The other night I had a hankering for something Asian inspired. Didn't really want the same old stuff so decided to get creative and hope for the best. Please note, Asian food is NOT my strong point but I love the stuff and just keep trying and hoping it comes out decent. I was also in the mood for something that would give a nice little spicy glow. Got a couple thick sliced center cut pork chops out and defrosted them. While they were defrosting I started making the Fire Sauce. I know I'm gonna get yelled at and possibly put on time-out with my nose in the corner for this, but once again, I didn't write down any amounts of what went into the sauce. I just started the stuff and tweaked it as I went till I had the flavor I was looking for.
The Fire Sauce: rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.
The pork all cut up.
The veggies. I wish I had some red bell pepper but alas, I did not.
Sliced green onions. These will come into play a bit later.
Pork in the wok with a splash of sesame oil.
Lightly brown the pork then add the veggies and Fire Sauce.
Mix it all up and stir constantly till the broccoli starts to soften just a bit. We hate over cooked, mushy veggies.
Plate over rice then garnish with the green onions, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper.
Yep...the close-up shot.
For the first time in my sordid history I actually created an Asian meal that came out extremely well. The flavors were 100% authentic Asian but it was unlike anything I've ever seen or eaten. It was a super fun and creative dish. Not to mention, it was quick and very easy to do. I have two takeaways though. First is a bit less vinegar. That was the first ingredient I put into the sauce and got a bit too much. I know this is a worn out cliche in the BBQ world but I was looking for a bit of sweet and a good dose of heat. I got the heat but tried to temper the slight over abundance of vinegar with brown sugar and ginger. It got to the point I just had to quit adding the stuff to tone down the vinegar because I didn't want candied pork. The second thing was I needed more of the sauce. The flavor was incredible but I was looking to have the meat and veggies coated with it but it turned out the sauce was just more of a great flavor enhancer as opposed to the star of the meal. All in all, I am very happy with this one and Tracy has asked that it be added to our menu rotation. That is a huge plus for me being that she's not a huge fan of Asian food. I'll take that as a win
Oh well, gotta run. Dinner needs to be made and my dearly beloved will be home shortly. Y'all take care and see ya soon.
Robert
The Fire Sauce: rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot chili oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, brown sugar, and cayenne pepper.
The pork all cut up.
The veggies. I wish I had some red bell pepper but alas, I did not.
Sliced green onions. These will come into play a bit later.
Pork in the wok with a splash of sesame oil.
Lightly brown the pork then add the veggies and Fire Sauce.
Mix it all up and stir constantly till the broccoli starts to soften just a bit. We hate over cooked, mushy veggies.
Plate over rice then garnish with the green onions, sesame seeds, and crushed red pepper.
Yep...the close-up shot.
For the first time in my sordid history I actually created an Asian meal that came out extremely well. The flavors were 100% authentic Asian but it was unlike anything I've ever seen or eaten. It was a super fun and creative dish. Not to mention, it was quick and very easy to do. I have two takeaways though. First is a bit less vinegar. That was the first ingredient I put into the sauce and got a bit too much. I know this is a worn out cliche in the BBQ world but I was looking for a bit of sweet and a good dose of heat. I got the heat but tried to temper the slight over abundance of vinegar with brown sugar and ginger. It got to the point I just had to quit adding the stuff to tone down the vinegar because I didn't want candied pork. The second thing was I needed more of the sauce. The flavor was incredible but I was looking to have the meat and veggies coated with it but it turned out the sauce was just more of a great flavor enhancer as opposed to the star of the meal. All in all, I am very happy with this one and Tracy has asked that it be added to our menu rotation. That is a huge plus for me being that she's not a huge fan of Asian food. I'll take that as a win
Oh well, gotta run. Dinner needs to be made and my dearly beloved will be home shortly. Y'all take care and see ya soon.
Robert
