Pork with Preserved Radish – Sybaritica

Today’s dish illustrates one use of the Preserved Radish that I introduced to you not long ago. In this case, it is a stir-fried dish with the primary ingredient being water-velveted Pork along with some Black Chinese Mushroom …

The Ingredients

• 1 small Pork Tenderloin, diced;
• 1/3 cup diced Preserved Radish;
• 1 Scallion;
• 3 – 4 Chinese Black Mushrooms (reconstituted and diced);
• ½ tsp. Garlic Salt;
• 3 Tbsp. Rice Wine;
• 1 pinch White Pepper;
• 1 Egg White;
• ½ cup Chicken Stock.
• 3 – 4 tsp. Cornstarch;
• Oil
• 1 Tbsp. minced Ginger.

Now, this step is not critical and will depend on the saltiness of your radish, and your personal taste. If you wish to ‘desalinate’ this usually quite salty vegetable, you can soak it for 30 minutes to an hour in a good amount of water, changing it once or twice.

Marinate your cubes of Pork in 1 Tbsp. of the Rice wine, along with the garlic salt and pepper. Let this go for at least 30 minutes and then stir in the egg white, 2 to 3 teaspoons of the cornstarch, followed by the oil

Now make a slurry with the remaining cornstarch and a little water, then stir in the stock, remaining rice wine, and the green part of the scallion. Set this aside for now.

To velvet the meat, bring a large pot of water to a simmer and then add in the pork, using a spoon or chopsticks to separate the pieces (the oil you added makes this easier). Allow the pieces to cook for a few minutes, just to the point that no pink is visible. Remove the pork to a bowl with a strainer or slotted spoon.

Now, heat a little oil in a pan over moderate high heat and add the ginger and white parts of the scallion. As soon as these release their aroma, add in the radish and black mushroom. Saute for a minute or two longer.

Finally, add the meat and cook it until it is heated through and just beginning to show a little brown here and there. Then, stir in the sauce mix and let this bubble until it reduces to not much more than a glaze. Serve immediately.

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