Neil Perry's stir-fried pork with snowpeas and XO sauce

Name: Neil Perry's stir-fried pork with snowpeas and XO sauce
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 as a shared meal
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3 tbsp XO sauce; few drops sesame oil; 1½ tsp hot bean paste; ¼ tsp chilli oil; 1 tbsp sugar; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 300g pork fillet, cut in 5mm slices across the grain; 1 garlic clove, finely sliced; 3 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths; 1 small knob ginger, peeled and finely sliced; 1 cup snowpeas, topped and tailed; 1 tbsp shao hsing wine

Neil Perry

May 10, 2021

You can use store-bought XO sauce for this stir-fry if you're short on time.William Meppem

Time:1-2 hoursServes:4 as a shared meal

This simple, tasty stir-fry works wonderfully with pork, beef, chicken or prawns and virtually any vegetable. It's a good idea to make more of the XO sauce than you'll need. Once you've decanted it into an airtight container – making sure all of its components are submerged in the oil – it will keep in the fridge for a good month. If you're short on time, buy one of the many on the market (I like Lee Kum Kee).

Ingredients

3 tbsp XO sauce
few drops sesame oil
1½ tsp hot bean paste
¼ tsp chilli oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
300g pork fillet, cut in 5mm slices across the grain
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
3 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
1 small knob ginger, peeled and finely sliced
1 cup snowpeas, topped and tailed
1 tbsp shao hsing wine

For the XO sauce

4 dried scallops, soaked in warm water for 2 hours, drained
50g dried shrimp, soaked in warm water for 2 hours, drained
200g long red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50g ginger, peeled and finely chopped
50g garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp sea salt
2 tsp sugar
300ml vegetable oil
3 spring onions, finely sliced

Method

1. For the XO sauce, put soaked scallops on a plate and place plate in a bamboo steamer over a saucepan of rapidly boiling water. Cover and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the scallops from the steamer and, while still warm, shred with your fingers, separating all the fibres.
2. Pound the shrimp until finely ground using a mortar and pestle.
3. Put all of the XO sauce ingredients, except for the shallot, in a large, heavy-based pot and cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes or until they soften and the sauce turns a deep red. Remove from heat and allow to cool, then stir through the shallot.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the XO sauce, sesame oil, hot bean paste, chilli oil, sugar and soy sauce.
5. Heat a wok until just smoking. Add the oil and when hot, stir-fry the pork in batches until it's browned.
6. Return all the pork to the wok, adding the garlic, shallot, ginger and snowpeas, and stir-fry until fragrant. Finally, deglaze the wok with the shao hsing wine, then add the XO sauce mixture and stir-fry for a couple of minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens slightly. Serve with steamed rice and Asian greens.
Find more of Neil Perry's recipes in the Good Food New Classics cookbook.
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