The Healthy Pork Chop Suey (Stir Fry)

This Chinese Stir Fry is one of those includes all types of nutrition needed for a healthy diet – 4 colours of vegetables and protein – its good for the ladies too because it includes dried black fungus – its said to be very beneficial for women after giving birth. It also helps with dry throat, coughs and dry skin. In this dish you can either use black or white fungus, or even both. You can even add shiitake mushrooms. The following recipe is the one i cooked recently –

INGREDIENTS:

1 stalk Celery – Julienned (cut into 3cm strips)
1 small Carrot – Julienned (cut into 3cm strips)
3 pcs Dried black fungus – soaked and expanded** and cut into strips
3 pcs Dried white fungus – soaked and expanded**and cut into strips
2 pcs Dried Shiitake Mushrooms – soaked and expanded**and cut into strips
1 can of Straw mushrooms – Halved
150-200g Pork loin – cut into strips and marinated*
1 slice Crushed ginger
2 cloves Garlic – Minced

*Marinating sauce for pork: –

1 Tbsp Soy sauce
1 tsp Dark Soy sauce (老抽)
1 Tbsp Shao-Xin cooking wine (紹興酒)
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Corn starch
1 tsp Sesame Oil

** Soaking dried mushroom and fungus

You have 4 choices to do this:

• traditional way – washed and soak in cold water over night.
• ordinary way – soak in hot water for about 2-3 hours
• super fast way – soak in boiling water in a thermo insulated food jar for 5-10 mins
• last remedy – boil it in a pan over heat until fully expand

METHOD:

1. Chop and prepare all ingredients following the instructions above.
2. Heat frying pan with 1 Tbsp of cooking oil. Add in pork strips and stir fry for roughly 5 mins until slightly browned and half-way cooked. Remove from frying pan and set aside.
3. Use a paper towel to wipe down the residues of the pan. On medium-high heat, add extra 1 tbsp of cooking oil and add ginger and garlic. Stir fry until fragrant then add the carrots, then the fungus and shiitake mushroom. Stir fry for around 2 mins than add 2-3 tbsp of water and cover the pan with lid. Let cook for further 4-5 mins until the carrots are softer.
4. Add celery and straw mushrooms, stir fry for another few minutes and then return the pork into pan. Add 1 tsp of chicken powder or 2 Tbsp of chicken stock, and sprinkle white pepper and salt to season.  Turn heat to low, stir fry and simmer until excessive sauce is reduced.
5. Serve!