hoisin sauce | Bewitching Kitchen

I did not expect to blog on this recipe, as I had a couple of not that great recipes made in the crockpot just the week before. Two big disappointments. The slow-cooker is one iffy gadget. As I’ve mentioned more than once in the past, crockpot recipes often stretch the limits of the “dump it all in and forget it.” Not every meat works in a crockpot unless you time the cooking much more carefully. This time I used my newest favorite cut, country-style boneless pork rib. Seven hours in low. Perfect texture. Perfect meal to watch a certain football game.

SLOW-COOKER HOISIN-PULLED PORK
(slightly modified from taste.com.au)

Boneless country-style pork ribs (enough to fully cover the surface of your crockpot)
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
4cm-piece fresh ginger, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup vegetable stock
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese five-spice mix

Place the pork in a slow cooker. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and ginger. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the onion is soft and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the stock, hoisin, soy sauce, and Chinese five spice. Simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and pour the mixture over the pork. If necessary, add a little water so that the meat is almost fully covered. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 7 hours.

Transfer the pork to a large tray and use 2 forks to shred the meat. Transfer the braising liquid from the slow cooker to a large saucepan. Simmer over high heat for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly. Add the shredded pork and stir to combine. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Pulled pork is one of my favorite meals, and of course it is great with the usual, American-style barbecue sauce. However, I must say that this Oriental version won my heart. The Chinese five-spice is a must. Star anise shines and goes together with the fresh ginger and hoisin sauce in a perfect way. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Also great on top of Smoked Paprika Sourdough…

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My wok is 18 years old, it was one of the first gifts I received when I moved from France to the US, back in 1995. Thank you, dear friend, you know who you are… 😉 I used it a lot in Oklahoma, even though our stove was not powerful enough to bring the best in stir-frying. The wok patiently waited for me inside a box when we traveled for two sabbaticals, and into the box it went again when we moved to the Little Apple and co-existed with an electric stove that even Benjamin Franklin would consider sub-par. Once Supernova was installed, I went to the basement to retrieve my old friend, apologized for the neglect inflicted upon him, and said his loyalty would be compensated: he would meet a superstar and they would live happily ever after… Happy to report that it was love at first flame!

HOISIN CHICKEN WITH CASHEWS
(inspired by Fine Cooking magazine & Barbara Tropp)

2 Tbs peanut oil
1 medium shallot, sliced
2 Piquillo peppers, sliced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch chunks and velveted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 oz. snow peas, trimmed
Crushed red chile flakes
2 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup hoisin sauce diluted with 2 Tbs water
1/3 cup roasted cashews

The day before or a few hours before your meal, velvet the chicken using this method. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Add the shallot slices and cook for 2 to 3 min. Add the Piquillo peppers (I buy them jarred) and cook until both the pepper and onion are browned around the edges. Remove the vegetables from the skillet; set aside. Pour the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in the skillet. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, add it to the oil, and cook, stirring frequently, so that all sides brown, 2 to 3 min. Stir in the snow peas and sprinkle in some red chile flakes. Add the ginger. Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the thinned hoisin sauce. Simmer for 1 min. to wilt the snow peas and finish cooking the chicken. Sprinkle with the cashews and serve over rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Velveting the chicken makes this type of stir-fry so much better that it’s worth investing the small amount of work to do it. Since the chicken can stay in the egg white mixture for up to 24 hours, you could conceivably do it the evening before you intend to make it for dinner. I prefer to do this preparation either when I wake up, or if time allows, at lunch time. Piquillo peppers are from Spain, so their use in this dish qualifies as “fusion-cooking”. In reality, I had an open jar in my fridge and wanted to use it up. So there. 😉

What I love the most about this recipe is the simplicity of the finishing sauce, a mixture of hoisin and water, no cornstarch to deal with. The snow peas barely got in touch with any heat, so they stayed bright green and with a little crunch that was perfect to add that extra something to the dish. A real keeper for a weeknight, there were only three little pieces of chicken left, which made for a super light lunch next day. But, at least I did not have to share…