Pork & Shittake Black Bean

In an effort to keep costs down this week I decided to start my grocery list by going through our pantry and using up everything in sight, or at least making a conscious effort to bring unused ingredients into our meals.  In the freezer I had some pork and in the pantry some fermented Chinese black beans and so I set about thinking of a recipe that would unite the two, and still pass the husband's standards.

Normally black bean sauce is associated with beef, but we had pork and a quick Google confirmed that this had been done before and I felt confident I could come up with something tasty.  On recipesource.com I found a black bean sauce recipe that was my starting point and went from there.  With a little prior planning this is actually pretty quick and easy to bring together, even with making the sauce. You can add any vegetables that you have on hand or take your fancy, some bamboo shoots or water chestnuts might be a nice addition.  This may not be the most Chinese of Chinese dishes but it went some way to using up my supply of fermented black beans (I think two more meals should do it, so watch out!) and I ended the evening with a well satisfied tum.  Enjoy!

Black Bean Sauce, from recipesource.com

2 tbsp peanut oil

2 tbsp fermented black beans

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp rice wine

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

Heat the oil in a wok at medium heat.  Add the garlic and black beans and fry for 15-30 seconds and then add the other ingredients. Stir well to combine and simmer 2-3 minutes until thickened. Set aside.

250g pork, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 tsp Chinese five spice

1 tbsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp peanut oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

125g shittake mushrooms, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bird's eye chili, sliced

1/4 cup Shaoxing Rice Wine

1/3 green pepper, sliced

350g green beans, cut into 2cm pieces

1/4 cup vegetable broth

black bean sauce (as above)

1 handful mung bean sprouts

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss to coat the pork. Rest in the fridge for one hour, or overnight.  

On a medium heat fry the pork until cooked. Remove and set aside. Add more oil if necessary and fry the onion until translucent. Add the shittakes and sautee 2-3 minutes before adding the garlic and chili for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the Rice wine, pepper and green beans and cook 3-5 minutes until the beans are just cooked.  Add the pork and black bean sauce to the pan, along with the vegetable broth. Stir well to combine and simmer until thickened.  Remove from the heat and stir in the mung bean sprouts.  Serve over steamed rice.