Pork and peppers
Simple Stir-fries
This is big, colourful variation of a Chinese classic. Qingjiao rou si (green peppers with sliced meat) is one of the most basic Chinese stir-fries. There are lots of different ways to do it, from cutting thin strips of both pork and capsicum, using oyster or bean sauces, to variations made with beef.
I've used concentrated chicken stock as the main seasoning here. You can use homemade chicken stock if you like but in Asian grocery stores you'll find a few different varieties of thick, concentrated liquid stock with a similar consistency to oyster sauce which are fantastic for stir-frying as they allow you to season your stir-fries without diluting with too much liquid or adding additional, more complicated flavours.
You can also add aromatics if you like - ginger, garlic or onion - but I've kept this as basic as possible. Just pork and capsicum, seasoned well.
Cooking time
<30min
Serves
4
Ingredients
- 300 g pork belly, skin and bones removed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 each, medium red, green and yellow capsicums, cut into irregular chunks
- 1 tbsp concentrated chicken stock (or oyster sauce)
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup cold water
- Meat marinade
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- a pinch of bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
- ½ tsp cornflour
- a little white pepper
Method
- Slice the pork first into long thin strips around 1 cm in width, then cut into 3 cm pieces. Combine the pork with the marinade ingredients.
- Heat a wok over high heat until very hot and add the oil. Add the pork to the wok and spread it into a single layer. Let it sit in the wok without stirring for around 2 minutes until one side of the pork is browned, then toss the wok and cook for another minute. Add the capsicum and toss for a minute, then add the concentrated stock, wine and sugar. You can add a little water if the mixture is looking dry. Toss to combine, then add a little of the cornstarch mixture, tossing for a few seconds until the dish thickens. It should be thick enough to coat the meat and vegetables in the wok. Transfer to a plate and serve.
