Asian Stir-Fried Vegetables With Pork

I don't try to do a lot of Asian cooking. Most of the time, I can't get it to taste as good as what I can get in a restaurant, and more importantly, when I eat Asian food, I love the variety I can get at a Chinese buffet.

That said, I decided to try a stir-fry for tonight. I didn't use a recipe for this (although I looked at a couple for basic sauce proportions). Sometimes I surprise myself. This turned out really good!

You can use chicken instead of pork, if you like; you wouldn't need to simmer the chicken to make it tender. Just cube it and cook it in a skillet until it's done, and set it aside until you're ready for it. Or leave the meat out entirely and use water or vegetable broth for the liquid for a vegetarian meal.


Blogarita's Asian Stir-Fried Vegetables With Pork

1 lb pork loin, but into 3/4" cubes
1 teaspoon chicken base or 1 chicken bouillon cube
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3 cups broccoli florets
3 cups cauliflower floret
1 large carrot, cut into julienne strips
1 medium onion, cut into wide strips
1 small zucchini, peel left on, sliced lengthwise, then cut into crosswise slices (half-moons)
1 can (7 or 8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 to 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c. red and/or green bell pepper strips
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1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (available in Asian foods section of market)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground ginger (the kind sold in a jar in the produce section)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon Asian hot chili sauce (optional)
reserved pork or chicken broth
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Oil for stir-frying (I like peanut oil or extra-light olive oil)


Place pork and chicken base/bouillon in a small saucepan and add water just to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 20 minutes to help tenderize the meat. Drain, reserving the meat and the meat broth separately.

Place broccoli and cauliflower florets and carrot strips in large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Set veggies aside.

In another bowl, combine onion, zucchini, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and pepper strips. Set aside.

In a 4 cup glass measuring cup, combine cornstarch, soy sauce, white wine, white vinegar, sugar, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and hot chili sauce. Whisk until well-blended. Add enough of the reserved meat broth and/or water to make 3 cups total. Set aside.

In a very large, deep skillet or a wok, heat about 3 tablespoons oil over high heat until very hot. Add the broccoli-cauliflower-carrot mixture to skillet and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

Add the reserved pork and remaining vegetable mixture; stir-fry for 4 minutes.

Whisk sauce again to make sure ingredients are well-blended, then add all at once to skillet. Stir constantly until sauce is thickened and all vegetables and the pork are well-coated with sauce. Serve immediately with steamed or fried rice.

Makes 6 - 8 servings.