I’ve got to the stage that I find myself rushing home from the city centre with that “can’t wait” feeling whenever I have a new recipe from Shan to try out. Of course I inevitably have questions for her when it it 3.30 in the morning in Beijing so I’m usually on my own interpreting her instructions when it comes to my first attempt at a dish.
This is Shan’s latest recipe and it is a common dish in the Northeast of China. What struck me immediately about it is what good use it makes of fresh Irish ingredients – pork, carrots, leeks and potatoes. It is easy to make and took about 45 minutes from the time I got in the door to get it on the table. Shan says its best served with rice.
When I’m cooking Chinese food I usually only need a wok and one saucepan and on a weeknight I serve straight from the wok to individual bowls which also cuts down on the washing up.
Pork Rib & Potato Stew (tu dou dun pai gu 土豆炖排骨)
Ingredients:
- Pork rib chops (500g, ask your butcher to chop them to 3cm long pieces)
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 2 big potatoes
- 2 carrots
- 1 leek
- Vegetable cooking oil or groundnut oil
- 2 dried chillies
- 1/2 tsp of Sichuan pepper
- Sugar
- Light soy sauce
- Oyster sauce (optional)
- Chinese rice vinegar
- Small piece of cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 star anise
- Salt