Soy Braised Pork with Tatsoi
A meal packed-full of flavour with very little preparation involved
Today was one of those lazy days I didn’t feel like doing much work in the kitchen, but still craved some comforting food.
This BRAISED PORK W/ TATSOI ended up fitting the bill perfectly – minimum preparation involved but lots of flavour to satisfy my cravings. Braising the diced pork shoulder takes a little time (around 1 ½ hour), but there’s hardly any chopping involved (a couple of crushed garlic and a few slices of ginger), and once it’s simmering, all you need to do from time to time is to check the liquid level to avoid drying out.
Because the braising technique uses very little liquid (just enough to barely cover the meat), by the end of the cooking process all you are left with is a moreish, almost syrupy sauce, with tender meat that is full of flavour.
Adding the TATSOI from the garden also worked a treat, as its slightly tangy, mustardy flavour, went hand in hand with the salty-sweet richness of the pork.
Full-grown Tatsoi
Talking about TATSOI, this is a fantastic option to have in your vege garden, as it’s very easy and quick to grow, taking as little as three to four weeks from planting seedlings to start harvesting young leaves, which are great raw in salads and sandwiches – you probably have seen them in the mixed green salad bags sold at supermarkets.
If you leave the plant to mature (as in the picture above), it can then be added to cooking as you would bok choi, which means they are perfect for steaming and lovely in stir-fries. TATSOI also stands colder temperatures, making it a good option for the winter vege garden.
Serving suggestion
To complete the dish, I’ve added a couple of hard-boiled eggs to simmer in the braising liquid for the last minutes of cooking time – this gives the eggs’ surface a gentle tea-colour stain and an authentic look when halved and plated.
I’ve also pan-toasted some sesame seeds I had in the cupboard, which are entirely optional but taste really yummy. You may wish to add some chilli oil and extra soy to the table as well.
SOY BRAISED PORK W/ TATSOI
Serves 4
Ingredients:
600 g pork shoulder, diced
1 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, well crushed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 ½ Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 – 4 thin slices of unpeeled fresh ginger
1 ½ cups water (or enough to barely cover the meat)
Pepper
Cooking oil
To serve:
Sushi rice or Noodles, cooked
Method:
1. Place pork shoulder, ground ginger and crushed garlic in a bowl. Lightly season with pepper. Toss well to coat the meat with the condiments.
2. Heat the cooking oil in a large, casserole-type pan on high heat, and seal the pork pieces, in two or three batches, until nicely browned. Remove browned pieces to a plate and repeat with the next batch. Return all pork to pan and reserve.
3. Mix the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar in a little bowl. Add to the saucepan, alongside the ginger slices. Place it back on the heat, mix it well, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any bits that got stuck.
4. Add the water – enough to barely cover the meat. Bring to the boil, reduce to a slow simmer and place a lid. Let it simmer for about 60 – 70 minutes, or until meat is tender. Check liquid level from time to time, to make sure it hasn’t dried out. If needed, add a bit of water at a time.
5. Meanwhile, hard boil the eggs: Place eggs submerged in water on the heat. Bring to the boil and cook for 6 minutes. Remove and peel eggs (peeling eggs under running cold water makes the job a lot easier). Reserve.
6. Lightly toast sesame seeds by placing them on a dry frying pan over medium heat and shaking the pan until lightly golden. Reserve.
Putting it all together:
8. When pork is tender, remove the lid and add the eggs. Cook for 12 minutes, turning eggs halfway so they colour evenly. Remove and reserve.
9. If your sauce is still quite watery, turn up the heat and let it bubble for a couple of minutes until reducing it further.
9. Push pork to one side and add tatsoi to the liquid. Quickly toss until limp and turn off the heat. Cut boiled eggs in half and return to the pan.