Pork with Preserved Radish, or 菜脯炒豬肉, uses the Chinese Water-Velveting technique with Pork before frying it with Salted Radish and Mushrooms.
This interesting dish illustrates the Chinese cooking technique of ‘Velveting’ to produce the soft, juicy, almost gelatinous pieces of meat one usually only experienced in Chinese restaurants. In this case, the techniques uses parboiling in water, rather than briefly deep-frying at low temperature, but the result is very much the same. After being pre-cooked this way, the Pork is then stir-fried with Preserved Radish and Chinese Black Mushrooms.
Ingredient Notes for Pork with Preserved Radish
If you are not very familiar with the type of Salted Radish used for this recipe, you may wish to review my Introduction to Preserved Radish posted recently. I mentioned, in that article, that this product may need to be soaked to remove excess salt. If the type you purchase tastes very salty out of the product, just soak it in cold water for a few hours, changing the water periodically, until the saltiness is diminished.
How to cook 菜脯炒豬肉
Marinate your cubes of Pork in 1 Tbsp. of the Rice wine, along with the garlic salt and pepper. Let this go for at least 30 minutes and then stir in the egg white, 2 to 3 teaspoons of the cornstarch, followed by the oil. The added oil will help the pieces of meat separate when poaching.
Now make a slurry with the remaining cornstarch and a little water, then stir in the stock, remaining rice wine, and the green part of the scallion. Set this aside to use as the Stir-frying sauce later.
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To velvet the meat, bring a large pot of water to a simmer and then add in the pork, using a spoon or chopsticks to separate the pieces (the oil you added makes this easier). Allow the pieces to cook for a few minutes, just to the point that no pink is visible. Remove the pork to a bowl with a strainer or slotted spoon.
Now, heat a little oil in a pan over moderate high heat and add the ginger and white parts of the scallion. As soon as these release their aroma, add in the radish and black mushroom. Saute for a minute or two longer.
Finally, add the meat and cook it until it is heated through and just beginning to show a little brown here and there. Then, stir in the sauce mix and let this bubble until it reduces to not much more than a glaze. Serve immediately.
Your Recipe Card for 菜脯炒豬肉 :
Pork with Preserved Radish
Ingredients
- 1 small Pork Tenderloin diced;
- 1/3 cup diced Preserved Radish;
- 1 Scallion sliced into sections keeping the green and white parts separate;
- 3 – 4 Chinese Black Mushrooms reconstituted and diced;
- ½ tsp. Garlic Salt;
- 3 Tbsp. Rice Wine;
- 1 pinch White Pepper;
- 1 Egg White;
- ½ cup Chicken Stock.
- 4 tsp. Cornstarch;
- 1 Tbsp. Oil
- 1 Tbsp. minced Ginger.
Instructions
- Marinate the Pork for thirty minutes in 1 Tbsp. of the Rice wine, along with the Garlic Salt and Pepper, then stir in the Egg White and 3 teaspoons of the Cornstarch, followed by the Oil.
- Make a slurry with the remaining cornstarch and a little water, then stir in the stock, remaining rice wine, and the green part of the scallion. Set this aside for now.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then ‘Velvet’ the pork by partially cooking it in the water for a minute or two until no pink is visible, then remove it to bowl with a strainer.
- Stir-fry the Ginger and the white part of the Scallion in a little oil over high heat until they release their aroma, the stir in the Radish and Mushroom and stir-fry a minute or so longer.
- Finally, add the Pork, stir-fry until cooked through and just starting to brown, then stir in the prepared Sauce mixture.
- Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and serve immediately.