This Pork and Celery Stir-Fry is easy to make and full of great flavors and textures. It's a classic dish served in Sichuanese households. Eat it with plain white rice for an easy weeknight meal!
Can't get enough of Szechuan Recipes? Try my Szechuan Prawns next!
๐จ๐ณ About This Recipe
This Pork and celery Stir-Fry is a classic Sichuanese dish. My mom used to make it all the time! It's got a spicy and salty taste and a wonderful fragrance from ginger and chili bean sauce.
Chili bean sauce is one of the most essential ingredients in Sichuanese kitchen. It's made from fermented broad beans, chilies, salt, and wheat flour. It has a rich and savory flavor with a hint of salt and earthiness.
In China, they typically use Chinese celery for this dish, which is thinner and more aromatic than Western celery, but feel free to use what you have on hand.
๐ง Ingredients
- Pork: Use pork shoulder, pork loin, or pork tenderloin; these are fantastic for stir-fries when cut into thin strips.
- Marinade: Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, and salt. These are pretty standard for stir-fry marinades. They will give flavor to the meat and provide a thin, protective coating to keep it juicier.
- Celery: Chopped into ยฝ-inch chunks.
- Ginger: This is the only aromatic you need. It really complements the pork well.
- Chili Bean Sauce: I recommend the Lee Kum Kee brand, which is available at most Asian grocery stores. There isn't a great substitute for this, so I recommend you buy a jar.
- Other seasonings: Soy sauce and Chinkiang vinegar (Chinese black vinegar). The vinegar is really important for livening up the dish.
- Sichuan Pepper: This spice isn't spicy in flavor but adds a numbing and tingly sensation on the tongue.
โญ Tips For Success
- Slicing Pork: First, youโll need to slice your meat thinly and across the grain if possible. If you look closely, you'll notice that your meat has faint lines running in one direction, similar to the grain on a piece of wood. You should slice across the grain rather than with it for the tenderest meat.
- Let the meat marinate for at least 30 minutes. This allows the marinade to tenderize and flavor the pork.
- Temperature Control: We'll use high heat for most of the stir-fry but switch to low heat when working with the chili bean sauce. Chili bean sauce can easily burn if the heat is too high.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: In a bowl, combine the thinly sliced pork, Shaoxing wine, oil, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
STEP 2: Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then arrange the pork in a single layer. Cook until the bottom turns golden brown. Flip the pork, stir-frying until it's no longer pink on the outside. Remove to a plate and set aside.
STEP 3: Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, and add chile bean sauce and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the oil turns red and fragrant.
STEP 4: Increase the heat to high, add celery and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute until the celery is warmed up. Add back the pork, add soy sauce, and Chinkiang vinegar. Stir-fry for an additional minute. Serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.
The stir-fry keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
๐ Recipe
Sichuan Pork & Celery Stir-Fry
Ingredients
Marinade
- 300 g pork shoulder or loin (cut into thin strips)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil (like canola, vegetable, or corn)
- ยฝ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Stir-Fry
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil (divided)
- 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (chili bean sauce)
- 1 tablespoon ginger (minced)
- 300 g celery (chopped, about 5-6 sticks)
- ยผ teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- ยฝ teaspoon chinkiang vinegar (or rice vinegar)
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine pork, Shaoxing wine, oil, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- Heat your wok over high heat until smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, then arrange the pork in a single layer. Cook until the bottom turns golden brown. Flip the pork, stir-frying until it's no longer pink on the outside. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the remaining two tablespoons of oil, chile bean sauce, and ginger. Stir-fry for 2 minutes until the oil turns red and fragrant.
- Increase the heat to high, add celery and Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry for 1 minute until the celery is warmed up. Add the cooked pork, soy sauce, and Chinkiang vinegar. Stir-fry for an additional minute. Serve immediately with freshly steamed rice.
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