Some of my favorite dishes discovered during my travels in Asia would have to be those prepared using hoisin sauce. This thick, dark, fragrant, pungent condiment is commonly found in Cantonese cooking. Probably the best known uses are mu shu dishes and Peking duck, however hoisin is actually considered a dipping sauce. The word hoisin is a romanization of the Chinese word for seafood “海鮮” as pronounced in Cantonese.
Canton or Guangzhou is located in the southern part of China and was designed following principles of Feng Shui. The traditional theory about geography played a key role in the building laws in ancient China. Cities were to be located with mountains behind them or to the north, and facing flowing water to the south.
The Cantonese language originated in this area and is viewed as part of the cultural identity for the native speakers widely across southern China, Hong Kong and Macau. It is also spoken by overseas Chinese communities in Southeast Asia (Singapore and Christmas Island), the United States, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Cuba, Panama, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as parts of Europe. While Cantonese and Mandarin share much vocabulary, the most notable difference between the two is how the spoken word is written. Mandarin, meaning “speech of officials” is a northern dialect found in the capital of Beijing or Peking. Even though Cantonese is the most widely spoken dialect in the world, Mandarin (simplified Chinese) has become popular with recent generations due to the lack of variations in dialect and is now considered the official language of the People’s Republic of China.
A delicious Asian dish with the deep flavor of Hoisin and a little heat.
- 1 lb pork tenderloin cut cross-grain into 1/4-inch-thick strips
- 3 Tbs hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbs char siu sauce
- 1 Tbs red chili bean curd
- 1 Tbs soy sauce
- 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
- 3 Tbs canola or peanut oil
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 6 cups napa cabbage chopped cross grain into 1 inch strips
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 medium carrot cut into matchstick size pieces
- 2 jalapeno peppers cored and slivered into strips
- ¼ cup thinly sliced scallion greens
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Place the pieces of pork in a large bowl. Add about a teaspoon of oil and a pinch of salt. Mix well to completely coat the pork with oil.
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In a small bowl, mix the hoisin, char siu, chili bean curd, soy, and vinegar.
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Heat 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering.
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Add the pork and cook, stirring, until lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
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Add 2 Tablespoons oil to the skillet. Add the garlic and ginger and stir, when it begins to sizzle, add the cabbage, onion, carrot and pepper. Cook while stirring until the cabbage starts to wilt, about 2 minutes.
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Add the hoisin mixture, pork, and half of the chives, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute.
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Remove from heat and let rest for about 2 minutes. Toss well before serving.
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Sprinkle with the remaining chives and garnish with fresh cilantro.
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Serve with rice noodle or rice.
When preparing any type of stir fry dish, it is important to have your “mise en place”. Have all your ingredients chopped, prepared, and ready to add to the hot pan.
A hand carved stamp that I collected on a visit to Asia.
