Chengdu Challenge 25 Yu Xiang Pork Yu Xiang Rou Si Recipes

CHENGDU CHALLENGE #25: YU XIANG PORK (YU XIANG ROU SI)

Steps:

• Prep ingredients: slice pork into thin strips, which is much easier to do if it is slightly frozen. Marinate pork strips in Shaoxing wine. Cover wood ear mushrooms in very hot water and let sit for about 15 minutes or until soft, drain and slice thinly. Slice celery (or celtuce) in thin strips to match pork strips. Mince ginger, garlic and scallions.
• In a small bowl or measuring cup mix vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine and chicken stock. Mix cornstarch and water in another small prep bowl.
• Heat wok over high flame until heat starts to rise. Add 1/4 cup oil and when hot add the pork strips. Spread them out and let them cook, stirring and flipping them every so often until just cooked through. Move the pork to the sides of the wok with your spatula and add the ginger, garlic and scallions to the well in the center. There should be plenty of oil to briefly cook them. Add chili bean paste (or pickled chilies) and cook briefly. Mix in the pork, then add celery and wood ear strips. Mix all together and stir-fry until celery starts to wilt.
• Add vinegar sauce mixture and distribute well, then add cornstarch slurry a bit at a time, continuing to stir-fry, until sauce thickens (you might not need it all). Plate and garnish with celery leaves.

YUXIANG ROUSI (CHINESE SICHUAN-STYLE PORK)

Steps:

• Pour boiling water over cloud ears and soak for 20-30 minutes.
• Cut pork 'silk' style (into strips about 2 inches long and 1/16-inch thick--this is easier to do with meat that has been in the freezer for 20 minutes), marinate with 1 T soy sauce and 2 t cornstarch about 15 minutes.
• Cut scallions into small rounds, keeping white and green parts separate. Sliver water chestnuts, then drain cloud ears and sliver them as well. (When the dish is prepared, the shape of the pork, water chestnut, and cloud ear strips should be the same.).
• Combine seasoning sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Heat wok until smoking, add peanut oil, swirl to heat, add garlic and toss a moment until fragrant. Then add ginger and white parts of scallions and stir-fry until fragrant. Stir in the bean paste, then add pork, cloud ears, and water chestnuts and stir-fry until the pork is cooked. As you are stir-frying, splash the wine into the wok along the sides, allowing it to sizzle as you continue to stir.
• Finally add the seasoning sauce, stir thoroughly, and serve.
• Serves 4 as part of a Chinese meal, with rice, soup, and 2-3 other dishes.