Pickled Mustard Root & Pork Shreds

榨菜肉丝

Pickled Mustard Root & Pork Shreds — Home-styleChongqing home cooking.

Ingredients

• Sichuan pickled mustard root (zha cai)
• pork shoulder, thinly sliced
• light soy sauce
• Shaoxing wine
• garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Rinse zha cai under cold water for 10 seconds, then drain well and pat dry with paper towel. Shred by hand or with clean fingers into thin, even strands. (Zha cai shreds are dry to touch, pale tan with visible fibrous texture.)
2. Marinate pork shreds with light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and half the garlic. Mix well and set aside 8 minutes. (Pork looks plump and lightly coated.)
3. Heat wok over high heat until smoking lightly. Add 10 ml (2 tsp) neutral oil. (Thin blue-gray smoke rises steadily from center of wok.)
4. Add remaining garlic and stir-fry 10 seconds until golden and fragrant. Immediately add pork and stir-fry rapidly until just cooked through (about 1 minute). (Pork turns uniform light brown with no pink showing.)
5. Add zha cai and stir-fry over high heat for 1 minute — just until heated through and aromatic. Do not overcook; texture should stay crisp. Turn off heat and serve immediately with steamed rice. (Zha cai retains distinct pale strands and audible crunch when stirred.)