Chungking Pork

When I was trying to figure out what to cook tonight, my wife suggested I look for something made with pork, since we had a tenderloin in the freezer. The front of Joyce Chen's cook book contains a handy reference chart that categorizes the recipes by prep and cooking time, cost, complexity and other criteria. One name caught my eye: Chungking Pork. So, I flipped to the page and immediately knew I'd cook it.

The page for this recipe was by far the dirtiest one in the book. Clearly, my Aunt Bubbles loved this dish and made it often. In case there was any doubt, she'd marked it with a big green asterix and a note saying, "Excellent (do not freeze)." It was such a wonderful discovery, I had to share a photo of it with you.

She's absolutely right, and this recipe is delicious. And, so easy! Truly, it requires very little effort and contains only a few ingredients. It's light, not too salty and packed with flavor. I skipped the MSG, which is included in practically every recipe in the book (it was published in 1962), and increased the sherry and ginger a little, but otherwise I prepared it as shown.

Please note, the rights to this recipe and cook book belong exclusively to Joyce Chen Foods and the Chen family, and I've referenced them here with their permission. Here's how I made tonight's dish:

1 lb pork tenderloin

1 Tbsp sherry
2 slices fresh ginger
2 cups water

Canola oil
2-3 cups cabbage, chopped into thick strips
Dash of salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced
¼ cup black beans, minced
1 tsp red pepper flake
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup cooking stock from the pork

Simmer the pork, sherry and ginger in the water for about a half hour. Remove the pork from the pan and let it cool enough to handle. Slice the pork into medallions about a half inch thick and set aside.

Meantime, heat a little oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or wok, and add the salt and cabbage. Cook the cabbage for just a few minutes, till it begins to soften but isn't too wilted. Remove from the pan and set aside with the pork. Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed, and fry the ginger, garlic, beans and pepper flake. Give that a few stirs before adding the soy sauce and stock. Mix well and add the pork and cabbage back into the pan. Stir fry for a minute or two and serve immediately over rice.