Easy tender pork slices stir-fried with fermented black bean sauce.

I am testing my own fermented black beans in recent days and the bad news is I have failed at the first batch. The beans are not completely fermented. Although I was quite frustrated by the result, still, I love fermented black bean sauce. In China, we get a very popular dish named “盐煎肉”literally means “salt sautéed pork”, as a sister dish to twice cooked pork is extremely popular in Sichuan province. We use sliced pork ham and fry with peppers. That one is dry and chewy with the method of dry-frying or dry sautéing (干煎).

This is another new option for those who do not like fat meat. Instead, pork butt or pork tenderloin can be used. With a juice marinating and the help of the starch shell, your pork can be tender and full of flavor.

Cooks Note

To make the pork tender, we have two important steps.

1. Add enough liquid to make the pork slices juicy themselves. So grasping is the key step. We need to make the liquid completely absorbed.
2. Use cornstarch to form a protecting shell to prevent pork slices from loosing the liquid.

Ingredients

• 150g (around 4.5 ounces) pork butt or tenderloin, sliced
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tbsp. cooking wine
• 1 tbsp. light soy sauce
• 3 tbsp. water or chicken stock
• 1/4 tsp. white pepper
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• cooking oil as needed
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp. black bean sauce
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• a very small pinch of salt if needed
• 4 scallions, cut into small sections
• 3 fresh red chili peppers, cut into small sections
• 2 fresh green chili peppers, cut into small sections
• 1 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. minced ginger

Steps

Thinly slice the pork. Add salt, cooking wine, light soy sauce, water (or chicken stock) and white pepper. Grasp the pork slice for 2-3 minutes until all the juice is well absorbed. Set aside for 10 minutes. Then just before frying, mix cornstarch i add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. 

Heat your wok or pan firstly. Add cooking oil to form a 2-3 cm high layer (do not be scared by the oil amount, we do not eat them all). Spread the pork sliced in. Let them stay for 10 to 20 seconds and then quickly fry them until turns pale. Transfer out immediately.

Remove the extra oil and save them for vegetable stir fries. Keep around 1 tablespoon of oil and fry garlic, ginger and scallion until aromatic. Place fresh pepper sections in to fry for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Return pork sliced in, add dark soy sauce and black beans sauce.  Mix well and move out immediately. Be quick in this process and it is better to finish this within 30 seconds.

A beautiful and delicious stir fry is made within minutes.