You will be surprised to learn that the texture of potatoes when quickly stir fried is so unique and different from the cooked potatoes you know. Pork and potato stir fry turns the potatoes into something totally different from the usual dishes like baked potatoes, potato salads and mashed potatoes. And it is so quick to make and delicious.
- 150-200g (0.3-0.4lb) pork (note 1)
- 2 medium size potatoes (note 2)
- 2 shallots (scallions)
- 2.5cm (1”) cube ginger
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 1/3 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
- 2 tsp water
- Salt to adjust flavour
- ½ tsp sesame oil
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Peel and slice the potatoes into 3 mm (1/8”) thick disks. With a few disks together at a time, cut them into 3 mm (1/8”) matchsticks and leave them in a bowl of water while preparing other ingredients. It is important to make the thickness of the matchsticks consistent.
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Thinly slice pork 5 mm (1/4”) thick, then cut the slices into 3mm (1/8”) wide strips.
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Finely slice shallots diagonally into similar lengths to the potatoes. Put aside several slices of shallots for garnish (optional). Julienne ginger finely.
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Boil 1 - 1.5L (0.26 - 0.4gal) of water in a kettle. Place potato sticks in a large colander and pour the boiled water over them, occasionally shaking the colander to ensure that all the potato sticks are blanched. Drain well. (note 3)
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Add oil to a large frypan or a wok and heat over high heat. Add ginger and sauté for about 30 seconds.
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Add pork, then add soy sauce. Stir fry until the colour of the pork changes. Reduce heat to low and add sake and water, and stir until the pork is cooked through – about 1 - 2 minutes.
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Add potatoes and stir to coat the potatoes with sauce.
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Once potatoes are coated with sauce, add shallots and stir for 30 seconds or so then turn the heat off.
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Adjust the flavour with salt if required. Sprinkle sesame oil over the stir fry and lightly mix.
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Serve immediately.
1. You could use sliced pork belly if available. This will save your time. You could also use other cuts of pork meat except stewing meat. If the meat is lean, you may want to increase the oil by ½ tablespoon.
You could also use beef instead of pork.
2. My potato was 385g (0.8lb) in total. You could use 1 large or 3 small potatoes that weigh about 400g (14.1oz). But bear in mind that you would want to make matchsticks of about 4 - 5cm (1½” – 2”) length.
3. Other method of blanching: Boil water enough to cover the potato matchsticks in a saucepan. Turn off the heat and add the potato matchsticks into the saucepan for 10-15 second, then drain well using colander.