东北一锅出
This is essentially the northeastern China equivalent of hot pot -- a whole bunch of stuff thrown together, and traditionally cooked in a single large metal pot. I had this for the first time when I visited Shenyang almost 13 years ago, and I absolutely loved it. It was so delicious. One particular feature about it was that there wasn't a pot lid -- the cover was made by a type of Chinese bread (I don't remember what exactly it was). Nowadays, I mostly see various breads stuck to the sides of the pot. I'm too lazy to actually make the breads (this is just for the stew itself). Anyways, as with hot pot there are very few rules for what ingredients to actually use -- just add whatever you have on hand. There are many traditional combinations, this pork + green beans + potato and chicken + mushroom are probably the most common. Super easy, comforting, and delicious -- definitely give it a try. Especially if you have leftover braised pork ribs, that makes this even easier.
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 35 min
Ingredients
> pork (ideally ribs, but anything is fine)
> potato (cut into ~1 inch cubes)
> flat green beans (cut into ~2 inch pieces)
> (optional) carrot (cut into ~1 inch cubes)
> (optional) corn (cut into thin slices)
> (optional) vermicelli noodles
> bay leaf (1)
> dried chili peppers
> Sichuan peppercorns
> star anise (1)
> garlic (3 cloves, lightly smashed)
> ginger (1 tsp, minced)
> scallions (1 stalk, chopped)
> soy sauce
> dark soy sauce
> oyster sauce
> msg
Instructions
1. If using ribs, braise the ribs first until mostly tender (it'll continue to cook for another ~20m or so, so it doesn't need to be cooked all the way).
2. In a sufficiently large pot / wok with plenty of oil, cook the pork over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for several minutes, or until nicely browned.
3. Add the dry spices and aromatics (bay leaf, dried chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorn, star anise, garlic, ginger, scallions), and stir-fry for another ~30 seconds.
4. Add the potato, green beans and carrot, and continue to stir fry for ~1m.
5. Add a soy sauce, oyster sauce, a little bit of dark soy sauce, corn, stir fry for a few seconds, then add water, enough to cover the vegetables but no more. Add the vermicelli noodles. Adjust for seasoning.
6. Bring up to a simmer, and simmer for ~15-20m, or until the green beans and potatoes are fully cooked.
7. Serve straight out of the pot, with some flatbreads on the side.
Notes/Tips:
> As I mentioned above, feel free to use anything and everything that cooks well in a stew, particularly more sturdy / starchy vegetables, noodles, etc. For this particular flavor profile, the only ingredients that are essential are pork, potato, and green beans -- everything else is optional. My favorite is vermicelli noodles (it absorbs the broth and tastes incredible)
> This is a great way to use leftover braised pork! You can use the rendered fat as the cooking fat, and you can re-use the braising liquid (just make sure to calibrate the amount of soy sauce / oyster sauce appropriately)
> The dark soy sauce is really just there to add color to the dish and make it look more visually appealing. Adding a little bit (somewhere around a tsp to a tbsp) is probably sufficient, but adjust as appropriate.
> This dish is pretty much infinitely scalable -- a great party dish!
> You'll definitely want to serve this with some kind of bread, to soak up the brothy goodness. The traditional ones are a kind of "hua juan" or a cornmeal-based flatbread, but realistically anything works.