I'm back!

Oh hi! I’m finally back. Seems like I’ve been on one long vacation. First Mexico, then after only a few days home, our neighbors invited us to join them at the beach. As if we’d say no to extending our vacation! So we re-packed our bags (they weren’t really unpacked) and headed to the Oregon Coast for the long Independence Day weekend. I guess it’s not surprising that I’m finding it hard to come out of the vacation stupor. I'm sorry if I've been slow at responding to emails and comments. Suppose I better come to quick, though. Mom and the whole Vegas crew are arriving on Friday. Lord, save me!


I also need to get my butt in gear seeing as how I’m hosting Weekend Wokking and wouldn’t it be just shameful if I didn’t have an entry? (Good thing I’m the host and Wandering Chopsticks is such an understanding gal because the deadline’s already past. The round-up goes up tomorrow or the day after :-) Anyhow, cilantro is the theme ingredient, and luckily for me I’ve got some growing in the garden. Or rather, I had. It bolted while I was away, and there’s not quite enough to take from the younger plants. No problem since I use the roots.

I’m not going to launch into the awesomeness of cilantro roots because I’ve already done that and you can read about it here. I’ll just go straight to the dish, a pork stir-fry flavored with a paste made of garlic, white peppercorns and cilantro roots. Don’t forget the dipping sauce! Enjoy!

Pretty simple, but tastes great! Spruce it up with tomato and cucumber slices and serve with the dipping sauce.

Garlicky Pork Stir-Fry

Serves 3 to 4

• ½ oz cilantro roots, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ tsp white peppercorns (black is okay too)
• 1 pound pork, sliced for stir-frying
• 1 to 2 tbs oyster sauce
• 1 to 2 tbs light soy sauce (regular is fine too, but use less)
• 1 tsp sugar
• fish sauce to taste

For the dipping sauce:

• Juice of 1 juicy lime
• fish sauce, to taste (about 1 tbs)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• chopped chilies, to taste
• white sugar, to taste (about 1 to 2 tsp)

Using a mortar, pound the cilantro roots, garlic and peppercorns until you get a uniform paste. You want to make sure to thoroughly break down the cilantro roots because they can be tough and fibrous otherwise. Mix the paste with the pork and allow to marinate for about ½ hour.

Meanwhile make the sauce by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

Make the dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients and adjust flavor to taste.

When you’re ready to stir-fry, get your wok good and hot. Proper heat is the trick to this dish. If your wok is not hot enough, the meat is not going to sear. Instead it’s going to release juices. The wok also has to be hot enough to caramelize the sauce once it hits the wok. Otherwise you will have a watery, boring dish. This dish should be fairly dry and the flavors concentrated.

Use about 3 tbs oil. Grapeseed or another vegetable oil is good; olive oil is bad for stir-frying. Once the meat is seared and just about done (approx 2 to 3 minutes), add the soy sauce mix down the side of the wok and toss the meat to coat. It’s done when the sauce is caramelized and the meat is cooked through. Adjust flavor with fish sauce, if necessary. Total cooking time is about 4 or 5 minutes. Serve with the dipping sauce and steamed jasmine rice. I like to serve sliced tomato and cucumber on the side as well.