Pork Stir-fry

Last week I visited the Upper King Street Farmers Market again. This time I picked up some Free-Range Pork from Cibola Farms. I love pork so I scoured the market for something else that I could eat with it. Then I found some fresh Broccoli and a brown onion. The perfect base for a Pork Stir-Fry.

Pork Stir-Fry

1 lb pork cutlets
1 head broccoli
1 can water chestnuts
1 medium brown onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs minced ginger
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbs peanut oil
2 tbs hoisin sauce
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp red pepper flake (optional)
3 tbs cornstarch
1tsp pepper

Place a wok or a large fry pan on your stove and heat over high heat. Add the peanut oil and let it heat up. Make sure to use a high smoke point oil, like peanut otherwise it will get smokey and burn. Not good eats.

Definitely not the time to use olive oil

Next cut the pork into cubes or stips. Pork cutlets are perfect for cutting into strips as they are thin.

I cut it into cubes, why, I have no idea.

Now add the pork to the pan and quickly stir-fry. This will cook it fast and will make it so that the pork is not chewy.

While the pork is cooking prepare your veggies. I used broccoli as it was fresh. You can use any vegetable that you desire in this dish. I cut the broccoli into florets.

Broccoli is easy and tastes great in this recipe

Slice the onion into big chunks.

The big chunks will add a nice texture to the stir-fry

Once the pork is browned add the veggies to the pan. If you have veggies that are going to need a little time to cook it is best to take the pork out of the pan while you cook the veggies. That way you do not overcook the pork.

The Hurricane

While the veggies are cooking it is time to make the sauce. Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, corn starch, garlic, ginger, red pepper flake and pepper in a bowl and stir. Make sure to fully incoporate the corn starch.

You can also make the sauce in a blender that way you are sure that the cornstarch is incorporated.

Quick tip on peeling ginger. The easiest way to peel ginger is to use a spoon. Sounds weird but it works. The spoon takes off the skin and easily gets around the nubs without cutting yourself and too much of the ginger.