Four Sisters Food

This dish tastes much better if you use free range pork.

Serves 4

1 large or 2 small pork chops per person, rind on (works better if you use smaller, thinner chops)

1½ cups Panko bread crumbs

1½ tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves

About 3 tablespoons other chopped fresh herbs. Thyme and oregano work well in this dish

Salt and pepper to season crumbs

2 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 180° fan bake.

Mix together the chopped herbs, crumbs and seasoning in a shallow dish.  Put the milk in another shallow dish.

Line a large shallow baking dish with cooking paper.  The dish should be large enough to hold all the chops in a single layer.

Dip each chop in milk on both sides, then dip in the crumbs, pressing down to ensure crumbs stick to both sides.

Put the chops in the prepared baking dish, ensuring they don’t overlap.

Cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Remove the foil and increase the heat to 200° and bake uncovered for a further 15 – 20 minutes or until the chops are well browned.

Ingredients

2 pork fillets

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup soy sauce

Method

Butterfly the pork fillets.  Mix together the ingredients in a shallow glass dish and marinate the fillets for 30 minutes.  Remove the pork from the marinate and broil/grill in the oven or on a grill for about 20-30 minutes until just cooked.  Meanwhile pour the marinade into a small pan and boil for 1 minute.  Slice the pork and pour the marinade over.

Serves 6

Ingredients

250 g (9 oz) pork fillet or loin, trimmed of fat

¼ cup light soy sauce

¼ cup Shaoxing rice wine

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 teaspoons cornflour (cornstarch)

5 dried Chinese mushrooms

20 g (1 oz) dried black wood ear fungus

4 tablespoons oil

2 eggs, lightly beaten

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons ginger, finely chopped

1 leek, white part only, finely shredded

¼ small Cinese cabbage, stem and leafy sections separated and shredded

½ teaspoon sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup hoisin sauce

12 Mandarin pancakes

Method

Cut the pork across the grain into slices about 5mm (¼ in) thick, then cut into thin matchstick size shreds.  Place shreds into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the rice wine, the sesame oil and 1 teaspoon of the cornflour and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinade in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Soak the dried mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water.  Remove and discard stems and shred the caps.  Soak the fungus in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water.  Shred the fungus.

Heat a wok over high heat, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and heat until very hot.  Sirf-fry the port mixture for a couple of minutes until the meat is brown and cooked.  It may be necessary to do this in batches. Remove and set aside.  Rinse and dry the wok.

Reheat the wok over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until hot.  Add the eggs and stir fry to scramble, then move to one side of the wok.  Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat until very hot.  Stir fry the garlic, ginger, mushrooms and fungus for 30 seconds until fragrant.  Add the leek and stir fry for 2 minutes, then add the cabbage stems and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the leafy cabbage sections, and cook for a minute or until the vegetables are just tender.

Combine 1½ tablespoons of the soy sauce, the remaining rice wine and cornflour, the sugar, black pepper and the meat and add to the sauce and simmer until thickened.

Combine the hoisin sauce, the remaining soy sauce and 1½  tablespoons water in a small bowl.  Serve the pork with the pancakes and sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 kg pork spare ribs (use free range if possible)

Juice of 1 lemon (or more if you like lemon)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

½ cup finely chopped parsley

1 desert spoon brown sugar

2 cups tomato juice

Method

Cut the ribs into pieces of about 6 ribs each. Place in a non metallic flat dish.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the ribs. Cover and allow to marinade in the fridge for at least 3 hours and longer if possible. Turn ribs occasionally.

Barbecue slowly until the ribs are tender – about 40 minutes.

If it is raining, bake the ribs in a moderate (180 degrees C) oven for about 1 hour until tender.

Cut into individual ribs and serve.

Serves 4