Savory Stir-Fried Pork with Chives: A Taste of Nostalgia
A Special Recipe for Parents’ Day: Delicious Stir-Fried Pork and Chives
Do you remember the taste of simple yet unforgettable dishes from your childhood, when food was scarce? As warm spring arrived after a cold winter, your mother would pick a basket of chives from the garden, stir-fry them with just cooking oil and soy sauce, and it tasted incredibly delicious! Remembering that childhood flavor, today I’ve made a stir-fried dish with chives, incorporating a wider variety of ingredients. This dish is not only simple but also rich and flavorful, perfect for a special occasion like Parents’ Day or any festive meal.
Main Ingredients
- 400g Pork Loin (sliced thinly into strips)
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch (for marinating pork)
- 1 bunch Chives (cut into 3-4cm lengths)
- 6-8 Green Chilies (seeds removed, sliced diagonally)
- 1/2 Onion (thinly sliced into strips)
- 1/3 Carrot (thinly sliced into strips)
- 2 Red Chilies (seeds removed, sliced diagonally)
- A pinch of Fine Salt (for final seasoning)
- 2 Tbsp Chili Oil
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
Sauce
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Wine (Mirin)
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- A pinch of Ginger Powder (or 1/2 tsp minced ginger)
- A pinch of Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Oligosaccharide (for gloss and sweetness)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil (for finishing)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (for finishing)
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Cooking Wine (Mirin)
- 2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- A pinch of Ginger Powder (or 1/2 tsp minced ginger)
- A pinch of Black Pepper
- 2 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Oligosaccharide (for gloss and sweetness)
- 1 Tbsp Sesame Oil (for finishing)
- 1 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (for finishing)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, drain the pork loin and slice it thinly into strips, about 0.5cm thick. If the slices are too thick, they will take longer to cook, so aim for thin slices.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, cooking wine, minced garlic, ginger powder, black pepper, sugar, and oligosaccharide. Mix well until the sugar is dissolved to create a delicious sauce. (We’ll add the sesame oil and sesame seeds at the end!)
Step 3
Add 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce to the sliced pork and gently mix it in. Marinating the pork this way will make it more tender and help it absorb the flavors.
Step 4
Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the marinated pork and toss to coat. Coating the pork with cornstarch adds a chewy texture and helps to keep the juices locked in while stir-frying.
Step 5
Slice the carrot and red chilies into thin strips, similar in length to the pork. These will add color to the dish.
Step 6
Cut the chives into approximately 3-4cm lengths. Thinly slice the onion into strips. For the green chilies, remove the seeds and slice them diagonally. You can cut the vegetables to your preferred size.
Step 7
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chili oil and cooking oil, then add the marinated pork. Stir-fry the pork, using chopsticks or a spatula to separate the pieces as they cook, until it’s no longer pink.
Step 8
Once the pork is almost cooked through, add the green chilies, onion, carrot, and red chilies to the pan. Pour in the remaining sauce and stir-fry everything together until well combined.
Step 9
Finally, add the prepared chives and stir-fry quickly until they just begin to wilt. Overcooking the chives will make them mushy and diminish their fragrance, so it’s important to stir-fry them rapidly over high heat. Taste the dish and adjust the seasoning with a pinch of salt if needed, according to your preference. The dish is best when the chives are about 70% cooked. Turn off the heat at this point.
Step 10
Just before turning off the heat, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds and mix gently to add a nutty aroma.
Step 11
Transfer the delicious stir-fried pork and chives to a serving dish. Your special dish, filled with nostalgic flavors and abundance, is now ready!
