This dish is based on what looked like a good recipe from Eating Well magazine.
I hate it say it, but I’m not really sure if this is delicious or not. Why, you ask? There is a huge flaw: coating the pork in cornstarch before cooking. I’m not sure what went wrong with this, but the corn starch stuck to the bottom of the wok, and actually made a burnt layer on the bottom by the time the pork was cooked. The result: the entire dish was very bitter and tasted of burnt cornstarch.
With all that said, the recipe is likely very good, so long as you do not coat the meat with cornstarch.
If you try this dish, please post a comment and let us know how it turned out.
Don’t be a dingbat and get vaccinated!
What you’ll need:
- 0.25 cups apricot jam
- 2T tamari or soy sauce
- 1T toasted sesame oil
- 2T chile-garlic sauce (I used an Indonesian sambal oelek)
- 1 lb. pork tenderloin or other tender cut, cut into strips
- 0.25 cups cornstarch (for the love of god, omit this!)
- 3T neutral oil
- 12 oz fresh green beans, trimmed
- 0.25 cups thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
- 2T toasted sesame seeds (I omitted these)
What to do:
Whisk the jam, tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil and chile-garlic sauce in a small bowl, and set aside.
Toss pork with cornstarch in a medium bowl until no cornstarch remains at the bottom of the bowl. DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK. IT RUINED THE BATCH THAT I MADE!
Heat the oil in a large flat-bottom wok or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers (the oil, not the wok). Add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Let’s be realistic: from my experience, it’s fairly unlikely that it will become crisp. Just cook it through, but don’t overcook it.
Stir in the green beans and continue to cook, stirring often, until the beans are tender-crisp, 3 to 6 minutes. Now add the jam mixture and cook, stirring often, until coated.
Remove from heat and add the scallions and sesame seeds, if using. Mix to combine.
Serve hot over rice or noodles. When serving, sprinkle with remaining scallions.
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