Cold Pork in Hot and Garlicky Sauce (蒜泥白肉)

 

The pork in this sichuanese dish is traditionally a piece of pork butt, half fat and half lean, simply boiled in water with some fresh ginger and spring onion. But I’m not that much into fat meat and boiling it is something else I hesitate to do. Luckily you can use almost any piece of pork you like, as long as you can cut it into thin slices.

My first attempt was with a big piece of lean pork (fricandeau) placed in an ovenproof bag with some ginger, spring onion and shaoxing ricewine. Second attempt was with a simple panfried loin of pork, but I missed the ginger and spring onion flavour. So my last and best attempt was with a piece of rolled pork that I marinated for 24 hours in ginger, spring onion and shaoxing wine. Then quickly panfried it to get the outside browned, then roasted at low temperature in the oven until still a little bit pink in the middle. Just the way I like it, soft and tender.

But with this dish, you should just follow your own instinct on which cut you prefer and how to cook it. Most flavouring comes from the sauce anyway. And the sauce is just brilliant.
Long introduction, short recipe.

 
RECIPE

450 gr cooked cold pork, sliced as thinly and evenly as possible

Then drizzle with a sauce made of :
4 T sweet aromatic soy sauce
2-4 T chili oil (or even better Sichuan Chili Oil !!)
3 t chopped garlic
2 t sesame oil

Garnish with fresh coriander or spring onion.

You can serve it as a starter, like the chinese do. Bring it to a picnic. Serve it cold or lukewarm. Or with white rice and a (beansprout) salad for dinner. Every which way will just be great. Promise.