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Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce

The most challenging part of this recipe is cutting the pork into thin shreds; freeze the meat for 30 or even 60 minutes first, which will make it easier, but plan on spending the bulk of the time allotted for this recipe on this single task. The cooking itself takes only 5 minutes (in fact, if you want to serve rice with this, which you should, cook it beforehand and keep it warm). Don’t mince the garlic; you want its flavor to be strong in this dish. Serve this with white rice. Other cuts of meat you can use here: beef, preferably sirloin; lamb, preferably from the shoulder or leg; boneless chicken.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 small dried chiles
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork, preferably from the shoulder (Boston butt or picnic), cut into thin shreds and thoroughly dried
1 bunch of scallions, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths, white and green parts separated
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put the oil in a large nonstick skillet (12-inch is best) and turn the heat to high; a minute later, add the garlic and chiles and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic begins to color, just a minute or so.

    Step 2

    Add the pork and stir once or twice. Cook until it begins to brown, about a minute. Add the white parts of the scallions and stir; cook for another minute, stirring occasionally.

    Step 3

    Add the green parts of the scallions and stir; cook for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat and add the soy sauce. Serve immediately.

  2. Stir-Fried Pork in Garlic Sauce, Thai Style

    Step 4

    In step 3, add 1 tablespoon sugar with the green parts of the scallions and substitute nam pla for the soy sauce.

The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved. MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.
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