Rule # 1 when cooking away from your home kitchen is to keep it simple. This tasty stir-fry featuring pork and bok choy fits the bill nicely.
I learned the first rule of cooking on the road the hard way. Cooking for people out of town that have heard of my foodie ways, I'd try to make fancy multi-course meals in an attempt to impress. But I'd wind up spending half the night muttering about dull knives and lack of suitable equipment in a kitchen not designed for serious cooking. Now, I go for meals that are easy to prepare but still very tasty, leaving time to visit with a smile on my face. Simple recipes like this will put a smile on your family's face, too, whether you make it on the road or in the midst of a busy week.
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 scallion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
For the Stir-Fry
5 small boneless pork chops—about 2 lbs of pork, cut crosswise into ½ inch slices
1 large sweet onion, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 summer squash sliced thin then cut into half circles.
1 large bunch bok choy, coarsely chopped (leafy greens and white stock)
1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil
Be sure to get everything cut up in advance of starting to stir-fry. The cooking process is fast and requires frequent stirring. As you start chopping, start cooking some rice to serve with the dish.
Make the sauce: combine all the sauce ingredients through the garlic, then set aside.
Get cooking: Put a wok or large skillet on high heat. Add oil, when good and hot, add the pork and stir until the outside of the meat is white, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Return the pan to the heat, still on high, then stir in the onions. Cook for a minute or two, then add the peppers, followed by the squash. Stir-fry for another 2 minutes, then gradually stir in the bok choy. Cook until the greens start to wilt, a minute or two. Now add the pork back in, lower heat to medium, stir in the sauce. Cover and simmer for about 3 minutes, until the pork is done--you want to get it off the heat when it's close to being white throughout, but not quite...i.e. don't overcook it.
When the dish is cooked, give the pork and bok choy a good final stir and serve over some brown rice or couscous. We actually served it over brown rice couscous, which I hadn’t seen before. A nice option for folks that can't eat wheat but want the light texture of couscous. The meal was healthy and tasty!
Wine Pairing: The wine selections are more limited when we are away from our local wine shop. So I keep my eye open for brands I like on the road. I was on a big Seaglass Sauvignon Blanc kick for awhile, so when I saw their Pinot Noir on the shelf I thought we'd give that a try. This is a nice light and simple pinot, and it worked pretty well with the dish.
Full disclosure: I've included my Amazon Associates link to the brown rice couscous. From time to time, I'll link to unique products I recommend that can be purchased there. I receive a modest percentage of the sales through such referral links.
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