Let’s talk about pork, have you ever experienced those days where you craved some type of food but weren’t sure what and then you see this beautiful cut of meat sitting in front of you and you go hmm…what to do with this? Well beautiful people you aren’t alone! It is one of those days that gives us the opportunity to experiment and discover new flavours.
Before we head to the recipe here’s a question, have you ever wonder what to do with those lemongrass if you happen to grow it? Let me tell you what. I came from a background where lemongrass is used in most of the family’s cooking, so exploring new flavours with lemongrass is one of my passions. Lemongrass isn’t just this stringy grass that people use for tea but also a herb that plays a large role in flavouring many different types of meat dishes. It also has a lot of good health benefits. See my blog for details about lemongrass and how to grow it.
Ingredients
- 500g pork shoulder, 1cm thick sliced
- 2 Spring onion, chopped
Paste
- 1 lemongrass, 2 cm cut
- 1 habanero chili, chopped (optional)
- 1 thumb sized ginger
- 3 kaffir lime leaves (dry or fresh)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tomato, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp paprika
Seasonings
- 1/2 tsp grounded cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 5 tbsp oil
Method
Blend all ingredients to make a herb paste.
Marinate the pork with 3 tbsp of the herb paste, salt, sugar, soy sauce, chilli flakes and cinnamon. Massage with your hand until well combined and the seasonings dissolve. Set a side to marinate for 15 minutes.
In a non stick pan/wok heat the oil over medium high heat. Stir in the paste and cook until the paste starts to fragrant, continue to cook the paste for further 5 minutes or until the excess liquid from the paste becomes somewhat dry. Stir in the marinated pork and cook until the pork pieces become completely white and the pork releases excess liquid.
Cover with a lid and leave to cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes remove the lid from the pan and continue to cook for further 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook until the sauce becomes dry and the pork becomes fully coated with the dry sauce. Transfer onto a serving plate and sprinkle chopped spring onion on top to serve. Serve with steamed rice.