Dish of Pork with Mustard Greens
(click to enlarge)

Pork with Mustard Greens


Thai / California
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3 w/rice
***
1-1/4 hr
Prep		 Mustard Greens are well known in Thailand, but I could find only soup recipes for this mix, so I call this recipe Thai / California. Ingredients and methods are Thai, see Comments.




14
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1-1/2
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4
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2
3
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Pork, lean (1)
-- Marinade
Soy Sauce
Rice Wine (2)
Fish Sauce (3)
Corn Starch
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Mustard greens (4)  
Mushrooms (5)
Garlic
Thai Chili
-- Sauce
Oyster Sauce (6)
Fish Sauce
Stock
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Oil
Lime Juice
Prep   (45 min)
  1. Slice PORK about 1/8 inch and cut into strips 1/2 inch wide and up to 2 inches long. Unlike beef pork can be cut with the grain when cut thin.
  2. Mix all Marinade items and Massage into Pork. Set aside to marinate for at least 1/2 hour.
  3. Slice MUSHROOMS about 1/8 inch thick. If using fresh Shiitakes, after slicing soak in hot water about 20 minutes, then wring them out. This greatly improves their texture.
  4. Rinse MUSTARD GREENS and cut or tear the Leaves however you like. Slice Stems about 1/2 inch at thick ends and longer as they thin. Sher Li Hon stems do not need to be held separate unless they are quite large, but I usually do anyway.
  5. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice CHILIS very thin. Mix.
  6. Mix all Sauce items.
  7. Squeeze LIME JUICE.
RUN   (20 min)
  1. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat Oil and stir in Garlic mix for about 30 seconds, then stir in Pork. Fry stirring over high flame until it has completely lost its raw color. The cornstarch will start to stick to the pan, be careful it does not burn. Reddish is OK, but if it's turning chocolate, go on to the next step immediately.
  2. Stir in Mustard Stems (if separate) and Mushrooms. Fry stirring about 2 minutes, then stir in Leaves until coated with oil.
  3. Stir in Sauce Mix and bring to a boil. Scrape fond stuck to the pan into the sauce. Simmer covered, turning now and then, until Mustard stems are crisp tender, 3 to 5 minutes depending on size and variety.
  4. Stir in Lime Juice and take off heat.
  5. Serve hot with plenty of steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Pork:

      Weight is for boneless with all excess fat trimmed away. Just about any cut can be used.

  2. Rice Wine:

      Use a good, drinkable Chinese rice wine, not that horrid salted "cooking" version. If you don't have this, use a Dry Sherry. Sake is made from rice but is not considered a good substitute, it's a beer. For details see our Chinese Rice Wine page.

  3. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  4. Mustard Greens:

      This recipe works best with Sher Li Hon or Small Gai Choy, which are relatively mild as mustard greens go. I have also successfully used Long/Texas Mustard greens. For details see our Asian Greens page.

  5. Mushrooms:

      Most fresh mushrooms can be used. I usually use the small King Oyster Mushrooms now easily available around here. If you use fresh Shiitakes, slice them and soak them in hot water for 20 minutes - then wring them out. This greatly improves their texture. For details, see our Fungus page.

  6. Oyster Sauce:

      A standard Chinese sauce also used in Southeast Asia for dishes in the Chinese style. My current favorite is Megachef, but Lee Kum Kee Premium brand is also very good - the bottle looks very Chinese, but it's made in Los Angeles. Yes, these are more expensive than some, but there's reasons for that (much higher oyster content, unleaded and no melamine). For details see our Oyster Sauce page.

  7. Comments:

      In Los Angeles we have a Thai restaurant every half mile or so on our larger streets. Thai food is practically a native cuisine here, so I do not hesitate to do a little improvising to match ingredients on hand, as they do in Thailand. This recipe is in the Thai/Chinese style, quite common in Thailand. Cornstarch in the marinade, rice wine and oyster sauce are Chinese elements, while the fish sauce, chilis, lime juice, and more liquid sauce are very Thai.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch ar=as required tt=to taste
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