Pork and Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

Today's featured dish is another Chinese one of my own invention.   I knew ahead of time that I wanted to cook something Chinese, and that I wanted to use up a piece of the big pork loin roast I'd bought awhile back and had cut into one-pound portions and packed for freezing.   While shopping, I picked up a few fresh ingredients I'd need, but was able to mostly rely on things I keep stocked.

The dish is pretty straightforward to prepare and make.  Much of the required time is used to marinate the pork, during which time everything else can be prepared.  Once the prep is done, it cooks up quickly.  In exchange for fairly minimal effort, one gets a great meal of tender, seasoned pork and delicious vegetables coated in a flavorful sauce.  As far as I'm concerned, that's always a good trade-off, and it's one reason I love stir-fry dishes.  If your tastes are anything like ours, I think you'll love this.

Pork and Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry

yield = 4 servings

1                   pound boneless pork loin roast, thinly-sliced
1/2                teaspoon rushed red pepper flakes
2                   tablespoons hoisin sauce
1                   tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1                   tablespoon rice wine
2                   tablespoons peanut oil
2                   teaspoons dark (Asian) sesame oil
1                   tablespoon minced garlic
6                   green onions, thinly-sliced, white and green parts separated
10                 ounces snow peas, trimmed
5                   ounces fresh shitake mushrooms, sliced
1                   can (15 ounces) whole baby corn, drained and sliced into
                            bite-size pieces
1/2                cup low-sodium chicken broth
1                   tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2                   teaspoons cornstarch

Add pork slices and crushed red pepper flakes to a medium bowl.  Add hoisin sauce, grated ginger and rice wine.  Stir to mix thoroughly, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Heat peanut and sesame oils in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When the oil is shimmering, add the pork mixture and stir-fry until the pork is no longer pink and is lightly browned in spots.   Clear a spot in the middle of the skillet, then add the garlic and the white parts of the green onions.  Cook 1 minute, then stir into the pork mixture. 

Add the snow peas, shitake mushrooms and baby corn to the skillet.  Stir-fry until the snow peas start to get tender (about 4 minutes). 

Stir together the chicken broth, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl, then add the mixture to the skillet.  Cook, stirring to thoroughly coat the pork and vegetables, until the sauce has thickened (1-2 minutes).  Transfer to a serving dish, top with the green parts of the green onions and serve with rice.