The Other White Meat

Dinner tonight- Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Ginger and Hoisin Sauce, served with rice.

I really wanted to change this up and omit some ingredients. Out of necessity, I did a few steps slightly different. But this actually turned out better than I thought and each ingredient was worth putting in the recipe, especially the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Even the hoisin sauce added a nice subtle flavor!

Pork and Broccoli Stir-Fry with Ginger and Hoisin Sauce

1 lb. pork tenderloin or 2-4 boneless pork loin chops
2 T soy sauce
1 T dry sherry
1 T cornstarch
4 cups broccoli flowerets, cut into same size pieces
1-2 T oil (recipe called for peanut, I only had olive)
4-5 slices fresh ginger root
4-5 sliced garlic cloves

sauce:
2 tsp. ginger puree (also called ground ginger, or use finely minced fresh ginger root)
2 tsp. garlic puree (also called ground garlic, or use finely minced garlic cloves)
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 T hoisin sauce (you can find this on international foods aisle)
pinch of red pepper flakes

Trim all visible fat from pork chops and cut into strips about 1/2 inch thick and 2-3 inches long. Combine soy sauce, dry sherry, and cornstarch in bowl and add the pork strips. Stir to coat pork and let marinate while you prep the other ingredients.

Wash broccoli and cut into same-sized flowerets, keeping a few inches of stem on the pieces. If using ginger and garlic puree, combine with chicken stock, Hoisin sauce, and pepper flakes. (If using freshly minced ginger and garlic, keep them out of the sauce so they can have a minute or so of extra cooking time.)

**Have all ingredients ready and turner and serving plate ready before you begin to stir-fry.

Heat wok over high flame or hot burner about 1 minute, until it feels hot if you put your hand over the wok. Add 1 T oil and heat until the oil looks shimmery, then add garlic and ginger root slices and cook 30 seconds to one minute, just until you start to smell the garlic and ginger. Be careful to remove every bit of ginger and garlic or it will burn and make the oil taste bitter.

Add broccoli and stir-fry, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until broccoli turns bright green and is barely getting tender. Remove broccoli to a plate. Add a bit more oil if needed, heat about 30 seconds, then add pork and marinating liquid. Stir-fry pork about 3-4 minutes, until it's firm and slightly browned. (If using freshly minced garlic and ginger, add now and cook about 1 minute.) Add sauce and cook about 2 minutes more, stirring until meat and vegetables are coated with sauce and sauce is slightly thickened. Serve hot.

E’s Notes:

• I used olive oil, instead of peanut oil
• After putting broccoli in pan, I added chicken stock and stirred for about 30 seconds. Then, I put the lid on the pan for 1-2 minutes. It steamed the broccoli a little bit. (I just don’t my broccoli too crunchy- it still had a little bite to it)
• Seriously, a pinch of red pepper flakes goes a long way, but definitely add a little!
• I used fresh ginger and garlic- I think they have better flavor.
• I sliced my pork very thin- less than ½ inch, so it cooks super fast!
• I didn’t have sherry, so I used a white wine that we already had. You could even use chicken stock if you don’t have wine.
• I cook my rice in chicken stock for more flavor.
• I used my microplane grater to grate in the fresh garlic and ginger.