u/TingL_

Has anyone here tried this dish before? The taro becomes soft and velvety as it cooks, soaking up all the savory scallion flavor. It may look simple, but it’s incredibly comforting and delicious.

These two are littermates—an older sister and her little brother. I adopted them in the summer of 2017, and they now live happily with my parents. I found this old photo today and it warmed my heart. They’ve played together since they were tiny, have never fought, and are not just siblings but best friends too.

Day 8 or learning cooking, I made Yuxiang shredded pork, or yúxiāng ròusī (鱼香肉丝).

Despite the name—yuxiang literally means “fish-fragrant”—there’s no fish in this dish. The name refers to the sweet, sour, savory and spicy seasoning traditionally associated with Sichuan-style dishes.

This is a very classic and typical Sichuan dish and has always been one of my all-time favorites. While I was studying in London, I used to pay nearly £20 for this dish at restaurants in Chinatown, but this homemade version cost me less than £5. Besides, the best part about cooking it at home is being able to adjust the sauce to my taste. I prefer mine slightly sweeter and spicier, with a little less salt. I love cooking!!!

Here is the recipe for anyone who might be interested : )

Ingredients

For the pork and marinade:

• 200 g lean pork, thinly sliced into strips
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine or Shaoxing wine (料酒)
• White pepper, to taste
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• A little neutral cooking oil

Vegetables and aromatics:

• 1 handful julienned carrot
• 1 handful julienned green pepper
• 1 handful rehydrated wood ear mushrooms, thinly sliced
• Chopped scallion, ginger and garlic, to taste
• 1½ tbsp fermented chili bean paste（豆瓣酱）
• Neutral cooking oil

For the yuxiang sauce:

• 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• A small amount of dark soy sauce（optional）
• 3 tbsp Chinkiang black vinegar
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch
• Water

I adjust the sauce by taste because I like mine a little sweeter, spicier and less salty.

Instructions

1. Cut the pork into thin strips. Add the light soy sauce, cooking wine, white pepper, egg white and cornstarch. Mix thoroughly until the pork becomes slightly sticky and evenly coated.
2. Add a little cooking oil and mix again. Marinate for 20 minutes.
3. While waiting for the marination, we can make the yuxiang sauce. Combine light soy sauce, a small amount of dark soy sauce if using, Chinkiang vinegar, sugar, cornstarch and water. Mix well and adjust the sweetness, acidity and saltiness to your preference.
4. Prepare the vegetables: carrot, green pepper, wood ear mushrooms, scallion, ginger and garlic.
5. Heat a generous amount of oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the pork and quickly separate the strips while stir-frying. Once the pork is just cooked through, remove it from the pan and set aside.
6. Leave a little oil in the pan. Add the fermented chili bean paste（豆瓣酱）and stir-fry until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add the scallion, ginger and garlic, followed by the vegetables, and stir-fry briefly.
7. Return the pork to the pan. Stir the yuxiang sauce we prepared, as the cornstarch may have settled, then pour it into the pan.
8. Toss everything together until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the pork and vegetables.
9. Ready to eat! I recommend serve with rice.

Tips

• Adding egg white and oil to the marinade helps keep the pork tender and silky while preventing it from sticking to the pan. The egg white is optional if you prefer not to use it.
• Don’t use too much fermented chili bean paste（豆瓣酱）, as it can overpower the signature sweet-and-sour yuxiang flavor.
• Feel free to change the vegetables. Julienned bamboo shoots are also a particularly good addition (I did that LOL).

Btw, I got over 100 upvotes from my last post Homemade Xiao Chao Rou, that's totally beyond my expectation. So encouraging! I'm gonna keep sharing my journey of cooking learning and recipes. Hopefully my recipes can somehow be useful : )

This little face has been watching me from behind bars for a while. Then he walked right up to me like, “Am I in here for being illegally adorable? If I make this face, will you let me out?”

He heard one crinkle and immediately moved in. Does anyone else’s cat claim every piece of packaging before you’ve even finished unpacking it?

Day 7 of learning cooking, I made Xiao Chao Rou, a Hunan-style dish featuring thinly sliced pork belly stir-fried with spicy Chinese green peppers (luosijiao). It’s savory and pleasantly spicy.

If anyone is interested, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 300 g pork belly, thinly sliced
• 200 g Chinese green chilies (luosijiao), sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped bird’s-eye chilies (Xiao mi la), prepare less if you can only bear mildly spicy dish.
• Sliced garlic (the more the better)
• Chopped Welsh onion (if you can't get this, green onion is also fine)
• ½ tsp salt, or to taste
• Cooking oil, as needed
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1½ tbsp Lao Gan Ma chili crisp sauce (You can get this in Chinese supermarket)
• 1 tbsp sugar, or to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat a wok over high heat without adding any oil. Add the sliced green chilies and ½ teaspoon of salt. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until lightly blistered and fragrant. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Add a little cooking oil to the wok. Once hot, add the sliced pork belly. If you’re cutting calories, you can skip the oil—the pork belly will release plenty of its own fat.
3. Stir-fry over high heat until the pork is browned and slightly crisp around the edges.
4. Add the sliced garlic, chopped scallions and bird’s-eye chilies. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the light soy sauce, oyster sauce, Lao Gan Ma and sugar. Stir-fry for another minute, making sure the pork is evenly coated.
6. Return the cooked green chilies to the wok and stir-fry everything together for another 2 minutes.
7. Then it's ready to eat! I recommend serving with steamed rice.