Chinese Braised Pork With Plums Recipes

Steps:

• Cut the pork into big pieces about the length of your thumb and twice as wide. Put into a bowl or food bag, and add the wine, soy sauces, half the ginger, half the garlic and half the chilli. Marinate for at least 1 hr or up to 24 hrs.
• Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3, then heat the oil in a large casserole. Tip in half the spring onions, remaining ginger and garlic, the star anise, five-spice powder and cinnamon. Fry gently until fragrant and soft. Stir in the sugar, turn up the heat, then lift the pork from the marinade and turn in the oniony mix for about 3 mins until the meat is just sealed but not browned. Tip in the marinade, tomato purée and stock, give it a stir, cover, then braise in the oven for 2 hrs.
• After the first hr is up, add the plums to the pan. Take the lid off and carry on the cooking, uncovered. The meat should be completely tender, turning golden brown where it breaks the surface of the sauce. Spoon off any excess fat from the surface, then scoop the meat and plums carefully from the pan with a slotted spoon. Turn up the heat and boil the sauce for 5-10 mins until reduced and slightly syrupy. Return everything to the pan, gently warm through, then scatter the rest of the spring onions over the top to serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Brown the pork on both sides in the oil, then transfer it to a large casserole dish. Deglaze the pan you used for browning with the rice wine or Sherry and add it to the casserole. Add the ginger and garlic. Trim the ends off the 8 fat spring onions and add these to the pan whole along with the chilli, stock, miso paste (if using) and soy sauce. Bring everything to a simmer, then cover and put the casserole in the oven for 2 hrs.
• Remove the lid from the casserole and cook for a further 20 mins. Chop the 4 thinner spring onions and add them to the casserole just before serving with steamed rice and bok choi.

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork chops with salt and pepper; cook in the hot oil until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove pork chops to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium; cook and stir the garlic in the skillet just until fragrant, 10 to 20 seconds. Pour in the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, and cloves; bring to a boil. Stir the mixture until the brown sugar dissolves; add the plums. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer the mixture until the sauce has thickened and the plums are very soft, about 45 minutes. Mash the plums with a potato masher to an applesauce-like texture. Place the pork chops back into the pan and cook in the sauce until no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes. A meat thermometer inserted into the middle of a chop should read 145 degrees (63 degrees C).