Stir-Fried Pork and Celery

Qincai Rousi (芹菜肉丝)

Delicious strips of pork loin contrast marvelously with tender-crisp celery – the flavor enhanced by garlic, ginger, and pickled chilies, all of it adding a burst of mouthwatering aroma.

Stir-Fried Pork and Celery is a homestyle dish (家常菜). It's simple comfort food – an easy stir-fry using common kitchen ingredients. Nevertheless, there is beauty in simplicity, and this delicious meal is sure to become a weeknight staple. In fact, this was one the first dishes I learned to make in China, and one my wife has asked me to make numerous times since.

Stir-Fried Pork and Celery is not really a spicy dish, though it is highly adaptable. Pickled Chilies and Ginger add a touch of heat and tanginess but are optional. Want even more tanginess? Add 1 teaspoon of Chinkiang Black Vinegar to the Sauce. Want even more spiciness? Add 1 tablespoon of Sichuan Chili Bean Paste (豆瓣酱) along with the Aromatics. Want even more fragrant flavor? Add several 4-inch-long pieces of green Scallion right at the end of the cooking process. This dish can easily adapt to your favorite flavors.

The preferred type of Celery used in this dish is known as Mountain Celery (山芹菜) in China. The flavor is nearly identical to that of Western Celery (西芹菜), but Chinese Celery has a few noteworthy differences. The most obvious aspect is the size difference. Chinese Celery stalks are thinner and less rigid. Therefore, to prepare them in a stir-fry dish, one simply needs to cut them and cook them. Western Celery, on the other hand, should be prepped differently. The stringy fibers running down the length of each stalk must be removed, and the stalks must be cut into slivers to match the size of the Pork. Regardless of the type, Celery is easy to prepare and pairs well with tender strips of Pork.

Stir-Fried Pork and Celery is extremely quick and easy to make. However, if this is your first time cooking this dish, check out my in-depth guide to preparing Pork Slivers (肉丝).

Prep Time: 25 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 35 min

Serving: 4 people

Ingredients

225 – 250 grams of Pork Loin

Marinade
1 Tbsp. Shaoxing Rice Wine
2 tsp. Water
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

2 – 3 bunches of Chinese Celery

Aromatics
5 – 8 Pickled Red Chilies (Optional; fresh if pickled unavailable)
2 – 4 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Pickled Ginger (Fresh if pickled unavailable)

Sauce
2 Tbsp. Chicken Stock (OR 2 Tbsp. Water with 1/2 tsp. Chicken Bouillon)
1 tsp. Light Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. MSG
1/4 tsp. White Pepper
1 tsp. Corn Starch

1 Tbsp. Salt

Peanut Oil

Directions

1.) Prepare the Pork by slicing it into slivers and placing the slivers in a bowl:

• Slice the Pork lengthwise into long, thin slices each 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick and about 4-inches long.
• After each cut, rotate the top of the cleaver away from the meat, laying that piece atop the previous and forming a neat stack of slices.
• Spread the slices across the cutting board like spreading a deck of cards.
• Cut each slice into long, thin slivers about 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick. The size should be thicker than a matchstick and thinner than a chopstick.

(The thickness of the slivers will depend on preference. But ideally, they should be closer to 1/4-inch thick which will match the thickness of Chinese Celery).

2.) Fill the bowl of Pork slivers with water and wash them, wringing out the meat several times underwater. Firmly squeeze out the water and place the slivers in a dry bowl.

3.) Add the Marinade ingredients in stages, mixing each by hand until fully incorporated and no excess liquid remains:

• Add the Rice Wine, Water, and Salt, mixing until fully absorbed.
• Add the Corn Starch and mix thoroughly until every sliver is coated.
• Allow the Pork slivers to marinate while preparing the other ingredients.

4.) Wash the Celery, shake off the excess water, and separate the stalks. Cut the Celery stalks into 4-inch-long sticks, setting them aside in a bowl.

(Chinese Celery should already be roughly the perfect thickness for a Pork Sliver Dish, so there is generally no need to cut them lengthwise. Though the flavor is the same, Western Celery stalks are much wider. Western Celery can also be used, but first, the tough, stringy fibers running down the length of each stalk must be removed. This can be done rather quickly with a vegetable peeler. Then, the stalks must be cut into 4-inch-long pieces, and finally, each piece must be cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips).

5.) Prepare the Aromatics, placing them all in the same bowl:

• Thinly slice the Pickled Red Chilies lengthwise on a bias.
• Peel, smash, and mince the Garlic.
• Peel, smash, and mince the Ginger.

6.) In a small bowl, mix together all of the Sauce ingredients (Chicken Stock, Soy Sauce, Salt, MSG, White Pepper, and Corn Starch).

7.) Fill a pot with about 3 Liters of Water and 1 Tablespoon of Salt. Heat the pot on high and bring the Water to a boil. Blanch the Celery for about 30 to 45 seconds in the boiling water. Remove them with a mesh strainer and allow them to drip dry while cooking the meat.

8.) Heat a seasoned wok on medium-high heat and fill the wok about 1/3 full with Peanut Oil. Once the Oil is hot, add the Pork slivers and stir them quickly to separate the pieces and prevent them from sticking. Cook the slivers for about 45 seconds or until all of the pieces are white. Pour the contents of the wok into a wire strainer set over an empty pot to strain out the meat and clean out the wok.

(This step can be replaced by stir-frying the Pork slivers instead of flash-frying them. Simply heat the seasoned wok on high heat and add about 1/2 cup of Peanut Oil. When the Oil is extremely hot and nearly smoking, add the marinated Pork slivers and quickly stir them to separate the pieces. Stir-fry them about 45 seconds until the slivers are white. This method works better with a high-powered wok burner than with a conventional stove top. Also, if the wok isn’t seasoned properly, there’s greater risk of meat sticking to the metal and burning).

9.) Add about 1/4 cup of Peanut Oil back to the wok and heat on medium-high. When hot, pull the wok away from heat and add the Aromatics, stir-frying them just a few seconds until fragrant.

10.) Add the Pork slivers, return the wok to heat, and stir-fry everything just until mixed.

11.) Add the Celery and stir-fry everything just a few more seconds until combined.

12.) Give the Sauce a final stir and then pour it in around the sides of the wok. Quickly mix everything together, stirring constantly as the Sauce thickens to a gravy-like consistency.

13.) Spoon the delicious Stir-Fried Pork and Celery onto a plate and serve with individual bowls of white rice.

 

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