Fish-flavored Shredded Pork(鱼香肉丝, Yu Xiang Rou Si)

Fish-flavored Shredded Pork is a famous Sichuan dish known for its spicy, salty, savory, and sour flavors, along with a strong aroma of scallions, ginger, and garlic. Contrary to its name, the "fish-flavored" taste is achieved without using any fish; instead, it originated from a unique seasoning method for cooking fish in Sichuan cuisine, which has now been widely adopted in various Sichuan-style dishes.

8 Reviews
8 Comments
POSTED:27/05/2024
Level:Easy
Yield:1-2 servings
Total:40 min
(includes chilling time)
Active:30 min

Fish-flavored Shredded Pork requires meticulous ingredient selection to achieve its characteristic red color and rich fish-flavored taste. It offers a delightful combination of salty-savory, sour, and spicy flavors, with the shredded pork boasting a tender and smooth texture. While this dish may appear complex, it's quite manageable to make at home with attention to a few key techniques.

First, ingredient selection is crucial:

Pork:

Choose pork tenderloin for its tender texture. When slicing the pork into strips, cut along the grain to prevent the strips from breaking apart.

Sichuan Pickled Chili Peppers:

Before cooking, finely chop the pickled chili peppers to ensure a vibrant red oil when stir-frying. You can purchase Sichuan pickled chili peppers at Asian food markets or certain specialty stores.

Bamboo Shoots:

After slicing the bamboo shoots, blanch them in boiling water for two minutes to remove oxalic acid. If you prefer a more convenient option, you can buy pre-packaged bamboo shoots. However, remember to wash away the white calcium deposits from the bamboo shoot core, eliminating the need for blanching.

Black Fungus:

Soak the black fungus in cold water. After soaking for 3-4 hours, the water slowly penetrates the fungus, causing it to become semi-transparent, indicating it's ready. 

If you're short on time, you can use starch to expedite the soaking process:

Place the black fungus in a container, add warm (not hot) water—just enough to cover about 2/3 of the container, ensuring the dry fungus doesn't exceed one-third of the container's volume to allow room for expansion. Add 2 tablespoons of starch to the water, mix well, and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Secondly, timing and heat are crucial:

Stir-frying Fish-flavored Shredded Pork requires high heat and quick cooking. The flame should be strong, and the wok should be adequately preheated to ensure the dish turns out flavorful.

Thirdly, proportions matter:

The finished dish of Fish-flavored Shredded Pork should have a glossy appearance from the oil but not appear soupy, so it's essential to balance the proportions of the sauce ingredients. Finely chop the ginger and garlic, and stir-fry them with the Sichuan pickled chili peppers until fragrant and crispy, releasing their pungent aroma without overwhelming spiciness.

In addition, when consuming:

Avoid combining pork with ume plum, licorice, crucian carp, shrimp, pigeon meat, river snails, almonds, donkey meat, lamb liver, coriander,  buckwheat, quail meat, or beef.

Refrain from consuming large amounts of tea after eating pork.

Bamboo shoots should not be consumed with lamb liver.

Avoid consuming black fungus with river snails, wild chicken, or wild duck.

INGREDIENTS

MAIN INGREDIENTS

  • 200 grams of pork tenderloin (about 7 ounces)

ACCESSORIES

  • 60 grams of bamboo shoots (about 2.1 ounces)
  • 30 grams of black fungus (soaked, then measured) (about 1.1 ounces)
  • Half a small red carrot (approximately 1.7 ounces or 50 grams)
  • 1 green chili pepper

SEASONINGS

  • 15 grams of sichuan pickled chili peppers (about 0.5 ounces)
  • 10 grams of minced ginger (about 0.35 ounces)
  • 10 grams of minced garlic (about 0.35 ounces)
  • 10 grams of chopped scallions (about 0.35 ounces)
  • 30 grams of Pixian Doubanjiang (about 1.1 ounces)
  • 4 grams of salt (about 0.14 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons of cooking wine (30 milliliters)
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (for marinating)
  • 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce (15 milliliters)
  • 2 tablespoons of white vinegar (30 milliliters)
  • 1 tablespoon of cornstarch (for preparing the fish-flavored sauce)
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons of water
  • Some cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1

Slice the pork tenderloin into thin strips and place them in a bowl. Add 4 grams of salt, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, and 1 egg white to the bowl. Stir well in the same direction.

Tips:

When slicing the meat, cut along the grain to prevent the strips from breaking.

Slice pork into strips. Add salt, cooking wine, and egg white to bowl. Stir well. Cut meat along the grain to prevent breaking.

STEP 2

Next, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and continue stirring in the same direction until well combined.

Tips:

Adding cornstarch helps to make the meat tender and smooth.

Add cornstarch to make meat tender.

STEP 3

Finally, add a small amount of cooking oil, mix well, and marinate for 15 minutes to enhance the flavor of the meat.

Add oil, mix, marinate for 15 mins to enhance meat flavor.

STEP 4

During marination, prepare the pre-soaked black fungus, bamboo shoots, red carrots, green chili peppers by cutting them into thin strips. Also, chop the scallions, mince the ginger and garlic, and finely chop the Sichuan pickled chili peppers for later use.

Tips:

Traditional Fish-flavored Shredded Pork primarily includes black fungus and bamboo shoots. Adding red carrots and green chili peppers enriches the color and nutrition of the dish. If bamboo shoots are unavailable, they can be omitted or replaced with other ingredients.

Marinate ingredients for Fish-flavored Shredded Pork; tips for variations.

STEP 5

In an empty bowl, add 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cooking wine, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well to prepare the fish-flavored sauce. Set aside.

Tips:

The fish-flavored sauce is the key element; with this proportion, you can also use it to make other dishes with fish-flavored sauce, such as fish-flavored eggplant or fish-flavored tofu. You can adjust the sauce according to your personal taste preferences.

Recipe tip: Create a versatile fish-flavored sauce and customize to taste.

STEP 6

Heat oil in a pan until it reaches about 40% of its maximum temperature. Add the marinated pork strips, spread them out to prevent sticking, and stir-fry until they change color.

Cook marinated pork strips in hot oil until changed color, prevent sticking.

STEP 7

Once the pork strips change color, add the black fungus strips, bamboo shoot strips, red carrot strips, and green chili pepper strips. Stir-fry for about 20 seconds until they are just cooked, then remove and drain excess oil.

Tips:

Stir-fry the assorted vegetables for about 20 seconds until they are just cooked but still crisp. There's no need to cook them for too long. Alternatively, you can choose not to stir-fry these vegetables and simply blanch the bamboo shoot strips in boiling water, then drain them.

Stir-fry pork strips with veggies, cook briefly, and drain excess oil for a crispy dish. Optional: blanch bamboo strips.

STEP 8

In the remaining oil in the pan, add chopped scallions, minced ginger and garlic, and chopped Sichuan pickled chili peppers. Sauté until fragrant.

Sauté scallions, ginger, garlic, and Sichuan chili peppers in oil until fragrant.

STEP 9

Then, add Pixian Doubanjiang and stir-fry until the oil turns red.

Tips:

Adding Doubanjiang here enhances the red oil. If you don't have Pixian Doubanjiang, you can omit it. Be cautious with salt since Doubanjiang is salty itself.

Add Pixian Doubanjiang to stir-fry till oil turns red for extra flavor. Be mindful of salt.

STEP 10

Add the quickly stir-fried pork strips and vegetables to the pan, and stir-fry rapidly to coat them with the red oil.

Stir-fry pork strips and veggies in red oil to coat.

STEP 11

Pour in the pre-prepared fish-flavored sauce and stir-fry over high heat.

Stir-fry with fish-flavored sauce over high heat.

STEP 12

When the sauce is nearly reduced, add a small amount of cooking oil, stir-fry evenly, and then remove from the heat.

Add a small amount of oil to stir-fry before removing from heat.

STEP 13

A classic Sichuan dish, fish-flavored shredded pork, with its delightful balance of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors along with a rich garlic aroma, is now ready!

Classic Sichuan dish: fish-flavored shredded pork, balanced sweet, sour, spicy flavors, rich garlic aroma.

Recipe analyzer

  • Recipes: Fish-flavored Shredded Pork(鱼香肉丝, Yu Xiang Rou Si)
  • Main Ingredients:5
  • Servings per recipe:1
  • Servings size:385 g
Nutritional Summary of Recipe
Amount per 385 g= 1 serving(s)
  • Energy (calories):434 kcal
    20%
  • Protein:61.1 g
    112%
  • Fat:7.79 g Why gray?
    16%
  • Carbohydrates:28.91 g
    12%
Calorie breakdown
  • Protein: 58%
    252 kcal
  • Fat: 16%
    70 kcal
  • Carbohydrates: 26%
    114 kcal
The chart shows the percentage of calories intake (energy) coming from the respective macronutrients (fats, protein and carbohydrates).
Omega 6 : Omega 3
1:1
20:1
9:1
Both fatty acids are essential, but nowadays the majority of western diets include excessive amounts of Omega 6 acid.

The ratio shows whether the proportion of both fatty acids in your diet is optimal. Red color means too much of Omega 6 or too little of Omega 3. The data are rounded off and approximate.

8 REVIEWS

Review
Your rating:
EvelynNovember 01, 2024

My Shredded Pork with Fish always lacks a special flavor, how should I add more layers of flavor?
reply:
November 04, 2024
Try adding some minced garlic, sliced ginger or chili peppers to enhance the flavors when stir-frying the shredded pork with fish, or seasoning the dish with the right amount of soy sauce, sugar and vinegar to add more layers of flavor.
HaroldOctober 21, 2024

Shredded pork with fish is simply my favorite! The richness of that fish flavor and the tender texture of the shredded meat, every bite is full of happiness and satisfaction, making it a simply wonderful experience that I love!
MarthaOctober 07, 2024

Shredded pork with fish flavor is one of my favorite Chinese dishes in the United States!
FrankSeptember 23, 2024

The color of my Shredded Pork with Fish is not red enough, what can I do to improve it?
reply:
September 25, 2024
You can add tomato sauce or red yeast rice in the stir-frying process to increase the color and texture of the shredded pork with fish.
SamanthaSeptember 12, 2024

he sauce of my Shredded Pork with Fish is too thin, how can I adjust the texture?
reply:
September 14, 2024
You can add appropriate amount of starch water to thicken the sauce after stir-frying, or add a little bit of cornstarch to adjust the consistency of the sauce of Shredded Pork with Fish Scent.
WilliamJuly 30, 2024

This recipe is one of my favorites and is full of flavor when I eat it. Followed with great success I made it.
DavidJuly 17, 2024

Fish-flavored Shredded Pork has a unique, spicy flavor that is popular with Chinese food lovers.
jiaojiaoMay 27, 2024

This recipe makes a delicious Fish-flavored Shredded Pork (鱼香肉絲, Yu Xiang Rou Si) that is exceptionally flavorful!
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