Bowl of Pork and Yu Choy Five Spice
(click to enlarge)

Pork & Yu Choy Five Spice


Thai-Chinese
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 w/rice
***
1 hr
Prep		 This aromatically spiced stir fry is Thai "in the Chinese Style". Oyster sauce, rice wine and five spice powder are the Chinese part, while hot chilis, fish sauce, lime juice and unthickened sauce are Thai part.




14
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2
1
2
1/2
1-1/2
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1
2
3
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2
1
2
1/4
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2
3
oz
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t
T
T
T
T
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#
cl

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t
T
T
c
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T
T

Pork, lean (1)
-- Marinade
Soy Sauce
Rice Wine (2)
Fish Sauce (3)
Five Spice (4)
Corn Starch
--------
Yu Choy (5)
Garlic
Thai Chili
-- Sauce
Soy Sauce
Oyster Sauce (6)
Fish Sauce
Stock
--------
Oil
Lime Juice
Prep   (45 min - 30 min work)
  1. Slice Pork about 1/8 inch and cut into strips 1/2 inch wide and up to 2 inches long. Unlike beef pork can be cut with the grain when cut thin.
  2. Mix all Marinade items and Massage into Pork. Set aside to marinate for at least 1/2 hour.
  3. Rinse YU CHOY and cut or tear the Leaves however you like. Slice Stems 1/2 inch at thick ends and longer as they thin. Yu Choy Stems do not need to be held separate unless they are quite large, but I usually do anyway.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice CHILIS very thin. Mix.
  5. Mix all Sauce items.
  6. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
RUN   (15 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil and stir in Garlic mix for about 15 seconds, then stir in Pork. Fry stirring over high flame until it has completely lost its raw color. The cornstarch will start to stick to the pan, be careful it does not burn. Reddish is OK, but if it's turning chocolate, go on to the next step immediately.
  2. Stir in Yu Choy Stems (if separate) and fry stirring about 1-1/2 minutes, then stir in Leaves until coated with oil.
  3. Stir in Sauce Mix and bring to a boil. Scrape fond stuck to the pan into the sauce. Simmer covered, turning now and then, until Yu Choy stems are crisp tender, about 3 minutes.
  4. Stir in Lime Juice take off heat.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Pork:

      Weight is for boneless with all excess fat trimmed away. Just about any cut can be used.

  2. Rice Wine:

      Use a good, drinkable Chinese rice wine, not that horrid salted "cooking" version. If you don't have this, use a Dry Sherry. Sake is made from rice but is not considered a good substitute. For details see our Chinese Rice Wine page.

  3. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. For details see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  4. Five Spice Powder

      This is a major spice mix used in China and much of Southeast Asia. It is sold in any market that serves an Asian community, but is better made at home by our recipe Five Spice Powder.

  5. Yu Choy:

      This is an edible version of the plant that produces the seeds canola oil is extracted from. It is widely grown in North America and available in most markets serving an East or Southeast Asian community. For details see our Yu Choy page. You can use other forms of choy as alternatives, and Shanghai bok choy (sold as "baby bok choy") is particularly good, but for other choys, give the stems more of a lead over the leaves in cooking. For details see our Cabbage Greens page.

  6. Oyster Sauce:

      This important Chinese sauce is also used in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia for dishes in the Chinese style. Commercially, it varies very widely in quality. For recommendations and details, see our Oyster Sauce page.
  7. 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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