Sea Cucumber with Pork Balls

Unusual Ingredients

Sea Cucumber with Pork Balls
Ingredients:
1 horny- or spiked-edge sea cucumber, soaked for one to two days, water changed every six hours
1/2 pound hand-chopped or ground pork loin
1 teaspoon cornstarch
6 Tablespoons Chinese rice wine, divided in half
1/2 teaspoon salt and ground white pepper mixture
1 cup vegetable oil for deep frying
5 slices peeled fresh ginger
2 scallions, each cut into one-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons chicken broth or stock
2 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed with three tablespoons cold water
Preparation:
1. Cut the sea cucumber into one-inch pieces.
2. Make pork balls mixing the pork, cornstarch, rice wine and salt and pepper, and make this mixture into one-inch balls.
3. Heat oil in wok or deep pan and fry the pork balls until golden, about two or three minutes; then remove and drain them and discard the oil or save it for another use.
4. With oil clinging to the sides of the wok or pan, add the ginger and scallion pieces and stir-fry these for one minute. Then add sea cucumber, the rest of the wine, soy sauce, sugar, and chicken stock, and the pork balls. Bring this to the boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes, remove the cover and raise the temperature and boil, stirring for abour another ten minutes or until the liquid will be almost evaporated.
5. Add the cornstarch water, and stir until it thickens, about a minute, then pour this over the sea cucumber-pork balls, transfer this to a pre-heated bowl, stir once or twice, and serve.

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