Pork Prepared in Many Ways

by Jacqueline M. Newman

Pork

Winter Volume: 2019 Issue: 26(4) pages: 25 to 27

Thanks to those who offered appreciation about the article and information about belly pork. Quite a few were amazed at how ubiquitous is its usage in China and by Chinese folk worldwide. Quite a few kudos came with requests asking for ground or minced pork suggestions and recipes. We found that amazing considering how popular is the use of ground pork. Anyway, that is our rationale of sharing these ordinary ways requested by many readers. Those that follow should please those that asked for same and many others, too. We begin with a most popular one, then some of the dozens that did pop into our head. We offer them for your enjoyment!

Lion’s Head Meatballs
Ingredients:
6 Tablespoons glutinous rice soaked in 1½ cups cold water for three hours, then drained
5 dried Chinese black mushrooms, simmered in one cup water for fifteen minutes, stems and liquid then discarded or minced for soup or stew
1 pound ground boneless pork
5 canned water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 slices fresh ginger, minced
3 scallions, minced

Preparation:
1. Gently mix prepared mushrooms, water chestnuts, pork, egg, soy sauce, salt, sugar, ginger, and scallions and make into one to one-and a half-inch balls, then roll them lightly in the rice until well-covered and rice is stuck on
2. Put a sheet greaseproof paper at the bottom of a metal steamer and place the meatballs on that paper one and a half inches apart. Steam them over boiling water for thirty minutes, and do add extra water, if and as needed.
3. Serve with stir-fried or any vegetables, if and as desired.

Pork Floss in Omelette
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 eggs, beaten
4 Tablespoons pork floss
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

Preparation:
1. Mix cornstarch with two Tablespoons water, then add in the eggs, and divide in half.
2. Heat a wok or fry pan, add the oil, and pour in one half of the above egg mixture and fry until almost set. Then add half the pork floss, and spread that on the egg before they set, and set this aside.
3. Repeat with the rest of the ingredients, angle slice the omelette, then serve it.

Spicy Pork and Doufu
Ingredients:
2 or 3 pounds soft doufu, cut in half-inch slices
½ pound ground pork
1 teaspoon chili paste
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground Sichuan peppercorns
1/4 cup minced scallions
2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with four Tablespoons of cold water
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 sprigs fresh coriander, coarsely chopped

Preparation:
1. Mix doufu slices with pork, chili paste, sugar, minced garlic, and chicken stock, add garlic, ginger, chicken stock, Sichuan peppercorns, cornstarch water, and sesame oil, and set this aside.
2. Heat a wok or fry-pan, add the vegetable oil and simmer the pork mixture in this for about three minutes, then transfer it to a pre-heated serving bowl.
3. Mix in half the coriander and sprinkle the rest on top, then serve.

Pork Rolls in Bean Curd Sheets
Ingredients:
10 dried bean curd sheets
2/3 pound ground pork
2 scallions, coarsely chopped
2 pounds ground pork
2 teaspoons Chinese rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
6 ounces cellophane noodles
3 slices fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 bitter melons, seeded, blanched, cut in four the long way, each fourth angle-cut in one-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
½ Tablespoon granulated sugar
dash sesame oil
½ Tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one Tablespoon cold water

Preparation:
1. Soak bean curd sheets in one cup of boiling water until soft, then rinse them in cold water, drain, and set them aside.
2. Mix pork with scallions, ginger, Chinese rice wine, oyster sauce, and sugar, and roll about one-tenth of the pork mixture into each bean curd sheet having it look like a spring roll, and put them in a cold rice cooker.
3. Pour one cup of cold water on them, cover the rice cooker, and steam until rice cooker clicks off.
4. Put the pork rolls on a small pre-heated platter.
5. Heat the sugar, sesame oil, and cornstarch mixture until it boils, then pour it over the pork rolls, and serve them cut or not, as preferred.

Roast Pork, Black Beans, and Bitter Melon
Ingredients:
½ pound roast pork, coarsely diced
1 teaspoon fermented black beans, lightly mashed
2 medium bitter melon, cut the long ways, seed and angle-cut them, then blanch them in boiling water
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Preparation:
1. Heat wok or small fry-pan, add the oil, then the garlic, mashed black beans, and roasted pork and stir-fry for two minutes.
2. Then add the pieces of bitter melon, the oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch, and stir-fry one minute.
3. Serve in a small pre-heated bowl.

Pork and Cellophane Noodles
Ingredients:
1/4 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons Chinese clear rice vinegar
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
5 ounces dry cellophane noodles soaked fifteen minutes in vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil, then cut into three-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
5 cups one-quarter-inch scallion pieces
3 large cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 teaspoons chili paste with garlic
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 sprigs fresh coriander, very coarsely chopped

Preparation:
1. Mix pork with the vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil and set aside for fifteen minutes.
2. Heat oil in a wok or fry-pan and stir-fry scallions, garlic, ginger for one minute, then add pork and chili paste and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Now add the noodles, broth, soy sauce, vinegar, and the sugar and stir-fry two minutes before putting in a pre-heated bowl sprinkling coriander on top, and then serve.

Roasted Spareribs
Ingredients:
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoons yellow bean paste
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Teaspoons chopped fresh ginger

Preparation:
1. Mix hoisin sauce, yellow bean sauce, soy sauce, and sugar and rub onto both sides of the rib and set aside for two hours.
2, Now line roasting or baking pan with aluminum foil, and roast the rib for one hour in a 325-degree oven, turning them once in the middle of the roasting.
3. Cut the ribs into individual ones and put them on a pre-heated platter, and serve.

Sichuan Baby Back Ribs
Ingredients:
3 pounds baby back ribs
1-inch fresh ginger, cut in a few pieces
½ bunch fresh parsley
3 fresh cloves garlic, peeled
½ bunch fresh cilantro
½ cup hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
3 Tablespoons dry sherry
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon chili paste with garlic

Preparation:
1. Put ginger, parsley, garlic, and cilantro into a food processor, add the stock and the ribs and simmer together for fifteen minutes, then drain them and refrigerate and reserve the liquid.
2. Now put the ribs on a baking sheet and grill them until brown, then cut them unto individual ribs, and brush them on both sides with the reserved liquid, and set any of its leftovers covered and the refrigerator.
3. Now, reheat the grill, brush them once more with the reserved drippings and grill for three minutes per side, then serve them.

Pork In Wine Lees
Ingredients:
1 pound pork fillet cut into two thinner pieces
1 cucumber, seeds removed, angle-cut into fat strips
2 egg whites, beaten until no longer liquid
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon coarse salt
3 Tablespoons red fermented wine lees
3 Tablespoons lard
½ cup stock
2 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon each. of sugar and salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preparation:
1. Mix pork with the egg whites and put them in a plastic bag, add the cornstarch and shake until well coated.
2. Now mash red wine lees on a flat plate, and coat the meat on all sides of each pork piece.
3. Heat lard in a wok or fry-pan, and fry the pork over high heat for two minutes per side, then them to an empty plate and set them aside.
4. Add the cucumber pieces to the pan and stir fry for one minute, then set them aside and discard any lard or oil.
5. Next, mix the stock, rice wine, sugar, salt, and the cornstarch, add the pork and stir-fry it for one minute, then put it in a small pre-heated bowl, and serve.

Pork, Wine Lees, and Pickled Cabbage
Ingredients:
½ pound pickled napa cabbage
1/4 pound ground or minced pork
1 chili pepper, seeded, then minced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 slice fresh ginger, minced
1 scallion, minced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red or white wine lees, mashed
1 teaspoon thin soy sauce

Preparation:
1. Drain pickled cabbage and chop it coarsely.
2. Heat oil in a wok or fry-pan and stir-fry the pork and chili pepper for one minute.
3. Then, add the garlic, ginger, pickled cabbage, and minced scallion pieces and stir-fry one more minute, then serve in a pre-heated bowl.

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