Seon2 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. This dish is slightly spicy and is great to make when asparagus is in season.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Garam Masala Pork Shoulder (燒烤豆科灌木胡荽豬肩肉, Siu1 Haau1 Dau6 Fo1 Gun3 Muk6 Wu4 Seoi1 Zyu1 Gin1 Juk6)

Pork shoulder is the cut of meat chosen for this recipe because of its meat/fat content. Other cuts of pork, such as tenderloin, don’t produce the juiciness that pork shoulder produces after grilling. You could easily use pork rib chops or country-style ribs (which is boneless pork shoulder cut to look like ribs) to produce the same results. You can also use bone-in or boneless pork shoulder. Garam Masala is the primary spice and flavor, which is mixed with a soy-based marinade.

Enjoy!

Basil Chili Paste with Fermented Soy Bean Shabu Shabu Pork Loin Stir Fry (紫蘇湖南豆豉辣椒炒涮涮锅豬肉, Zi2 Sou1 Wu4 Naam4 Dau6 Si6 Laat6 Ziu1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. This dish is slightly spicy and is additionally flavored using fresh basil leaves.

Enjoy!

Mesquite Grilled Korean-Style Spicy Pork (돼지불고기, Daeji Bulgogi)

This is definitely not an original Korean dish, but the Korean hot pepper paste (고추장, Gochujang) and hot pepper powder (고추가루, Gochugaru) are used to marinade the pork shoulder steaks as in the traditional recipe. The traditional recipe uses pork belly and is cooked on an indoor grill, with the cooked pork being wrapped in lettuce leaves (and other added ingredients) before being consumed whole. This recipe is an Americanized outdoor barbeque version of this dish using pork shoulder steaks. The amount of hot pepper powder can be varied depending upon your tolerance for spiciness. The hot pepper paste actually provides more sweetness to the dish than spice, so there’s no need to use hoisin sauce (my usual sauce used in marinades). This is a really easy and tasty way to grill pork (or any other meat) and is very similar to a previously published recipe: Grilled Gochujang (Hot Pepper Paste) Pork Ribeye Steaks.

Enjoy!

Lemon Black Pepper Sauce Fuzzy Melon Shabu Shabu Pork Loin Stir Fry (檸黑椒汁節瓜炒涮涮锅豬肉, Ning4 Hak1 Ziu1 Zap1 Zit3 Gwaa1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. Juice from one lemon was added to a black pepper sauce to make this dish.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Zucchini Dried Shrimp Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (豆豉意大利青瓜蝦米炒涮涮锅豬肉, Dau6 Si6 Ji3 Daai6 Lei6 Ceng1 Gwaa1 Haa1 Mai5 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Here’s another stir fry dish using Shabu Shabu pork, which is thinly sliced pork and can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork. A simple black bean sauce made from salted black beans was used, but if you’re short on time, a bottled black bean sauce can be used. Dried shrimp is also used and you can choose to either soak or not soak the shrimp before cooking. Not soaking the dried shrimp beforehand makes the dish saltier, since soaking will wash away most of the salt. The texture also differs in the finished dish: the soaked shrimp will be larger and less chewy than the unsoaked due to water absorption.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chili Oil Bitter Melon Shabu Shabu Pork Stir Fry (黑豆辣椒油苦瓜炒涮涮锅豬肉, Hak1 Dau6 Laat6 Ziu1 Jau4 Fu2 Gwaa1 Caau2 Saan3 Saan3 Wo1 Zyu1 Juk6)

Thinly sliced meat is used for a Japanese dish called Shabu Shabu. The raw meat is dipped into a stock with chopsticks, moved around quickly in the stock to cook, and then dipped into a sauce before eating. The meat (typically beef) can be found at your local Japanese or Asian market. For this recipe, thinly sliced pork loin is stir fried with other ingredients rather than using it for Shabu Shabu. I used thinly sliced pork butt to make a similar dish: Chili Black Bean Bitter Melon Pork (辣椒豆豉苦瓜豬肉, Laat⁶ Ziu¹ Dau⁶ Si⁶ Fu² Gwaa¹ Zyu¹ Juk⁶), and that meat can be substituted to make this dish also. You can always substitute pork loin or butt cut into thin 2-inch (5 cm.) pieces if you’re unable to obtain Shabu Shabu pork.

Enjoy!

Steamed Ginger Scallion Pork Stomach with Green String Beans (青豆角薑葱蒸豬肚, Ceng1 Dau6 Gok3 Goeng1 Cung1 Zing1 Zyu1 Tou5)

I first had this dish at a Chinese restaurant and the dish intrigued me since it was such a simple presentation. The pork stomach dish was topped with heated oil and soy sauce just like a steamed fish, and the pork stomach was very tender. The original restaurant dish only consisted of steamed pork stomach (i.e. no vegetables) and was served within 15 minutes of ordering. Pork stomach usually requires a long cooking time, so I started to think how this was dish made, and how I could reproduce making it at home.

My first try at making this dish didn’t produce the results that I experienced at the restaurant. Cooked pork stomach is available at my local Asian market, so I thought that I could save time, just cut the cooked pork stomach into strips, and steam it. The resulting pork was tough and required a lot of chewing! So that wasn’t the answer. For my second attempt, I started with fresh pork stomach (not cooked), and used a baking soda solution to tenderize the pork stomach before poaching the whole pork stomach with ginger, garlic, and Shaoxing wine. This turned out to be the solution. The baking soda not only removes any (as is commonly said) unwanted smells, it also tenderizes the pork stomach. The pork stomach needs to be submerged in a baking soda solution (i.e. baking soda and water) to make it tender, so don’t just sprinkle the baking soda on the pork. I added green beans to make a more complete meal that can be made in one dish, but you can leave the vegetables out if desired. The dish is topped with julienned ginger and green onions, together with heated oil and a soy sauce solution, just like when making a steamed fish.

A pork stomach dish is usually not the first choice of most people, but I think this dish will change your mind about eating this part of the pig. The tenderness of the pork, together with the taste of the toppings, together with heated oil and a soy sauce solution, reminded me of eating steamed fish. So give it a try.

Enjoy!

Basil Japanese Curry Red Wine Pork Spareribs (紫蘇日本咖哩紅酒豬排骨, Zi2 Sou1 Jat6 Bun2 Gaa3 Lei1 Hung4 Zau2 Zyu1 Paai4 Gwat1)

One of my favorite ingredients is pork spareribs, and making the pork with a curry, in this case, a Japanese curry, makes for a tasty dish. Japanese curry comes packaged as ready to cook cubes with a varying degree of spiciness (to be honest, there really isn’t any spiciness in Japanese curry). It’s very convenient to use and is added at the end of cooking. The instructions say to use water to cook your ingredients, but any liquid can be substituted and, in this case, red wine was used instead of water. Using a different liquid besides water gives the curry an added flavor and it’s a very easy change to make. The curry instructions suggest that 3 cups (750 ml.) be used when using 4 cubes of the curry (one-half package), but I’ve found that 2 cups (500 ml) produce a thicker sauce that is common for Japanese curry.

Enjoy!

Grilled Hard Apple Cider Pickled Chili Black Pepper Pork Rib Eye Steaks (燒烤蘋果酒風味糟辣椒黑椒豬排, Siu1 Haau1 Ping4 Gwo2 Zau2 Fung1 Mei6 Zou1 Laat6 Ziu1 Hak1 Ziu1 Zyu1 Paai4)

This recipe for boneless pork rib eye chops (you also can use bone-in chops) uses hard apple cider with pickled chili peppers in a soy sauce marinade. You can of course use regular apple cider in place of the hard apple cider; just use whatever’s available. The marinade is discarded and freshly ground black pepper is used to coat the pork before grilling.

Enjoy!

Clay Pot Chinese Sticky Rice (煲仔糯米飯, Bou1 Zai2 No6 Mai5 Faan6)

I’ve been cooking all my rice in a clay pot rather than a rice cooker since I prefer the results. For my family’s 2016 Thanksgiving dinner, I made Chinese Sticky Rice (糯米飯, No⁶ Mai⁵ Faan⁶) in a clay pot. I followed the same procedure outlined in the Clay Pot Rice (煲仔飯, Bou¹ Zai² Faan⁶) recipe, but used the ingredients for Chinese Sticky Rice. I also used dried shrimp and scallops that I buy in bulk from my local Chinese herb and dried seafood store rather than the prepared packages at my local Asian market. If you’re fortunate enough to have a Chinese herb and dried seafood store nearby, you’ll find a wide selection of dried shrimp and scallops (and other seafood) that’s not available at Asian markets.

Using a clay pot to make rice is very similar to making rice in a pot. A crust is produced on the bottom of the clay pot, similar to cooking rice in a pot, and you don’t have to reboil to release the scorched rice from the bottom. The taste of the rice is very similar to making rice in a pot. The sequence of cooking the rice in a clay pot is:

1. Pre-heat the clay pot over medium heat for 5 minutes to prevent shocking the clay pot and possible breaking it.
2. Bring the clay pot rice to a boil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
3. Simmer the rice for 15 minutes over low heat.
4. Scorch the rice using medium-high heat for 10 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and allow the clay pot to sit for 10 minutes to release the scorched rice from the bottom.
6. Serve the rice.

Given that there are many variables when cooking rice in a clay pot, the cooked rice will vary from every time you cook it. If more water is used, the rice will take longer to cook. If too little water is used, the rice becomes more al dente and the volume decreases because the rice doesn’t get fluffy. Burner heat will determine how quickly the rice cooks and how scorched the rice will get. You just have to experiment and watch for the indications that signal when the rice is cooked to your personal preference. Making rice in a clay pot seems like a simple task, but you’ll find that it takes practice to get consistent results.

Enjoy!

Abalone Fish Maw Winter Melon Soup (鮑魚魚肚冬瓜羹, Baau1 Jyu4 Jyu4 Tou5 Dung1 Gwaa1 Gang1)

I made this tasty soup for my family’s 2016 Thanksgiving dinner, and is very similar to the soup I made for Christmas 2015: Seafood Winter Melon Soup (海鮮冬瓜羹, Hoi² Sin¹ Dung¹ Gwaa¹ Gang¹). The soup is loaded with lots of seafood and is a special occasion type dish. I was able to get sliced abalone at my local Asian market. Usually fresh (or thawed) abalone is very hard to find where I live (it’s usually only available frozen or dried), so I took the opportunity to use it in this soup. Since abalone becomes tough if cooked too long, the abalone is added as the very last ingredient to the soup just to warm it in order to keep it tender.

Fish maw is the bladder of the fish that controls buoyancy. Fish maw is one of those weird and wonderful special banquet ingredients (at least in my experience) that is served at auspicious events such as weddings and at Lunar New Year. Fish maw can be purchased at your local Asian market or herb specialty store. If you’re lucky enough to have an Asian herb store near you, it’s worth going in to see all the dried herbs and creatures that are sold at these stores. The herb stores also have the most variety of fish maw to buy and with the prices to match!

There are two types of fish maw: dried and fried. For this soup dish, the fried version is used. If you purchase the dried version, like I did, there’s an extra step to deep fry the fish maw yourself. I actually shallow fried the fish maw, ladling hot oil over the fish maw (be careful when using this method). You can save a step and time by buying the fried version. The best description of fried fish maw is that it look like chicharrón, which is fried pork skin. The fried fish maw has to soak in cold water for at least an hour to soften it to a spongy texture and then cut into bite sized pieces. After soaking, fish maw has no inherent flavor (so it won’t smell fishy at all) and acquires the flavors of the ingredients it is cooked with. So the use of a good stock and ingredients is important to the flavor of this soup.

The soup stock was made using the Bone Soup (湯, Tong¹) recipe. You can used a prepared soup stock, but the taste of the soup is heavily dependent upon the quality of the ingredients. So if you’re going to all the trouble and expense to make this soup, you should make your own soup stock. The last Chinese character in the recipe’s name, 羹 (gang¹), signifies that this is a thick soup. A thick soup means that a corn starch solution is added to thicken the soup. The amount of thickener added to the soup depends upon personal preference, but the soup should be thicker than a normal soup and not thicker than a very thick gravy.

Enjoy!

Grilled Hard Root Beer Pork Rib Chops (燒烤根汁汽水酒豬排, Siu1 Haau1 Gan1 Zap1 Hei3 Seoi2 Zau2 Zyu1 Paai4)

This recipe for pork rib chops uses hard root beer in a soy sauce marinade. You can of course use regular root beer in place of the hard root beer; just use whatever’s available. The marinade is discarded and freshly ground black pepper is used to coat the pork before grilling.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2-4	2-4	Pork rib eye chops (豬排, zyu1 paai4), about 1 lb. (500 g.) each
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
4 cloves	4 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
12 oz.	355 ml.	One bottle hard root beer (根汁汽水酒, gan1 zap1 hei3 seoi2 zau2)
½ cup	125 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
		Freshly ground black pepper (黑椒, hak1 ziu1) to coat the pork

Equipment

		Garlic press
4 qt.	3.8 L.	Covered bowl
		Tongs and an oil coated paper towel
22.5 in.	57 cm.	Covered charcoal or gas grill (or larger)

Instructions

1. Use pork chops at least 1-inch (2.5 cm.) thick – the thicker the better. Marinate the pork in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, hard root beer, soy sauce, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the pork overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
2. Discard the marinade and remove as much liquid from the surface of the pork (a paper towel to blot the pork chops works well). Coat the pork surfaces with freshly ground black pepper.
3. Prepare the charcoal or gas grill for indirect cooking following the manufacturer’s instructions. Light the charcoal or preheat the gas grill accordingly. Soak the smoking wood (pecan, oak, or any other wood can be used) for one hour if desired. I use dry and not soaked wood.
4. If using a charcoal grill, arrange the lighted coals on one half of the grill. The side of the grill with the coals (the “hot” side) will be used to grill the pork and the side without the coals (the “cool” side) will be used to pre-heat and smoke the pork. For a gas grill, follow the manufacturer’s instructions as to which burners to leave on for indirect cooking. Clean the grill grate and then, using tongs and a paper towel coated with oil, lubricate the grate to prevent the pork from sticking. Put the smoking wood onto the coals or as per the instructions for the gas grill.
5. Place the pork on the cool side of the covered grill for 3-5 minutes. Uncover the grill, turn the pork over, and cook covered for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Uncover the grill and move the pork to the hot side of the grill. Grill the pork uncovered for 2-4 minutes before rotating 90⁰ to produce the grill marks, and grill for another 2-4 minutes. Turn the pork over and repeat the process to produce the grill marks on the other side.
7. Remove the pork from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Be careful not to overcook the pork. The thickness of the pork, the temperature of your fire, and previous experience with your grill will determine the total cooking time for the pork.