
I’m grateful to Pan Suefen for sharing this recipe, which calls for a “reverse” stir-fry technique, in which the vegetables are cooked before the meat. It tends to be forgiving for a novice stir-fryer, since vegetables release water as they cook and won’t stick the way that meat will if the wok isn’t quite hot enough. This stir-fry also illustrates the importance of the knife in stir-fry cooking. I slice the leeks the way Suefen showed me, on the diagonal, to increase the surface area exposed to the wok; that way, they wilt and release their fragrance faster. And I slice the pork thinly so that it will brown quickly before it loses its moisture. (See Blade-Ready, for tips on slicing meat for stir-frying.)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 oz. boneless pork butt, frozen for 20 minutes and cut into 2" x ⅛" strips
- 1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 1⁄2 tsp. cornstarch
- 1⁄4 tsp. sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, cut diagonally into ¼"-thick slices