Key West Kitchen

Weekday Wok and Roll! Stir Fried Spicy Ginger Pork

By Kerry Shelby

My wok is one of my favorite pans to cook in, whether I’m making Asian food or just wilting a big bunch of greens. It’s roomy, easy to heat up and only needs a quick rinse under warm water to clean. Part of a wok’s appeal is its sheer simplicity. I have a carbon steel flat-bottomed wok by Helen Chen that has become well- seasoned over the years, and has attained a smooth, natural no-stick surface. I can scramble eggs, fry a small whole fish or steam a lobster in it, but mostly I use it for its traditional use: Stir frying.

The words “stir fry” may bring back memories from college when you threw whatever veggies were in the refrigerator into a pan with some ramen noodles and soy sauce. Actually, stir frying is an ancient tradition that has spread from its roots in China and other parts of Asia throughout the world as Asians relocated and took their traditions and their woks with them.

Cookbook author Grace Young’s beautiful book “Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge,” which won a James Beard award in 2011, offers a wide variety of stir fry recipes from Chinese cooks all over the world (graceyoung.com). These creations show just how adaptable stir frying can be and what a great vehicle it is for interpreting simple, local ingredients. It is also an efficient way to get dinner on the table after a long work day. I have been making this spicy ginger pork recipe from Food & Wine for years and still find it to be a perfect light, speedy dinner. It has just the right amount of seasonings and stays fresh and spicy served in crisp butter lettuce leaves.

Spicy Ginger Pork in Lettuce Leaves

Combine ¾ pounds ground pork with 1 small, diced red bell pepper, a minced garlic clove, 1 tablespoon of peeled, minced fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon of Thai sweet chili sauce (like Mae Ploy), 1 tablespoon of good fish sauce (I like Red Boat, an aged Vietnamese fish sauce), and a tablespoon of sesame oil in a medium bowl and gently mix to incorporate.

Heat a wok over high heat until just smoking. Add the pork mixture, spread out in the wok and let cook, without stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes until starting to brown, then stir fry until the pork is browned evenly all over, about 4 or 5 more minutes. Stir in 1 8-ounce can of water chestnuts (drained and diced), 2 thinly sliced scallions, 2 tablespoons oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro. Remove from heat.

Spoon the pork into small bowls. Divide the leaves from a washed head of butter lettuce and stack them on plates beside the bowls. Spoon some of the pork into the leaves, roll up and eat!

Serves 2 as a main course or 6 as a starter

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