Quick & Easy Chinese (20 page)
Read Quick & Easy Chinese Online
Authors: Nancie McDermott
SALT-AND-PEPPER PORK CHOPS, TAIWANESE-STYLE
Pork is the favorite meat within Chinese cooking, treasured for its richness and flavor, and the myriad ways it can be prepared. Pigs have been raised for food in China for centuries and are utilized both in home cooking and in barbecue-specialty shops, cafés, noodle shops, dim sum parlors, and banquet halls.
This chapter provides you with recipes for restaurant favorites including
Sweet-and-Sour Pork
(page 89),
Mu Shu Pork
(page 87), and
Ma Po Tofu
(page 93). My versions are streamlined to keep these classics doable in a Western home kitchen on a busy day, and I think you will find the resulting recipes to your liking.
Boneless pork tenderloin is lean and easy to use, but it can also be dry. I often buy pork shoulder, pork butt, pork chops, or country-style ribs, dividing them into half-pound portions to freeze for future use.
I hope you will also try several of the less-familiar dishes that don’t show up as often outside of communities where Chinese customers know their delights.
Lion’s Head Meatballs
(page 95), a simple and completely delicious casserole of gargantuan pork meatballs simmered with delectable Asian greens, is perfect with rice as the centerpiece for supper on a wintry night.
Char Shiu Pork
(page 98) is a definite make-in-advance item, but once you’ve marinated it and roasted it in the oven, you will have a versatile and luscious ingredient on hand for noodle dishes, sandwiches, and fried rice. Of course, you can simply serve it sliced and stir-fried with a dash of sesame oil to be eaten with
Bok Choy Stir-Fried with Garlic
(page 120) and rice or noodles. Pork with
char shiu
flavors is a quick route to the sweet, salty, and rich flavors of Chinese-style barbecued pork.
Pork with Black Bean Sauce
(page 92) is a rustic classic sure to become popular at your table.
Salt-and-Pepper Pork Chops, Taiwanese-Style
(page 85) are fantastic and fast, a memorable dish to share with family and friends.
When my family arrives at the Taipei airport after our long journey from our North Carolina home, our first stop after baggage claim is the noodle shop located outside the main arrivals hall, en route to the bus ticket counters. Its menu of hearty, comforting street-food meals reminds us that the long journey was worthwhile and marks the beginning of another happy reunion with my husband’s family. In the original dish, a thin-cut bone-in pork chop is served atop a bowl of soup noodles or a small mountain of rice. I like to present it on a serving of
Everyday Noodles with Sesame Oil
(page 143). Plan ahead so that these delicious Taiwanese-style pork chops have an hour or more to marinate before cooking time.
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1¼ pounds boneless, thin-cut pork loin chops (see Note)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
SERVES
4
NOTE
To use bone-in thin-cut pork chops, buy about 1¾ pounds and allow a little extra cooking time
.
In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch, and mix everything together into a smooth and flavorful marinade.
Add the pork chops, turning to coat them evenly, and then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours, turning now and then to season them well.
To cook the pork chops, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot. Add the oil and swirl it to coat the pan well.
Add the pork chops and their marinade in batches, cooking 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot or warm.