Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork

Click on thumbnails for larger images

This is a favorite dish of Jeremy's. My mother always cooks it for him when we visit my parents or when they visit us. The title doesn't sound so great because it is translated from Chinese. The flavor is wonderful - a heady mix of ginger, onion, garlic, vinegar and chili! Terrific served on steamed rice.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. pork meat, julienned
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can water chestnuts, julienned
1/2 cup wood ears, julienned

Group A
1/2 tbsp sherry
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp water

Group B
1 tsp chili paste
1 tbsp green onion, minced
1 tbsp ginger root, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced

Group C
1/2 tbsp sherry
1/2 tbsp white vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
2 1/2 tbsp water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
dash sesame oil

group A mixed with pork group B water chestnuts and wood ears group C

Notes on ingredients

Wood ears are also known as black fungus. You can find them dried in almost any asian grocery store, and the better asian stores carry them fresh. If you buy them dried, rehydrate them in boiling water in a covered bowl for 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and pick off any hard woody areas.
Chili paste is not chili sauce as in the kind that Heinz makes. No - chili paste comes in a dozen different varieties in asian markets. A good choice is chili garlic paste. Avoid black bean chili paste for this recipe.
Sherry can be cooking sherry, but my dad recommended a chinese cooking sherry to me. I use this stuff in chinese cooking (he specifically said, "Don't ruin your chinese cooking with the western stuff, use the real sherry." What can I say? My dad is a cook of the highest standards.)

Instructions

Mix pork with group A ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the meat when the oil is hot and stir fry.

When the pork is thoroughly cooked, remove pan from heat and set the pork aside in a clean bowl.

Heat a little more oil in the same frying pan on high heat and stir fry group B until fragrant.

Add water chestnuts and wood ears to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Mix well.

Add the cooked pork to the pot and mix.

Pour the sauce (group C) in to the pot.

Stir fry until the sauce thickens. Serve hot.


group A mixed with pork	group B	water chestnuts and wood ears	group C

	Mix pork with group A ingredients. Heat oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the meat when the oil is hot and stir fry.
	When the pork is thoroughly cooked, remove pan from heat and set the pork aside in a clean bowl.
	Heat a little more oil in the same frying pan on high heat and stir fry group B until fragrant.
	Add water chestnuts and wood ears to the pan and stir fry for 30 seconds.
	Mix well.
	Add the cooked pork to the pot and mix.
	Pour the sauce (group C) in to the pot.
	Stir fry until the sauce thickens. Serve hot.