I have been loving the blog by Aussie chef Adam Liaw lately - he has such a beautiful way about him and his food reflects that. This recipe is inspired by his Chicken and Kale Stir Fry. I kind of went to town and did my own thing but used his method and flavours as a base. Hope he doesn’t mind ;-)
I don’t know about you but I have had trouble cooking pork fillet before finding it chewy, but I remember being told once to blanch your pieces in a pot of boiling water for a minute or so, remove and pat dry on paper towel before stir frying - and you know what - it works! This pork was so tender and delicious.
Ingredients
1 bunch kale, washed and stems removed, then cut into bite sized pieces
1 Pork fillet (large enough to feed 4)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra if needed
1 brown onion, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tsp Shaoxing wine
about ½ cup water or stock
1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little of the water
Plus extra veg: frozen edamame (podded), beans, snow peas, zucchini - whatever you wish to add
Marinade
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
Method
Prepare kale and pork - cut pork into large thin pieces. Blanch pork for a minute or so in boiling water - it par cooks it ever so slightly. Remove and pat dry with paper towel then marinate while you are preparing the other items (doesn’t need long).
Heat a wok or fry pan over high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, moving constantly until garlic is lightly browned. Remove the onion and garlic and set aside leaving as much oil in the wok as possible (add extra if need be).
Return the wok to the heat, and when the oil is hot add pork. Fry for about 3-4 minutes until browned but not yet cooked through. I lay it flat and fry one side until nice and brown before turning. That way you get that delicious caramelisation. Add kale (reserving a handful for a quick crispy fry at the end) and return onion and garlic to the pan - be sure to coat the kale in the oil - as well as zucchini, beans and edamame. As the kale wilts, add oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine and a few tablespoons of water or stock. Toss for a further 2 minutes until the kale is softened, adding more water or stock if needed to form a thick sauce to coat the pork and kale. If there is too much liquid, thicken with cornflour mixture. Toss in extra veg. Remove from the heat and serve immediately with rice or udon. Once removed from the pan, I lightly toss the remaining handful of kale with some vegetable oil and give it a quick fry until crispy and place it on top for some crispy goodness.
