Oh Boy- Bok Choi!

Filetto di Maiale con Salsa di Ostriche, Miele e Pepe con Bok Choi

Oyster Sauce, Honey and Pepper Pork with Bok Choi

Yes and locally grown in Frankfurt too! That's right! And how lucky am I? One of my favorite stands at our indoor market grows a small but wonderful selection of produce- Asian greens and eggplants right here on my own doorstep!

This Saturday, these beautiful, green baby bok-choi's caught my eye, and were practically given to me by the lovely owner- it is so nice getting to know and be friendly with the vendors! So my thanks to you for this lovely meal!

This was a surprisingly simple dish to put together- one saucepan, one steam-rack, one frying pan and one helluva tasty meal! To make it, I started off by boiling the rice, as usual- with 2 parts water to 1 part rice. I let it bubble away for 5 minutes, then set the steam rack down on top of it and added the bok choi, which I seasoned with a light soy sauce and drizzled with a little sesame oil. I set the lid on top and continued boiling the rice for a further 5 minutes. After 10 minutes cooking time, I turned off the heat, stirred the rice, popped the bok choi back on top, closed the lid and let it finish steaming all by itself in the residual heat from the pan- and keeping the greens warm and moist at the same time!

And in the meantime, I got on with the pork- which in this case was 2 small slices of tenderloin. I sautéed it in a little peanut oil, with a few slices of garlic, a little crushed ginger and some diced red pepper. I seasoned it with a little light soy and a teaspoon of Sambal- you can use any kind of chili paste or sauce- or failing that, even powder. I then added a couple of tablespoons of oyster sauce and a sprinkle, about half a teaspoon, of 5-spice powder. I stirred this quickly and added a finely chopped Spring onion, a splash of water to deglaze the pan, and a tablespoon or two of honey. There was no need for cornstarch or anything like that to thicken the sauce- everything reduced nicely together. It is better to add the water little by little rather than to thin it down too much, but a cupful is soon reduced and boiled away and brings up all of the flavors from the bottom of the saucepan and adds the moisture you need to make everything nice and juicy.

By the time the pork is tender and spicy and glazed (around 5-6 minutes), the rice should be good and ready to go and the bok choi lovely and sweet and tender! All you need is maybe a little additional soy sauce for the rice- and a healthy appetite! because I know you are going to want to eat this all up! I hope you do! And I hope you enjoy!