Taiwanese Minced Pork Rice 1

Taiwanese minced pork rice is a classic Taiwan dish. Depends on personal tastes and regions, there are a few varieties. Some use pork belly instead of minced pork; some add shiitake mushroom; some use eggs; some serve with noodles. But the main ingredients are always pork, shallot, and soy sauce.

When I first came to the US, I have met a few friends from Taiwan. We had Taiwanese food quite often. There were two things that I liked the most. One was this minced pork rice and the other was pig’s blood cake. The pig’s blood cake may sounds scary. It is black in color. It is definitely weird, but it has great texture and tastes delicious. Ever since those Taiwanese friends went back to Taiwan, I rarely go to Taiwanese restaurants any more. But every now and then, I still dream about those comforting flavors of that minced pork rice.

This recipe is from the blog Taiwan Duck. The blog features many authentic Taiwanese recipes. I am glad to find this minced pork rice. I made a few adjust, like adding shiitake mushrooms and making my own fried shallots. The dish was savory and tasty. The pork and mushroom absorbed all those wonderful flavors from the broth. The eggs were also cooked in the broth for a while and they picked up the beautiful brown color on the outside. This is an easy dish that everyone will love!

Taiwanese Minced Pork Rice2

Taiwanese Minced Pork Rice (Adapted from Serious Eats & Taiwan Duck)

3 – 4 servings

Ingredients:

–   1 pound lean ground pork

–   1 garlic clove (minced)

–   7 – 9 dried shiitake mushrooms

–   1 small piece rock sugar (about ½-inch diameter)

–   1 star anise

–   ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

–   4 tablespoons soy sauce

–   1½ tablespoon dark soy sauce

–   ¾ cup crispy fried shallot (recipe follow)

–   1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or sake

–   1½ – 2 cups water

–   3 – 4 hard-boiled eggs (peeled) (optional)

–   4 cups hot cooked rice

–   2 green onions (finely chopped) (optional)

Crispy fried shallot:

–   1½ cup vegetable oil

–   1½ cup shallot (thinly sliced)

Directions:

  1. For the dried mushrooms, rinse them under cold water to clean, and soak them in tap water for at least 5 – 6 hours until the mushrooms are soft. If you want, you can soak them overnight. Pat them dry with paper towels. Remove and discard stems. Cut the mushrooms into ¼-inch dices and set aside.
  2. Line a small baking sheet or paper plate with paper towels. Set aside.
  3. For the shallot, in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, add the oil and heat until 325˚F (163˚C). Divide the shallots into 2 batches. Add 1 batch in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 – 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a slotted spoon. Adjust the heat if needed. Transfer the fried shallots to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the 2nd batch of shallots. Let the fried shallot cool to room temperature. Reserve 1 tablespoon oil for cooking. Reserve the rest of the oil for other use or discard.
  4. In a small bowl, combine the Chinese five-spice powder, soy sauce, dark soy sauce and wine. Set aside.
  5. In a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat, add the 1 tablespoon reserved oil. Add the ground pork and stir until cook through. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add rock sugar, star anise and the bowl of soy sauce mixture. Stir to mix. Add fried shallot and toss everything together. Add enough water (1½ – 2 cups) to almost completely cover the meat mixture. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the hard-boiled eggs if using. Cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes, turning the eggs every once a while.
  6. Place hot rice into bowls. Scoop some minced pork over the rice. Slice eggs in half and place in the bowls. Top with green onion and serve.

Tips:

  1. If you want to save time, you can buy crispy fried shallots from Asian supermarkets instead of making your own. Use about ¾ cup of fried shallots.
  2. The rock sugar can be substitute with regular sugar.
  3. You can substitute the rice with noodles.
  4. If the sauce was too runny, remove the cover for the last 5 minutes of cooking and let it reduce. If the sauce was too thick, add more water.
  5. This makes great leftover for the next day.

Source: Read & Read