Dish of Pork with Celery & Lemon Grass
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Pork with Celery & Lemon Grass


Singapore - Thai Style
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
***
hrs
Yes		 Pork is not as much served Singapore restaurants as it is in China and Southeast Asia, because of the substantial Muslim population, but you can't expect the Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese to give up their favorite beast.

12
------
2
1-1/2
1
1-1/2
1/4
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5
6
2
2
2
1/4
1
oz
---

oz
cl
T
t
---
oz
oz


T
c
T
Pork, boneless.
-- Marinade
Lemon Grass (1)
Shallots
Garlic
Fish Sauce
Pepper black
--
Celery stalks
Straw Mushrooms (2)
Red Chili fresh (3)
Scallions
Oil
Stock
Soy Sauce
Prep   (40 min)
  1. Cutting with the grain, slice PORK into narrow strips about 1/8 inch by 1/4 inch by 2 inches or whatever.
  2. Peel tough outer leaves from LEMON GRASS and cut off hard root end. Smash the big end with a kitchen mallet and slice the bottom 4 inches as thin as you can. Peel GARLIC and SHALLOTS and chop fine. Smash all to a paste in mortar (best) or mini-prep processor (easiest). Start with just the Lemon Grass, then add Shallots and Garlic.
  3. Add Fish Sauce and Pepper to Lemon Grass mix, then massage it thoroughly into Pork. Marinate for 30 minutes or more at room temperature or at least 1-1/2 hours in the refrigerator.
  4. Cut CELERY lengthwise into narrow strips, then cut crosswise into 1/4 inch dice (or longer if you like). Cut MUSHROOMS in half lengthwise if large or if "unpeeled". Seed CHILIS and cut into thin shreds. Slice SCALLIONS into very thin rounds. Mix all.
Run   (10 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil and fry Pork stirring over high heat until it loses all it's raw color.
  2. Stir in Celery mix and fry stirring for about 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in Stock and Soy Sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer another 2 minutes. The celery should be cooked but still quite crunchy.
  4. Serve immediately with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Lemongrass:

      Stalks vary widely in size, so use what you need to make 3 Tablespoons chopped fine. For details see our Lemongrass page.

  2. Straw Mushrooms:

      These are easily available in cans, about 7-1/2 ounces drained per can. If you don't have them, you can use white mushrooms. Just fry them in a little oil until they just start to exude water, then set them aside. For details see our Straw Mushrooms page.

  3. Chili:

      Around here everyone uses Fresnos, but Holland Red or similar will do fine, or just one small red Anaheim. Two Fresnos, seeded but with the membranes still in, make this dish just a little spicy by Southern California standards, Rather mild by Thai standards, but perhaps a bit hot for folks in the Frozen North.For details see our Thai Chilis page.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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