This is one of my most favourite Chinese side dishes to go with plain rice. The gravy is simply thick and yummy; the pork slices, if cooked correctly and nicely, are juicy and chewy and soft to the bite.
My mum used to cook this dish frequently on fuss-free weekdays when there were no special occasions or no big parties at home. Which made it a real joy to eat at home on days when nothing special happened. Really. It’s dishes like this that made me look forward to going home for dinner. I would always secretly go ‘yay!‘ when I see her dish this out of her wok in the evening.
I would like to be such a mum for my boy in the future when he grows up, such that he would look forward to eating my home-cooked meals whenever he comes back from school. Well, not sure how well I would fare, but let’s just say I’d try my best. Hopefully, such simple dishes could help to create good memories for him too.
Ingredients:
- Vegetable oil: 4 tbsp
- White onion: 1, finely chopped
- Dried mushroom: 12, soaked in water for 1 hr, sliced thinly with stems removed
- Shaoxing wine: 1 tbsp
- Pork loin: 400g, sliced thinly, marinated overnight with 1 tbsp shaoxing wine, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil & 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Green pea: 2 cans (net weight with water about 425g per can)
- Fish sauce: 2 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce: 4 tbsp
Method:
- Heat oil in wok.
- Add onions. Stir-fry till soft and translucent.
- Add mushrooms and shaoxing wine. Fry till fragrant.
- Add pork slices. Fry till they start to turn red (not fully cooked yet).
- Mix in green peas (including canned liquid), fish sauce and dark soy sauce.
- Cover with lid and leave to simmer on medium heat for 1min.
- Serve hot with rice.
Trick:
- The canned liquid adds fragrance and thickness to the dish. However, if you choose not to use it you can replace it with 1.5 cups of water and 1 tbsp cornstarch instead.
Serving:
6 persons as side dish