Wok-fried Pork in Chilli Bean Sauce

Pictured: Wok-fried Pork in Chilli Bean Sauce

An easy midweek meal with few ingredients required once you have the important chilli bean sauce that adds the simple Chinese touch.

If you find you love cooking Asian recipes I recommend purchasing an electric wok. I love mine as it gets super-hot right up the sides as well – just like the burners do for wok cooking in Chinese restaurants. So you can achieve a decent home rendition of the “breath of a wok” – the smoky flavour achieved from high intense heat as you move the food around continuously to avoid burning, yet cooking quickly and maintaining so much flavour and nutrients. They aren’t expensive, and worth the sacrifice in storage space if Asian cooking is a favourite.  The idea to purchase one came from an article I read where Kylie Kwong mentions she has one and uses it to serve steamboat dishes etc.

Recipe provided by Alessandra Krillis and was found in a newspaper paper article by Jill Dupleix in  2011  - The recipe featured in her book, Winter.

300g pork, coarsely minced

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp caster sugar

Salt and pepper

500g green or snake beans – trimmed, cut to 5cm lengths, on the diagonal

1 red capsicum – cut into thin strips, discard core and seeds

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, squashed

2 tbsp Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 tbsp chilli bean sauce (toban djan – in Chinese Food stores and some supermarkets)

Optional - add more vegetables that you like in a stir fy - I like to add some cauliflower florets or carrot strips

Mix the pork with soy sauce, cornflour, sugar, salt and pepper and set aside.

Steam the beans and red capsicum til soft but with still a little crunch.

Heat half the oil with the garlic in a wok on high heat.  When hot, stir fry the beans and red capsicum for 4 mins until scorched. Remove to a platter. 

Heat the remaining oil and stir-fry the pork over high heat for 4 mins, tossing well. Add the rice wine, chilli bean sauce, the vegetables and a dash of water to the pork, tossing well for 2 mins. 

Serve with steamed rice.

Serves 4