I discovered something wonderful last week. I needed a quick dinner, wanted to use the Amaltheia ground pork I had thawed, didn’t have fresh chiles, and was too tired to fuss with fresh garlic. I looked in the refrigerator and saw the “rooster chili-garlic sauce” with the green lid and decided to give it a go. I used my original “Garlic-Chile Ground Pork for Rice Bowls” recipe as a starting point (adapted from Bryant Ng’s recipe published in the July 2017 Bon Appétit), guessed on the amounts and sprinkled in some dried chile flake for good measure. It turned out better than the original. So this is The Recipe for “Pork Rice Bowls” from now on.
This is the sauce I’m talking about, so when you see it at the grocery, buy it. You can use it in all sorts of things where you want “hot and spicy” with a little garlic. Use whatever red chili flakes you have, either the red ones you shake on pizza or something fancier like this Aleppo, which is quite wonderful (sold at Joe’s Parkway here in Bozeman).
Chile-Garlic Pork
adapted from Bryant Ng's original "Garlic-Chile Ground Pork" published in Bon Appétit
(double the recipe if you're feeding a teenaged boy)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil or other cooking oil
- 1 shallot, peeled and thinly sliced (pole to pole)
- 1 pound ground pork Amaltheia or John Smith Ranch if you're in Bozeman
- 2 tbsp chili-garlic sauce Huy Fong, "rooster" brand
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce Pearl River Bridge
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce (optional) Zhongba
- 1 tbsp fish sauce Red Boat or Tiparos
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine (optional)
- 1 tsp dried chile flake Aleppo or any other kind
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth Swanson (use 14.5 oz. can and a little water to make 2 cups if you are doubling the recipe)
For serving: rice, asparagus or sautéed greens, avocado, sriracha or extra chile flake
Instructions
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In a large skillet, heat the olive oil then add the sliced shallot. Cook until shallot is translucent, about 4 minutes.
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Add the pork and cook until browned, breaking up with a wooden spoon or spatula to crumble. Stir in the chili-garlic sauce, soy sauces, fish sauce, Shaoxing wine, chile flake, and sugar. Continue to cook a couple minutes.
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Pour in the chicken broth, bring to boil, then lower heat to maintain a slow simmer. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid mostly evaporates, about 15 minutes. Serve as a topping for rice bowls with avocado and asparagus or any greens you like.
