Pork and Chinese Scallion Stir Fry

Easy pork and scallion stir fry with a light flavor from fermented black beans.

In summer days, simple stir frying dishes can be a better choice than those dishes need long time practices in front of the fire. In most cases, preparation of stir-frying dishes can be quite time consuming since we need to make sure make sure all the ingredients are uniform in sizes. But you only need minutes to finish the yummy stir fry dish.

The side ingredient for this recipe is Chinese long scallion (大葱). When cooked with beef, this is named as ” Mongolian beef”, which is extremely popular outside China. But pork version is more popular in mainland China. Comparing with that popular beef version, this pork version introduced here is a more homestyle version with less sauces and seasonings. There are also several sub-types for Chinese long scallion. We have very large green version and a thiner and yellow version. All the types can work fine for this recipe. Comparing with green onion or common scallion, Chinese long scallion has a sweeter taste.

Cook’s Note

When the pork is half cooked, transfer them to the edges of the wok (no fire anymore). For beginners, you can transfer the pork slices out after cook with oil to avoid overcooking. The reason why I do not transfer the pork slices out is because the onion is slightly seared in precious and the later stir frying process is quite fast.

I recommend sautéing the long onion firstly until slightly seared on the surface. I don’t add other seasonings for the long scallion, it provides a very natural sweetness. You will be amazed by the unique flavor and texture.

Steps

Cut Chinese scallion into 3-4cm sections. Chop garlic and slice ginger. Then cut the green onion into smaller sections too.

Cut pork butt into thin slices and then marinate with starch, water, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and pepper. Mix well until all the liquid is absorbed by the slices. Then add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Place scallion section in wok and sautéed for 1 or 2 minutes until slightly seared. This is my favorite way, this can help to improve the aroma of the scallions while keep the slightly crunchy texture.

Heat wok firstly and then place oil in. Heat until the oil becomes warm but not very hot. Spread the pork slices in and let the stay for seconds. Wait until the surface changes color. Move the pork slices to the edges of the wok (almost without fire). You can move your wok to make sure the pork slices are not continued to be cooked. There is no need to overcook the pork slices in this process, our main purpose is to finish the gelatinization of the starch.

Place garlic, ginger and fermented black beans in. Fry for a while until aromatic. Place the long scallion section in. Add green onion in and mix well. Serve hot.