Recipe+Poem – Yuxiang Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce

I was thinking about exploring a different cuisine about 2 weeks back when my friend suggested that I give Sichuan a shot. Sichuan dishes are my go-to take out dishes. My trusted takeout places include Han Dynasty, DanDan, and Chili Szechuan in Philadelphia. So, I wanted to try my hands on a few of these dishes.

I started off with the Yuxiang Shredded Pork With Garlic Sauce (鱼香肉丝). I had this with Rice and Sugared Cucumber slices.

Sichuan Pork with Rice and Sugared Cucumber

This is a classic Sichuan dish, and I made mine Black Vinegar, Dark and Light Soy Sauce, Sake (I didn’t have Shaoxing Wine), Sichuan Pickled Chili, Julienned Carrots and Bamboo Shoots, Wood Ear Mushrooms, and of course – Pork. It is a deliciously tangy, spicy and sweet dish, and it was absolutely fabulous with rice, and was perfect for the summer rain! I had mine with sugared cucumber because I made the pork a bit too spicy 🤣🤣

Summer Rain

A sign of
Gloom and Light;
Can you hear thunder
Beckoning the relief
To the lands
With the scorched plight?
It could be a drizzle,
Or the storm. Unpredictable
Is the second name
To the summer rain!

Recipe

Marinade (Overnight)

• 350 grams – Pork loin (Julienne/Cut into thin, lengthwise slices)
• 10 mL – Sake (Shaoxing wine will be better, but I was unable to find it)
• 10 mL – Light Soy Sauce
• 15 mL – Water
• 2.5 grams – Cornstarch

Vegetables and Sauce

• 60 grams – Julienned Carrots
• 50 grams – Julienned Bamboo Shoot
• 60 grams – Rehydrated Wood Ear Mushrooms (about 10 grams in dried form)
• 20 grams – Pickled Sichuan Chili
• 7 grams – Minced Garlic
• 7 grams – Minced Ginger
• 1 Spring Onion (Minced, for serving)
• 28 mL – Black Vinegar
• 14 mL – Light Soy Sauce
• 7 mL – Dark Soy Sauce
• 20 mL – Water (or Shaoxing Wine, if you have it)
• 7 grams – Cornstarch
• 5 grams – Sugar
• 20 mL – Sesame Oil (or your preferred oil)

Tips

1. Please see a simple infographic for cutting the ingredients below

Tip 1

2. Add plenty of hot water to the dried Wood Ear Mushrooms (also called Black Fungus), and wait for 10 minutes to re-hydrate them
3. You can buy all the ingredients for this recipe at your local Chinese market. If you are in Philly, I found all these ingredients using Chowbus grocery delivery, and my soy sauces at Maido in Ardmore.

My Soy Sauce is almost over!

Method

1. Marinade the pork with the aforementioned ingredients for at least 30 minutes or overnight
2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients based on tip 1
3. Make the sauce by combining the corn starch, black vinegar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, water/Shaoxing wine, and sugar
4. In a wok or (in my case) a pan, add the oil, and heat it on high heat
5. When it just starts smoking, add the marinated pork and fry until it has turned pale white
6. Transfer the pork to the bowl/plate, and add the garlic, ginger, and chili to the pan
7. Fry until the rawness is gone (about 30 seconds), and add vegetables (Bamboo Shoot, Carrots, Mushrooms, etc..,)
8. Fry on high heat for about 30 seconds, and then add the pork back to the mix
9. Fry for another 30 seconds
10. Mix the cornstarch once again in the sauce to avoid clumpiness and then add the sauce to the pan
11. Mix well for about 15 seconds and take off the stove
12. Garnish with Scallion and serve with white rice!

Enjoy!

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