Spicy Pork – Yu Xiang Rou Si

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 150 g water
• 1 tsp broth powder (mushroom bouillon, granules)
• 3 shiitake mushrooms, dried
• 150 g pork fillet(s)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp rice wine, dark, spicy-mild
• 20 g spice lily (aromatic ginger) , alternatively ginger
• 3 small onions, red
• 2 medium-sized garlic cloves
• 50 g beer radish(s)
• 1 m.-large Kailan (Chinese broccoli)
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar, fine
• 1 tsp rice vinegar, dark, mild
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 25 g bean paste, hot (from black beans)
• 5 tbsp water (soaking water from the mushrooms)
• 1 tomato(s), oblong
• n. B. flowers and leaves
• 4 tbsp sunflower oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 minutes; Total time approx. 33 minutes

A spicy side dish from Szechuan cuisine in China.

Bring the water to a boil, dissolve the mushroom broth in it, and soak the mushrooms in the broth, covered, for 30 minutes. Then gently squeeze out the soaking water, slice the mushroom caps into fine strips, discard the tough stems, and reserve the broth for the sauce. Once the meat has thawed slightly, cut it across the grain into approximately 5 mm thick slices, ideally using a bread and sausage slicer, and then cut these crosswise into approximately 6 mm wide strips. Mix the salt, cornstarch, and rice wine until smooth and stir into the meat pieces. For the vegetables, peel and roughly chop the lilies, onions, and garlic cloves. Cut the washed and peeled radish crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces, then slice/grate these lengthwise into 4 x 4 mm thick strips. From the washed kailan, separate the leaves close to the stem. Cut off 1 cm from the bottom of the stem. Peel the area from the 3rd leaf down to the stem. Cut crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces. Cut thick pieces into eighths lengthwise. Separate the thin leaf stalks from the leaves along the midrib and roughly chop the leaves lengthwise and crosswise. Cut the leaf stalks crosswise into approximately 4 cm long pieces and discard the midribs. Chop the lilies of the valley, onions, garlic cloves, and kailan leaves in a food processor. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce until smooth and set aside. For the tomato blossom, cut off the top of a washed tomato so that it stands upright. While standing, make four crosswise cuts from top to bottom, leaving about 1.5 cm free at the bottom. Separate the petals from the core and bend them outwards slightly. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper and place on a serving dish. Wash the blossoms and leaves, if desired, and set aside. To stir-fry, heat the sunflower oil in a wok until very hot. Add the meat pieces and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Stir in the beer radish, kailan, and mushroom pieces and stir-fry for 60 seconds. Add the mixture from the cutter and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the sauce and simmer for 30 seconds. Transfer the finished side dish to the serving dish and garnish with flowers and leaves, if desired. Serve and enjoy.