Fish-fragrant or yuxiang flavouring, despite its name, doesn’t contain any fish or seafood. It’s a wonderful combination of doubanjiang (broad bean paste), sugar, vinegar, soy sauce and pickled chillies. This is a slightly adapted version of another sensational recipe by Fuchsia Dunlop from The Food of Sichuan.
First, soak 4-5 wood-ear fungus in boiling water for 30 minutes. Cut 400g (14 oz) of pork leg or loin into fine slivers and place them in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of shaoxing wine, 6 teaspoons of cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of cooking oil, 6 teaspoons of water and a little salt. Stir and allow to marinate. Meanwhile, to prepare the other ingredients, cut 1-2 carrots, some bamboo shoot and some celery into slivers, finely slice 4 teaspoons of garlic and 3 teaspoons of fresh ginger and chop the green parts of 2 spring onions. Make a sauce by combining 1½ teaspoons of cornstarch, 6 teaspoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of Chinkiang vinegar, 4 teaspoons of light soy sauce and ¼ of a cup of cold stock. When the wood-ear fungus is softened, cut it into strips as well, discarding any hard pieces. Heat a wok over a high flame and add some vegetable oil. Cook the pork briefly, just until it changes colour and then remove it from the wok. Add a little more oil to the wok if necessary and add 2 tablespoons of Sichuan pickled chilli paste or sambal oelek along with the garlic and ginger. Be careful to have a range hood fan on or cook this outside when you cook the chilli. Cook until fragrant and the oil turns red. Add the vegetables and stir-fry for a few minutes until just beginning to soften. Return the pork to the wok and add the sauce, cooking until everything is combined and heated through. Lastly, add the spring onion greens and 2-3 tablespoons of chilli oil, if desired.
michelle picker cooks 