SHREDDED GINGER, SHRIMP PASTE, AND PORK: 蝦醬蒸五花肉

A dish which will probably disturb very many people is actually quite delicious. And, if you are Chinese, it probably made you very happy. Not because you like disturbing people -- though when that happens, it's icing on the cake -- but because it was finger-licken' good.
Especially the juices.

One of the people it may disturb is your doctor, but only if he's very white.
It wouldn't disturb my doctor, because nothing fazes that man.
Most of his customers are elderly Cantonese.

Which means he's heard far, far worse than anything I could tell him.
The combination of incredible stubbornness, culinary adventurism, and near anarchic creativity with edible substances on the part of his patients has already added considerable surreality to his professional life.
Then he goes home and eats from that world.

Probably with moderation, but evenso.
It's home cooking.
Gusto.

Fatty pork. Ginger. Shrimp paste.


蝦醬蒸五花肉

STEAMED PORK BELLY WITH SHRIMP PASTE
['haa jeung jing ng faa yiuk']

One pound streaky pork belly.
One or two inches ginger, slivered.
Two TBS sherry.
One to two TBS shrimp paste.
Half Tsp. sugar.
A dash of Worcestershire sauce.
Minced scallion.

Cut the pork into chopstickable chunks, rub with the sugar and shrimp paste. Arrange in a flat bowl, add the slivered ginger, sherry, and Worcestershire sauce, and place in a steamer over a roiling boil.
Steam for an hour, then remove and strew scallion over.
Serve with white rice and vegetables.

Be sure to spoon the juices onto your plate.


If our own tribal ancestors had had chopsticks and steamers, history would have turned out very differently. This dish is a potent peace maker, darn well sacramental. So simple, so good.

I'd love to see Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Vegans, everyone in the Middle-East, sitting down and sharing this. It would change them profoundly. Improve their minds.

Betcha they'd all light up cigars afterwards, have coffee together, and change the world.


Sure, you could eat it with khubz baladi or lavash.....
But why?




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