Pork & Shrimp (Chow Gee Yok Har)
Submitted by chardonnay
Chow Gee Yok Har is a Chinese pork and shrimp stir-fry with Smithfield ham, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, peanuts, and ginkgo nuts in a hoisin-soy sauce.
YIELD
1 servingPREP
10 minCOOK
10 minREADY
50 minThis traditional Chinese stir-fry brings together pork fillet, fresh shrimp, and Smithfield ham in a savory hoisin and soy sauce glaze thickened with cornstarch. The ingredient list reads like a tour of a well-stocked Chinese pantry: dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, raw peanuts, and ginkgo nuts all go into the wok.
Everything gets cut into uniform ½-inch cubes. That consistent size matters because the stir-fry moves fast. Pork goes in first for two minutes, shrimp for one, then everything else joins the party. Total cook time from the moment oil hits the wok is under 10 minutes.
Soak the dried mushrooms for a full 30 minutes in warm water before cutting. They need time to rehydrate completely or they’ll be tough and chewy in the finished dish.
Kitchen Tips
- Get the oil screaming hot before adding the pork. A cool wok means steamed meat instead of seared, stir-fried meat.
- Mix the cornstarch slurry right before adding it. If it sits too long, the starch settles and you’ll pour in flavored water instead of thickener.
- Smithfield ham is salty and intensely flavored. A little goes a long way, so taste the sauce before adding extra salt.
- Have every ingredient prepped and within reach before you start cooking. Stir-frying waits for nobody.
Variations
- Swap ginkgo nuts for water chestnuts if ginkgo nuts are hard to find.
- Use chicken breast in place of pork for a lighter version.
- Add a splash of Shaoxing wine with the broth mixture for deeper flavor.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut pork and ham into ½-inch cubes.
Wash, shell, and devein shrimp; cut into ½-inch cubes (or as close to this as possible).
Soak mushrooms in warm water for 30 minutes; drain, remove stems, and cut into ½-inch cubes.
Cut bamboo shoots into ½-inch cubes. (If you are using diced canned shoots, use whatever size they come in.)
Combine broth, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and sugar.
In a separate cup, combine cornstarch and water.
In a skillet or wok, heat oil and salt until very hot.
Add pork and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add shrimp and stir-fry for 1 minute.
Add ham, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, peanuts and gingko nuts, and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
Add broth mixture, mix well, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 3 minutes.
Add cornstarch mixture, and cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute.
Comments
