Pickled Cabbage Stir-fry with Pork

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pork shoulder, butt, or belly ((julienned))
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 pinch white pepper
• 1/2 head pickled green cabbage
• 2 tablespoons oil ((divided))
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 dried red chilies ((deseeded and roughly chopped; optional))
• 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 scallions ((chopped))

Instructions

1. 1

   In a medium bowl, add the pork, water, cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and white pepper. Mix well until the pork has absorbed all the liquid, and marinate for at least 15 minutes (or up to overnight).

2. 2

   Rinse your sour cabbage, and squeeze out as much water as possible. Then slice it into ½-inch (1cm) thick strips.

3. 3

   Pre-heat your wok until it starts to smoke, then add 1 tablespoon of oil. Sear pork for a few minutes until lightly browned around the edges, and remove from the wok, leaving any oil behind.

4. 4

   Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok, and cook the sour cabbage for a few minutes, to cook off any liquid; this allows it to better absorb the flavor from other ingredients.

5. 5

   Now add the pork back in, along with the garlic, chilies, light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper. Stir-fry for 1 minute. If the dish looks too dry, splash it with a couple of tablespoons of water so all the flavors can come together. Stir in the scallions and serve.