Passport & Plate - Spicy Pork and Vegetable Stir-fry
China | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 6 photos
Ingredients
Cooked rice 1 cup per person
Pork loin
2 heads Bok choi
1 cup white onion, chopped
1 Green bell pepper, sliced
1 Chinese long green hot pepper, sliced
1/3 small lotus root, sliced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of dried Lajiao peppers
3 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tbs cooking oil
pinch of salt
How to prepare this recipeSTEP 1: START THE RICE. Be sure to make a large cup of rice for each person dining.
STEP 2: OIL THE WOK. Pour a tbs of oil into your wok and spread the oil evenly so that it covers the bottom and sides of the wok.
STEP 3: DICE THE PORK. After rinsing your pork, cut the pork loin into large 1inX1in cubes. These cubes should be bite-sized and easily manageable with chopsticks.
STEP 4: SEASON THE PORK. Place the pork in the wok and throw in a pinch of minced garlic. Then coat the pork in cumin seasoning. Add a pinch of salt and a few lajiao peppers. Rip the peppers in half and sprinkle the seeds and then throw in the rest of the pepper.
STEP 5: COOK ON MEDIUM-HIGH until the pork is almost done (medium rare to medium) and place the pork on a plate.
STEP 6: ADD THE VEGGIES. After re-oiling your wok, toss in your vegetables. Don’t have all of the vegetables listed above? No problem! Just use what you can find in your home country.
STEP 7: SEASON THE VEGGIES. Add a large pinch of minced garlic, and as many lajiao peppers as you can handle. Add a few shakes of cumin seasoning, and sprinkle the vegetables with soy sauce.
STEP 8: STIR FRY. Stir fry your vegetables on medium-high heat for a few minutes. When your vegetables look almost done, add the pork back in. Cook until medium-well.
STEP 9: CHECK THE RICE. Keep your eye on the rice during this process. You don’t want to burn it!
STEP 10: SERVE CHINESE STYLE. To eat this dish Chinese-style, serve yourself rice in a small bowl. Then place a small serving of the stir fry on top of your rice, and eat the two together.
The story behind this recipeEvery Wednesday afternoon I hopped on my rusty e-bike and drove down the countryside highway towards the local market. Here I haggled for lotus root and pork, putting my Chinese language skills to the test. An hour later I was back on my e-bike, winding through traffic, balancing a large bag of rice between my feet. My students gasped as I lugged my groceries back to my campus apartment, even though I’ve told them many times that yes, I live at the school and yes, I do cook Chinese food.
That evening I crack open a bottle of wine as I wash my rice to prepare for that evening’s meal. Relaxing in my chair after a long day of teaching, I revel at my tasty meal of pork and vegetables, it’s flavorful and spicy, just how I like it.
Living in the Chinese countryside was difficult for me. I felt isolated and lonely, with no other foreigners for miles. My Chinese coworkers were all married with small children at home, and didn’t have time to spend with me. For an extrovert like myself, spending time alone was something I needed to grow accustomed to. With nothing to do in my countryside factory town, I learned to cook Chinese food.
At first I was nervous. I’ve always been a fan of baking, with exact recipes and measurements. The notion of cooking stir-fry with unfamiliar ingredients was way out of my comfort zone. When I first arrived in China, I didn’t even know how to cook rice!
Over time I began to get creative. I tried adding egg, tomato, spicy peppers and different meats. I even learned to make spicy tofu, egg fried rice and noodle soups. However, pork stir-fry still remains my favorite.
The thing I love about spicy pork stir-fry is that no matter where I live in the world, and no matter what ingredients I have at hand, I can share my love of Chinese cuisine with others. With a few vegetables, a slab of meat, spices and some rice, I can make a home cooked Chinese meal just about anywhere I call home.
