Stir-Frying · FFET10245
Qing jiao rou si (shredded pork with green pepper)
Qing jiao rou si is an everyday stir-fry of shredded pork and green pepper, and beef shreds are also used.
A round white porcelain plate holds a pile of thin, pale brown pork loin shreds mixed with slender green pepper strips, all coated in a thin layer of glossy light brown sauce, with wooden chopsticks resting beside the plate.
Cooking small pieces in a little oil over high heat, tossed quickly in the wok.
Qing jiao rou si is pork cut into thin shreds and stir-fried quickly with shredded green pepper, seasoned with soy sauce and the like; beef shreds are also used. Its possible origins are Sichuan and Fujian, and it can be classed under either cuisine; the available material does not settle which origin is correct.
What
Qing jiao rou si is pork, or sometimes beef, cut into thin shreds and stir-fried quickly with shredded fresh green pepper, seasoned with soy sauce and the like.1,2,3
Where
The dish has two possible origins, Sichuan or Fujian, and can be classed under either cuisine. One account favoring Fujian notes insufficient citations, and the underlying sources were not consulted, so this entry does not decide which account is right.1,2
How
Shred the pork, marinate it in soy sauce, cooking wine and cornstarch, and fry it quickly; add the green pepper for a short stir-fry so that it stays crisp.3
Why
It is an everyday dish on Chinese tables, with a place comparable to that of tomato with egg.3
Impact and influence
Pepper steak traces its roots to qing jiao rou si from Fujian cooking; a restaurant-style version with beef, colored bell pepper and onion is a beef adaptation of the dish.2,4
No tale about this food has been found.
Grandma Li
This is a simplified home version, not the traditional restaurant method.
This is the simpler way I make it at home, the everyday pork version. The weight of pork and the marinating time follow a recipe by a named cook on a food blog; the other amounts are my own choices at home. I also read a second signed recipe, a restaurant-style adaptation with beef, bell pepper and onion that is not the home dish with shredded pork, so I used it only for comparison and did not follow it.
Ingredients
- Pork loin 200 g, cut into thin shreds
- Green peppers 3 (about 250 g), stemmed, seeded and cut into thin shreds
- Light soy sauce, for the marinade 15 ml
- Cooking wine, for the marinade 15 ml
- Cornstarch, for the marinade 1 teaspoon (about 3 g)
- Cooking oil 20 ml
- Salt a quarter teaspoon
- Sugar half a teaspoon (about 2 g)
- White pepper a small pinch
Steps
- Cut the pork into thin shreds, mix in 15 ml light soy sauce, 15 ml cooking wine and 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and leave it for about 15 minutes.
- Cut the green peppers to about the same thickness as the pork, so that the two cook evenly.
- Heat the wok, add the oil, turn the heat to medium-high, and stir-fry the pork quickly, separating the shreds. It is done only when all of it has turned white with no pink left; break open the thicker shred to check.
- Add the green pepper and toss until its color deepens and it is still crisp to the bite. Stir in the salt, sugar and white pepper, and serve at once.
Tips
- I add the green pepper late and toss it only until the color changes so that it stays crisp; this is my own way.
- I cut the pork and the pepper to the same thickness; at home this way both finish at about the same time and are easy to pick up.
Allergens: soy, wheat