Pork Belly with Bell peppers and Wood Ear Mushrooms

It’s our next recipe in the “Cooking with Grandma” series!

With only five ingredients, it’s amazing how good this is: Pork Belly with Bell Peppers and Woodear Mushrooms. But I think that has a lot to do with what Chinese cooking is: just a few simple ingredients and amazing results. Virtually the only prep you need to do is to soak the mushrooms. You can find them in any Chinese grocery store, labeled “wood ear mushrooms” or maybe “dried black fungus.”

Okay, we’re fully aware of how decidedly unappetizing that sounds, but these mushrooms are so good. They really give the dish a great texture and are great vehicles for absorbing all the flavor of the sauce and the meat. Another perk? They’re supposed to be really good for you. Just try it!

You’ll need:

• 1 pound pork belly, cut into half-inch slices
• 1 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in cold water for 2 hours and chopped roughly
• 1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
• scant ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water

The first step would be to add the pork pieces to a dry wok over medium high heat.

Sear the meat for a few minutes, until it’s golden brown.

Then add the bell pepper and stir-fry for a couple minutes.

Chop up your mushrooms…

Then add them to the pan along with the soy sauce. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes to marry all the flavors. Add ¼ cup water, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

Serve!

PORK BELLY WITH BELL PEPPERS AND WOOD EAR MUSHROOMS

 

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Cook time

20 mins

Total time

2 hours 20 mins

 

2 hour prep time reflects the time it takes to soak the mushrooms. Actual active prep is more like 5 minutes. Whoopee!!

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork belly, cut into half-inch slices
• 1 cup dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in cold water for 2 hours and chopped roughly
• 1 bell pepper, cut into chunks
• scant ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup water

Instructions

1. Sear pork in a dry wok over medium high heat until golden brown on all sides.
2. Then add the bell pepper and stir-fry for a couple minutes. Add the soy sauce and mushrooms. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes to marry all the flavors.
3. Add ¼ cup water, cover, and simmer for 5-10 minutes over medium heat. Stir one last time and serve!

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