You must read Shark's fin and Sichaun Pepper by Fuscia Dunlop. It is a brilliant memoir of eating in China. I have cooked all of the recipes for which I could find the ingredients, and some for which I had to make substitutions. This post will be of an approximation of one recipe. My next post will be a vegan riff on this recipe, in honor of my daughter, for whom dining is a no slaughter without consent event.
Chairman Mao's red-braised pork
serves two
1 lb cheap pork [any pork with bone in, darker meat is tastier]
2 T canola oil
2 T sugar
4 T cheap dry white wine
fresh ginger the size of your thumb, julienned
2 fresh red chillies, finger thick, as hot as you fancy
1 star anise
cinnamon stick the length of a finger joint
soy sauce [always use the good kind, Kikkoman etc.]
12 scallions, trimmed and sliced diagonally into pieces the size of a finger joint
Boil a pot of water, just enough water to cover the pork.
Put the pork in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes.
Remove the pork to a bowl. Save the water.
When the pork has cooled, cut off the bone and cut into cubes, not too small.
Heat the oil and sugar in a wok. When the sugar starts to melt, boost the temperature until the sugar caramelizes. Add the pork and wine.
When the pork and wine start to sizzle, add ginger, anise, chillies, and cinnamon. When that all starts to sizzle, add the pork-cooking water, just enough to cover what is in the wok.
When the mixture boils, turn down the heat, cover the wok, and braise for at least half an hour, or until the pork is tender.
Just before serving, turn up the heat, add the scallions. Season with soy sauce and ground white pepper.
Serve alone, with rice, or with noodles.
Eat it up friends.
I love you.
We will dine together.
Until then...
Martin
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