Chinese Stir-Fried Greens and Bacon

Serves

4

Hardware

• Large wok

Ingredients

3	oz		Chinese bacon
1	Tblsp		peanut oil
1	Tblsp		sesame oil
9	cloves		garlic, sliced very thin
2	tsp		salt
2	lbs		greens
			soy sauce or tamari
			Shaoxing wine
			water

Procedure

1. Soak the bacon for at least six hours; remove the rind and chop.


2. Wash and prepare the greens as appropriate.


3. Cook the bacon until crispy; drain on paper towels; reserve 1 Tblsp of fat; if necessary, chop the bacon into small pieces.


4. Heat the bacon fat and oils; stir-fry the garlic and salt for 15 seconds.


5. Add the greens and stir-fry until wilted.


6. Add the bacon, a bit of soy sauce or tamari, and if needed some wine and/or water; continue to cook until the greens are cooked however much you like.

Notes

Chinese bacon is also known as air-cured bacon and/or lacquered bacon.

You can use pretty much any Asian green (bok choy, mustard greens, Chinese cabbage) or Napa cabbage, or even spinach.

I’ve given this recipe a difficulty rating of “moderate” only because cooking in a wok tends to move quickly and takes a bit of practice. If you’re comfortable using a wok then pretend the rating is “easy.”

Rating

Difficulty:		Moderate.
Time:		6 hours + 20 minutes.
Precision:		2.

Source

The Bacon Cookbook by James Villas.