Our first purchase was a new wok. The old one I have from the '70's with the ring has never been effective on our electric stovetop. Happily, the best woks are made from high carbon steel and they are also the cheapest. Obtaining ingredients might be a challenge but it wouldn't be fun otherwise. Mike and I went to the Reading Terminal Market on Saturday. The Website said there was a Thai market and I hadn't been there in such a long time. The Thai market was really just a little food stand, but it was a nice diversion.
So Geoff and I did a little Googling and found a market in Upper Darby called the H Mart at 7052 Terminal Square. We found the Chinese broccoli that we needed for our first recipe and took a look around to see what else we might find and I think this will be a good source. There are a couple of others in the Philly area that we'll check out next weekend (still looking for Kaffir limes and leaves).
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| Chinese Broccoli |
We started simple with Pat Kanaa Muu Grop (Stir-Fried Crispy Pork with Chinese Broccoli) from David Thompson's book. We failed to read the blurb at the beginning of the recipe that explained that by roast pork he didn't mean roasted tenderloin but deep-fried pork belly! So despite the fact that it wasn't really crispy, it was delicious anyway.
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| Pat Kanaa Muu Grop (Stir-Fried Crispy Pork with Chinese Broccoli) Here are the recipes. Serves 2-3 1 small bunch Chinese broccoli 6 oz roast pork , cut into 1/2 inch slices 1 T oyster sauce a little soy sauce a few T stock or water pinch white sugar 1 T chopped garlic pinch salt 2 T vegetable oil pinch ground white pepper 1) Clean the Chinese broccoli, then cut the stalks into roughly 1-1/4" lengths, peeling them if necessary. Tear or cut the leaves into large pieces. 2) Assemble the prepared broccoli and the roast pork, along with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, stock or water and sugar. Crush the garlic to a somewhat coarse paste with the salt--either by pounding it using a pestle and mortar or finely chopping it with a knife. 3) Heat a well-seasoned wok and add the oil. When it is fiercely hot, add the garlic and stir-fry briskly until it is coloured then add all the assembled ingredients and continue to stir-fry for a few moments until the broccoli is cooked. 4) Sprinkle with the pepper and serve with steamed rice. Roast Pork 8 oz pork belly 2 t white vinegar 1 t salt vegetable oil for deep frying 1) Trim the pork belly and blanch in simmering water until itis tender to the touch but still slightly springy--this should take about 15 minutes. Drain and allow to dry, then cut the pork into two or three (1-1/4 inch) strips. Mix together the vinegar and salt then rub into the rind of the pork. Allow to dry on a wire rack in a warm and dry place for about 3 hours. 2) Pour the deep-frying oil into a large stable wok or a wide, heavy-based pan until it is about two-thirds full. Heat the oil over a medium-high flame until a cooking thermometer registers 180 degrees C. (350 degrees F). Alternatively, test the temperature of the oil by dropping in a cube of bread--it will brown in about 15 seconds if the oil is hot enough. 3) Deep-fry the pork strips over a medium heat, turning them often, until the skin begins to crackle and bubble. Be careful--the slight splutter can turn into a searing cruption that always seems to hit home. Once the pork is done, lift it out and drain on the rack. Allow to cool before serving. I feel a little guilty providing this recipe since we didn't really use it. But it really sounds like this would have been the way to go. |
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