Shredded Pork with Yu Shon Sauce
Submitted by CaptPierre
Sichuan shredded pork in yu shon (fish-fragrant) sauce with wood ear mushrooms, water chestnuts, and hot bean paste. A spicy-sweet-sour stir-fry that hits every flavor note.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
25 minREADY
1 hrsYu shon sauce literally translates to “fish-fragrant” sauce, but here’s the twist: there’s no fish in it. The name comes from a Sichuan seasoning combination originally used for fish dishes that works brilliantly with pork.
Thin-sliced boneless pork gets a quick coat of soy sauce, cornstarch, and egg before hitting the wok alongside crunchy water chestnuts and chewy wood ear mushrooms.
The sauce brings the signature Sichuan balance: hot bean paste for heat, sugar for sweetness, vinegar for tang, and garlic and ginger tying it all together. A drizzle of sesame oil at the end seals the deal.
Pro Tips
- Soak the wood ears for a full 30 minutes. They need time to soften completely and should be rinsed well to remove any grit.
- Drain the oil properly. After the first stir-fry, pour everything through a strainer. You only want a tablespoon or two of oil back in the wok for the sauce stage.
- Don’t overcook the pork. Pull it from the wok as soon as it changes color. It finishes cooking when it goes back in with the sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Soak wood ears in warm water until softened, about ½ hour. Rinse well, then shred.
Cut pork in paper-thin slices and shred. Crush water chestnuts with heavy cleaver and shred.
Combine pork, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, cornstarch and egg and mix well.
Meat mixture should be moist. If needed, add a little of cornstarch- water solution.
Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, garlic, ginger, sugar, broth and vinegar.
Heat oil in wok or large skillet.
Add pork mixture, wood ears and water chestnuts and cook, stirring gently, just until meat changes color.
Immediately pour meat and vegetables into large strainer set in bowl to drain off oil.
Return 1 to 2 tablespoons oil to pan.
Mix hot bean paste with oil in pan. Add meat mixture and stir-fry.
Add soy sauce mixture and continue cooking. Stir in green onion.
Add remaining cornstarch solution and stir. Mix in sesame oil and turn out on serving plate.
Comments
