This delicious and comforting dish is simple as it is nutritious. Minced pork and turnip are braised in a thick and fragrant sauce before being doused over steaming white rice. Perfect for rainy days, and as a late night supper.
Another upside to this dish is how versatile it can be. Minced pork can always be substituted with minced chicken or minced beef for a slightly different, but equally delicious meal. Likewise, daikon radish also makes an excellent substitute for the turnip. Having this mouthwatering dish over steaming Japanese rice provides a delightful alternative to the usual white jasmine rice as well.
For our vegetarian readers, simply replace the minced meat in this recipe with either cubes of silken tofu, tau kwa or substitute with more shiitake mushrooms.
Ingredients:
300 g ground pork
1 large radish (approx. 800 g) – peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 shitake mushrooms – cut into quarters
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn
2 star anise
2 cups water
Cooking oil
Seasoning for sauce:
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp corn flour + 3 tbsp water (for thickening)
Garnish
Chopped spring onion
serves 6
Adapted from: The Woks of Life
Add a dash of salt, pepper, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil and 2 tsp corn flour to the ground pork and mix well. Let it marinate at room temperature for about 10 mins.
In a large pot or wok, add in 2 tbsp oil and saute the Sichuan peppercorn and star anise over low heat for 5 mins to infuse their flavor into the oil.
Remove peppercorn and star anise.
Turn up the heat and cook the ground pork over medium high heat for 2 mins, until lightly browned.
Add in minced ginger, garlic and cook until fragrant.
Place the mushroom, radish and pour all the seasoning (except corn flour solution) and mix well.
Add in water and simmer for 20 mins or until the radish is semi translucent and fork tender.
Taste and adjust with more seasoning if required.
Stir and drizzle in the corn flour solution to thicken the sauce slightly.
Turn off heat and sprinkle with chopped spring onions and serve warm over a bowl of rice.