Dragon Balls – Sybaritica

First, let me say that no dragons were harmed (or even painlessly neutered) during the making of this dish. The name, in fact, is entirely fanciful and reflects the fact that I couldn’t think of a name other than a cumbersome one identifying the ingredients. Although Chinese in spirit, it is not a traditional recipe but was instead put together to use up some pork and peppers I had left over from making the Stuffed Peppers I made a few days earlier. Here, I decided to incorporate some Conpoy, or dried scallops in the meat blend, and the ‘Dragon’ appellation is made a little more apt by the inclusion of both fresh hot peppers and Chili paste…

The Ingredients

1/2lb. Ground Pork;
¼ cup small Conpoy;
2 cups of mixed Bell Peppers in 1 inch chunks;
1 medium Jalapeno, minced;
1 tsp. Garlic Paste;
½ tsp. Salt;
3 tbsp. Soy Sauce;
1 tbsp. Sugar;
1-2 tbsp. Chili Paste;
1 tbsp. Cornstarch mixed to a slurry in a little water.

Put the Conpoy in a small bowl and pour over a half-cup of boiling water. Leave this to cool and soak until the conpoy are soft and plump.

Once the compoy are soft enough, shred them with your fingers or chop with a knife and then combine them with the pork, garlic, minced Jalapeno and salt. Mix well.

Stir the cornstarch slurry into the reserved soaking water from the conpoy and add the soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Set this aside to use a sauce later.

Roll the pork mixture into small balls and then sauté in a pan over medium heat until lightly browned. Remove to a bowl for the time being.

Drain off all but a tablespoon or two of fat from the pan and then add the peppers. Sauté until they soften. If you are using green pepper pieces as part of the mix, sauté the other colors briefly first and then add the green pieces towards the end so that they retain their color.

Finally, add back the balls and when they are heated through add the sauce. Stir over high heat until it has cleared and thickened then plate and serve while hot along with rice or noodles. Enjoy…

…