NEW YEAR'S PORK AND EGG STEW

Some things transcend the time and place. One of those things is Red Stewed Pork. Which is appropriate at any time of year, provided the eater isn't limited by ideological dietary constrictions or doctor's orders. With the inclusion of hard-boiled eggs for textural effect and to absorb some of the flavours, it is quite suitable for the lunar new year period.
My cardiologists haven't told me what not to eat yet, they're probably still waiting with baited breath to see if this stubborn white dude gonna explode, so sometime in the next week or so I'll make this dish.
With some cooked saang choi on the side.


滷蛋紅燒豬肉
LOU DAAN HONG SIU CHYU YUK

Two pounds streaky pork belly (五花肉).
Two or three slices of ginger.
Two or three hard-boiled eggs.
Two or three whole star anise.
Two or three stalks green onion.
Quarter cup or more soy sauce.
Quarter cup or more sherry or rice wine.
Five or six soaked black mushrooms.
Two TBS sugar.

Peel the eggs but leave them whole.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Dump the pork into the pot, boil for about ten minutes, take it out and let it cool. When it's cold, cut it into chunks.
Heat some oil on the bottom of a stew pot or kastrol, add the ginger, stirfry briefly and add the green onion, which you have cut into one or two inch lengths and whacked slightly with the blunt edge of your cleaver. Remove all solids before they brown with a slotted spatula, add the pork, and gild it. When it has good browned edges, spoon off some of the grease that the heat had released, add the sherry or rice wine to sizzle, stir loose the crusty bits, then put everything else in the pot with water to generously cover.
Simmer on low heat for well over an hour.

This is a soppy version, with plenty of juices.
Good on top of rice or noodles.

The number of hard-boiled eggs can be increased if there are more people.
Increase soy sauce and sherry or rice wine plus water appropriately.
Equal parts soy and wine, one to two parts water.
Plus slight modifications else.



If you don't know what else to cook, cook this.
When you're lazy about writing, talk food.
Everything goes better with sambal.




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