Shui Zhu Rou

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 250 g soy sprouts or celery, Chinese cabbage or other vegetables
• 2 spring onions
• 8 chili peppers, dried
• 750 g pork fillet(s) or beef or fish fillet
• 1 tbsp rice wine (Shaoxing – Chinese cooking wine) or sherry, medium-dry
• 2 tsp pepper (Szechuan pepper), whole
• 2 tbsp chili bean paste
• 750 ml chicken broth
• 2 tsp soy sauce, dark
• 4 tsp, heaped cornstarch
• 4 tbsp water
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 piece(s) ginger (about the same amount as garlic)
• Salt
• Oil (peanut oil or other high-temperature vegetable oil)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

meat boiled in water

First, cut the pork into very thin slices (about 3-4 mm thick). There are various variations of this dish and it can also be prepared with beef or fish. Place the meat in a bowl. Mix 2 teaspoons of rice wine or sherry (not Japanese sake!), about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 4 teaspoons of cornstarch, and about 4 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the meat and mix with the meat. Set aside while you prepare the rest. Prepare about 3/4 l of chicken stock if you haven’t already. Halve the dried chilies and remove as many of the seeds as possible. Finely chop the garlic, ginger, and the white part of the spring onions. Cut the green part of the spring onions into thin, diagonal rings, about 1/2 cm wide. Heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in a wok and roast the chilies along with the whole Sichuan peppercorns in the hot oil until the chilies slowly change color and you can smell the aroma of the Sichuan peppercorns. Remove the chilies and Sichuan peppercorns from the wok, drain on kitchen paper, and let cool. Briefly stir-fry the bean sprouts in the remaining oil in the wok (about 30 seconds) so that the bean sprouts are still crunchy, then transfer to a serving bowl. Add another 3-4 tablespoons of oil to the wok, heat, and then add the chopped ginger, garlic, and chopped white parts of the spring onions. Stir-fry briefly. Add the chili bean paste to the wok and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the wok and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and about 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Add the marinated meat to the boiling water and cook briefly (2-3 minutes) until the meat no longer looks raw on the outside. Then add the meat and the soup to the bean sprouts in the serving bowl. Crush the previously roasted chilies and Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and sprinkle over the meat. Heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil in a small saucepan or wok until very hot, then pour over the crushed chili and Sichuan peppercorn mixture. The oil should sizzle. Finally, sprinkle the remaining green parts of the spring onions over the dish and serve hot. Serve with a generous portion of rice (scented jasmine rice or basmati rice). Don’t undercook the rice, as you’ll need plenty; the dish is very spicy. The preparation sounds quite complicated, but the dish is quite quick to prepare once you’ve got the hang of it.