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Twice-Cooked Pork

10 ounces boneless pork butt

6 ounces (8 leaves) Napa cabbage, cut into pieces 2 inches long and 1 ½ inches wide

Vegetable oil, for passing through

Sauce

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons hot bean paste

1 teaspoon cornstarch

2 scallions, white part only, trimmed and sliced diagonally into ½-inch pieces

1 leek, white part only, trimmed and cut into thin 1 ½-inch-long strips, well washed

3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced ⅛ inch thick

1 small hot fresh chili, such as Thai or serrano, seeds and ribs removed, cut into thin 1½-inch-long strips

2 teaspoons hot chili oil, optional

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the pork and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the pork is about 85 percent cooked (when sliced, it should have a pale pink center), about 15 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let it cool. Then cut it crosswise into ⅛-inch-thick slices, and cut the slices into pieces about 1 ½ inches long and 1 inch wide.

2. Return the saucepan of the pork-cooking water to high heat. Add 2 more cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the cabbage in a colander.

3. Heat a large wok over high heat. Add enough vegetable oil to come about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 300°F. Add the pork and stir gently until it is pale beige, about 20 seconds. Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the pork to a colander to drain. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the oil from the wok.

4. To begin the sauce, combine the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, vinegar, and hot bean paste in a small bowl, and set it aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tablespoon cold water, and set it aside.

5. Return the wok with the oil to high heat. Add the scallions, leek, garlic, and chili, and stir-fry for 20 seconds. Return the pork and cabbage to the wok, and add the hoisin sauce mixture and the cornstarch mixture. Stir-fry until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, about 20 seconds. Add the hot chili oil if using, and then the sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Vegetables

RESTAURANTS IN CHINA usually list as many vegetable dishes as meat dishes on their menu, and every Chinese meal includes at least one, if not two, vegetable dishes. Some Buddhists are vegetarian, but in China there are also many non-Buddhists who eat only vegetarian foods on the first and the fifteenth of the month in the spirit of healthful rejuvenation.

A visit to the produce section of your local Asian market will reveal many vegetables that are probably unfamiliar. Next to the recognizable bok choy, Napa cabbage, and snow peas, you will find purple-skinned taro root, leafy water spinach, flowery Chinese broccoli, wrinkled long beans, hairy melon, and the big, round winter melon. The recipes in this chapter use produce readily found both at Asian stores and in supermarkets.

COLD SALAD DISHES are not common in China. One of the most popular is the Hot and Sour Cabbage appetizer on page 58. This salad below is versatile as a side dish, salad, or appetizer, with its appealing mix of textures (crunchy, soft, and silky) and colors (red, green, yellow, and ivory). At some Chinese restaurants, Buddha’s Delight is a mix of stir-fried vegetables served hot, but I prefer this version. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Buddha’s Delight

1 ½ ounces (about 1 cup) baby bok choy or bok choy hearts

3 ounces (about ⅓ cup) bean sprouts, brown tips removed

Four ¼-inch-thick slices peeled lotus root (cut crosswise)

1 ½ ounces canned gingko nuts (about ¼ cup), drained

1 cup trimmed sugar snap peas

A scant ¼ cup dried tree ears, soaked in hot tap water until softened, drained, and each torn in half

¼ cup canned straw mushrooms, drained

¼ cup dried lily buds,