A bottle of char siu sauce is a must-have for the modern cook. It's a Chinese barbecue sauce that adds instant flavour to stir-fries, and can also be used as a glaze for meat and chicken. Char siu sauce does wonders for burgers and meat loaves. Look for it in your supermarket where stir-fry sauces and Asian condiments are sold. If you can't find it, try using hoisin and oyster sauces, which give equally delicious results.
Nutrients per serving
25.1 g protein
3 g fat
17.4 g carbohydrates
4.1 g fibre
2.4 mg iron
78 mg calcium
191 calories
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 8 minutes
Makes 4 servings
1 pork tenderloin
1/4 cup (50 mL) bottled char siu sauce or 2 tbsp (30 mL) each hoisin and oyster sauce
2-1/2 tsp (12 mL) bottled chopped ginger or 1 tbsp (15 mL) grated fresh ginger
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) bottled chopped garlic or 2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp (5 mL) hot chili-garlic sauce
1/2 red onion
1 bunch broccoli or 2 cups (500 mL) frozen broccoli florets
1 yellow or red pepper
10 oz (284 mL) can water chestnuts, drained (optional)
Vegetable oil 1/3 cup
(75 mL) water
1/4 cup (50 mL) toasted almonds or cashews (optional)
1. Slice pork in half lengthwise, then slice each half into thin strips. Place in a large bowl. Add char siu sauce, ginger, garlic and chili-garlic sauce. Stir to coat. Place onion cut side down and slice into thin strips. Slice broccoli stalks from florets. Cut florets into bite-size pieces. Peel stalks and thinly slice. Core and seed pepper, then slice into thin strips. Drain and rinse water chestnuts.
2. Lightly coat a large frying pan or wok with oil and set over medium-high heat. When hot, add pork. Stir often just until no pink remains, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in onion, broccoli florets and stalks, pepper and water chestnuts. Stir in water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender-crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. If using frozen broccoli, you may have to cook an extra 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in nuts. Great over rice or noodles.