Recipe: Leek Greens Stir Fry with Salty Pork Belly (Taiwanese)

LEEK GREENS STIR FRY WITH SALTY PORK BELLY

"At Eric's, a Chinese restaurant near my home, owner Tony Sung makes a version of a Taiwanese stir fry with cured pork belly and the dark green ends of leeks, a substitute for a particular kind of baby garlic shoots that are difficult to find here. It's a brilliant way to use a part of the leeks that usually gets thrown away. If you're not used to stir frying with lots of whole chiles, start with five or ten, and turn on a fan because the fumes can make you cough. Serve with medium-grain rice."



1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 whole cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
10 to 15 Chinese dried red chiles*
8 ounces air-dried, salt-cured pork belly or pancetta, thinly sliced into bite-size pieces*
Dark green parts from
2 large leeks, washed and cut diagonally 1⁄2-inch thick
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Hot cooked medium-grain rice (for serving)

Place a wok or large frying pan over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and chiles and stir-fry until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the pork belly and stir-fry until the fat is translucent, about 3 minutes.

Tilt the wok to pour off all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the leeks and stir-fry until tender, about 3 minutes.

Add the sugar and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Stir in the soy sauce and serve immediately with rice.

*Chinese dried chiles, or Hunan chiles, are sold at Asian markets as is air-dried, salt-cured pork belly, such as Shin Tong ran brand. If you can't find it, you can use pancetta instead, for a hybrid approach. (American-style salt pork is too salty.) At the deli counter, ask for pancetta sliced at least 1/4-inch thick, then cut it into 1-inch strips.

Makes 4 servings
Used with permission to Recipelink.com from Ten Speed Press
Source: Root-to-Stalk Cooking by Tara Duggan