Recipe - Basic Braised Pork

2 pound Pork
2 Scallion stalks
2 sl Fresh ginger root
2 One half tablespoon Oil
2 One half cup Water
One half cup Soy sauce
1 teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar

1. Cut pork in 1inch cubes. Cut scallion stalks in 1inch sections.
Slice ginger root.

2. Heat oil in a heavy pan; then brown scallions and ginger lightly. Add
pork and brown quickly on all sides.

3. Meanwhile boil water in another pan, then add to pork with soy sauce
and salt. Simmer, covered, 1 hour, turning meat several times for even
cooking and coloring.

4. Add sugar. Cook 30 minutes more, turning once again.

NOTE: This dish may be served hot or cold. If served hot, vegetables may
be added (see Variations below). To serve cold, simmer pork until very
tender, then chill with its sauce in a square mold. Slice and serve with
the jellied sauce.

VARIATIONS: For the white sugar, substitute brown sugar.

In step 2, add with scallions and ginger 1 or 2 garlic cloves, crushed.

In step 3, add to pork 1 or 2 cloves star anise; or 2 tablespoons
sherry; or One fourth pound pine nuts, shelled.

During the last 30 minutes of cooking add:

1 or 2 cups bamboo shoots, cut in 1inch cubes

2 or 3 bean curd cakes, minced or cut or sliced up

1 pound round cabbage, cubed. (When cabbage turns a rich red after 10
minutes of cooking, add 6 dried black mushrooms (soaked) and One fourth cup dried
shrimp (soaked), plus the mushroomsoaking water. Bring to a boil again,
then simmer, covered, 2O minutes more.)

4 Cups Chinese lettuce, cut in 1inch sections

4 eggs, hardboiled first, then shelled. (To serve: cut eggs in half;
arrange on top of pork cubes.)

One fourth cup dried fish (haddock or squid), minced

1 Chinese turnip, peeled and cut in 1inch cubes

During the last 15 minutes of cooking add:

One half pound fresh chestnuts, cut in half, parboiled and shelled

1 cup dried black mushrooms (soaked)

One half pound string beans, stemmed but left whole

From The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook, ISBN 0517658704. Downloaded
from Glen's MM Recipe Archive, http://www.erols.com/hosey.