Stir-Fried Pork Shreds with Szechuan Pickle (榨菜炒肉丝)

This is a traditional Szechuan dish. There is another version of this dish that involves much more ingredients than today's recipe. Apart from the main ingredients lean pork shreds and Szechuan pickle, it also contains shreds of chilies, capsicums, onions, and sometimes shredded carrots and even dried shrimps.

There are only pork shreds and Szechuan pickle in this recipe of mine. This dish has been served in my own family for as long as I could remember. My mom is very good at cooking this, easy to prepare and yet so appetising due to the salty sourish pickle. I could finish a bowl of rice by just having this dish alone. Any left over could just be popped on to a bowl of ramen (noodles), in soup or in soy sauce mixture, and you will have a bowl of yummilicious Szechuan Shredded Pork Noodles (榨菜肉丝面).


Stir-Fried Pork Shreds with Szechuan Pickle (榨菜炒肉丝)

Ingredients:
150g lean pork, cut into long thin shreds
1 packet Szechuan pickle (Note 1)
3 slices of ginger, cut into fine shreds
2 tbsp chopped garlic
Oil for stir-frying
1/2 cup water

Seasoning:
1.5 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp sugar (Note 2)
1 tsp light soy sauce (Note 2)

Marinade:
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Dash of pepper


Method:

1. Marinade shredded pork with marinating ingredients for overnight in the refrigerator (for better taste), or at least for 1 hour at room temperature.
2. Remove Szechuan pickle from its packet in to a bowl. Soak for 15 minutes. Wash and drain well. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a wok/pan until smoking stage. Add ginger and garlic, fry till fragrant.
4. Add marinated pork and fry for just a while until the outer part of pork is cooked.
5. Add wine from the sides of the wok and let the wine flows down to the dish. Heat of the wok will evaporate the wine to create nice aroma.
6. Add in pickle now and continue to fry until pork is 50-60% cooked. Pour in water. Lower the fire, cover with lid and let it simmer for about 1 minute. Add more water if required. Stir once in a short while.
7. Season with sugar and soy sauce (Note 2). Dish out and serve with white rice.

Notes:

1. I stick to this brand of Szechuan pickle as it is the least salty, need very little pre-treatment prior to cooking. Anyhow, it is suggested to still give it a quick soak to get rid of more of its saltiness.
2. The amount of sugar and light soy sauce is very much dependent on the type/brand of Szechuan pickle you are using. Please adjust these two ingredients accordingly.
3. Left over of this dish can be used to top noodles for a quick Sunday brunch or supper.

Does this sound attractive enough for you to pick the ingredients and start cooking now?