Stir-Fried Pork and Chongqing Pickles

Zhacai Rousi (榨菜肉丝)

Tender pork slivers are stir-fried with tangy, salty Chongqing pickles in a unique but simple dish reminiscent of home cooked comfort food.

So, what are Chongqing Pickles?

Chongqing Pickles are also known as Zha Cai (榨菜), which are simply Pickled Mustard Tubers – i.e., the light green bulbous root-like part of a mustard plant (榨菜头). The pickling process by which Zhacai is fermented with salt and pressure gives it a robust sour-salty flavor and a toothsome bite. Chongqing Pickles are often chopped, sliced, or shredded and sold in snack packets all over China. When stir-fried, the flavor mellows and blends perfectly with Pork, infusing the meat with its subtle tanginess.

Chongqing Pickles are available in a variety of forms. Entire bulbs of Pickled Mustard Tubers (榨菜头) are readily available for purchase online in China, but are not always easy to find in stores outside of Sichuan and Chongqing – the municipality associated with this style of pickled product. Nevertheless, packets of pre-sliced and pre-shredded Zhacai are available everywhere and can easily be used in the following dish. The advantage of buying whole bulbs is that there’s more control over the thickness of the Zhacai strips and they can be cut according to preference.

Stir-Fried Pork and Chongqing Pickles is a homestyle dish (家常菜), meaning that it can be easily prepared at home with common ingredients. For instance, Green Bell Pepper is used in this recipe to add more contrast in color and texture, but this could easily be replaced by other Vegetables. Red Bell Pepper, Celery, Scallion, and various types of Mushrooms can be used in homestyle cooking to customize the dish. Nonetheless, I do highly recommend adding contrasting colors. Chongqing Pickles and the slivers of Pork are rather pale on their own. But add some reds and greens, and the dish will truly pop. I do this in the following recipe with Pickled Red Chilies, which add color but not a lot of heat. (This dish is usually extremely mild). Red Bell Pepper can be used in the same manner.

Stir Fried Pork and Chongqing Pickles 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. Cornstarch

Aromatics
4 – 5 Pickled Red Chilies (Optional)
2 – 4 cloves of Garlic
1 2-inch block of Ginger

1 Green Bell Pepper (Optional)

2/3 cup of shredded Chongqing Pickled Mustard Tuber (Zha Cai 榨菜)

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

Peanut Oil (For Deep Frying)

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 the Chongqing Pickles).

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.) 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.

5.) Cut off the bottom of the Green Bell Pepper. Run the knife around the top of the Pepper and remove the stem and core, leaving behind a hollow cylinder. Quarter the remaining cylinder into slices. Slightly flatten the slices while cutting them lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slivers.

6.) If using a whole bulb of Zhacai, cut the bulb into 1/4-inch-thick slices and then cut the slices lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. If using pre-cut Zhacai from a packet, simply continue on to the next step.

7.) Place the strips of Zhacai in a bowl, fill the bowl with water, and then pour everything into a sieve to drain the water. Shake off as much excess water as possible and allow the Chongqing Pickles to continue to drip dry while preparing the final steps.

(The purpose of this step is to remove some of the excess pickle brine and a bit of the harshness. This will allow the Chongqing Pickles to mellow when stir-fried with the Pork. It also removes a bit of excess salt allowing better control over the flavor).

8.) Mix together the Sauce ingredients (Chicken Stock, Light Soy Sauce, MSG, White Pepper, and Cornstarch) in a small bowl.

9.) 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).

10.) 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.

11.) Gently slide in the Zhacai as the Oil is cooling. Coat the Pickles in the hot Oil and return the wok to medium-high heat slowly. Cook everything for about 1 minute until the Zhacai are frying, the Oil is searing hot, and most of the excess moisture has evaporated.

(Use caution when adding the Chongqing Pickles. If the Oil is extremely hot, the Zhacai will pop and splatter hot Oil everywhere. Slowly bringing the Chongqing Pickles up to heat will greatly reduce this).

12.) Return the Pork slivers to the wok and mix everything thoroughly for just a few seconds. Then, add the slivers of Green Bell Pepper and stir-fry them with other ingredients.

(The timing for the Green Bell Pepper is a matter of preference. But, generally, the thin slivers only need about 15 seconds to cook tender-crisp. If you prefer Green Bell Pepper softer, add the slivers and stir-fry them a bit before adding the Pork).

13.) 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.

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

 

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