Years ago, before Pei Ru left to study in the UK, she asked her grandmother for ‘survival’ recipes—basically, dishes she could make with next to zero cooking skills. One of those recipes her grandmother provided was this one—slick with fat and nostalgia, and absolutely forgiving in ingredient ratios. It’s quick to prepare for anyone with small kitchens and equally small budgets, yet tastes almost luxurious. Feel free to play around with the quantities to suit your palate, and serve with the carb of your choice.
Ketchup pork
by Pei RuYears ago, before Pei Ru left to study in the UK, she asked her grandmother for ‘survival’ recipes—basically, dishes she could make with next to zero cooking skills. One of those recipes her grandmother provided was this one—slick with fat and nostalgia, and absolutely forgiving in ingredient ratios. It’s quick to prepare for anyone with small kitchens and equally small budgets, yet tastes almost luxurious. Feel free to play around with the quantities to suit your palate, and serve with the carb of your choice.
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Servings: 4
Prep time: Quick
Ingredients
200g pork shoulder or pork chops, sliced into 2″ pieces
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp sugar
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds
Directions
- Place the pork shoulder pieces into a bowl along with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper, and cornstarch. Mix and massage thoroughly, then let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the marinated pork pieces to the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Turn off the flame. Pour in the ketchup and stir, making sure to scrape any browned bits off the pan to combine into a thick sauce.
- Remove the pork pieces from the pan and pour over the ketchup mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the dish. Serve warm.
Tips
- This recipe is extremely flexible. Use more or less of any ingredient, swap out the black pepper for white pepper, or add a touch of dark soy if you wish. What you’re looking for is just-cooked pork smothered in a sticky tangy sauce.
- If pork isn’t your thing, you can swap it out with chicken chop cuts—essentially chicken drumsticks with the large central bones removed.
Ingredients
200g pork shoulder or pork chops, sliced into 2″ pieces
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
½ tbsp sugar
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
½ tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp cooking oil
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp roasted white sesame seeds
Directions
- Place the pork shoulder pieces into a bowl along with light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, black pepper, and cornstarch. Mix and massage thoroughly, then let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat cooking oil over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the marinated pork pieces to the pan. Fry for about 2 minutes on one side, then flip and fry for another 2 minutes.
- Turn off the flame. Pour in the ketchup and stir, making sure to scrape any browned bits off the pan to combine into a thick sauce.
- Remove the pork pieces from the pan and pour over the ketchup mixture. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the dish. Serve warm.
Tips
- This recipe is extremely flexible. Use more or less of any ingredient, swap out the black pepper for white pepper, or add a touch of dark soy if you wish. What you’re looking for is just-cooked pork smothered in a sticky tangy sauce.
- If pork isn’t your thing, you can swap it out with chicken chop cuts—essentially chicken drumsticks with the large central bones removed.
