Pai Gu Fan

My first post is Pai Gu Fan: taiwanese pork chop over rice. After much googling, I was unable to find a complete recipe so I had to combine recipes from various places. My inspiration was the Pai Gu Fan ordered from 168 Restaurant.

I have included a picture found on another site http://onokinegrindz.typepad.com/ono_kine_grindz/taiwanese/index.html but keep in mind that this picture has bean sprouts and shredded chicken instead of cabbage and pork chops.




There are 5 parts to this recipe (served over white rice)
Pork Chops
Seasoned Ground Pork
Steamed Cabbage
Pickled Mustard Greens
Tea Eggs



Pork Chop (submitted by Sharonlin to allrecipes.com)
- 4 (3/4 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon white wine
- 1/2 tablespoon Chinese five-spice powder
- vegetable oil
- vegetabel oil for frying
- cornstarch

Directions:
With a sharp knife, make several small slits near the edges of the pork chops to keep them from curling when fried. Into a large resealable bag, add the soy sauce, garlic, sugar, white wine, and five-spice powder. Place chops into the bag, and close the seal tightly. Carefully massage the marinade into chops, coating well. Refrigerate at least 1 hour, turning the bag over every so often. In a large skillet, heat enough vegetable oil to fill the skillet to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Remove chops from resealable bag without wiping off marinade. Lightly sprinkle cornstarch on both sides of the chops. Carefully add chops to skillet; cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.


Seasoned Ground Pork ("Ground Pork and Shallots Simmered in Five Spices" from http://members.tripod.com/~pnieves/taiwan.htm)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 package fried shallots (3 oz)
- 4 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- non-stick cooking spray

Directions:
Brown pork in skillet until cooked. Drain off oil and set aside. Spray non-stick cooking oil spray in pot and saute the garlic. Add pork and shallots, and stir a few times. Add water and the rest of the seasonings and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer one hour.


Steamed Cabbage
- half of a cabbage, diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons of oil

Directions:
Heat oil and fry garlic lightly until fragrant. Add diced cabbage and stir fry until cooked. Season to taste with salt.


Pickled Mustard Greens
For this recipe, I cheat: I buy pre-pickled mustard greens from my local asian market.

- 2 packets pickled mustard greens (? oz)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Drain and rinse the pickled mustard greens to remove some of the sourness. Chop mustard greens. Fry garlic in a deep frying pan (in a little oil if desired) and add mustard greens, water, and sugar. Cover and simmer for one hour or until the greens are tender and the liquid has reduced.


Tea Eggs (from http://globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/good_egg/asian.html)
- 8 medium eggs
- 1/2 cup dark soy sauce
- 1/2 cup dry sherry
- 4 star anise
- 1 strip (1/2 x 2 inches) orange zest
- 3 cups water
- lapsang souchong tea bags (though other black or black/green mixure teas will work well too)
- toasted sesame oil for rubbing the eggs (optional)

Directions:
Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the water boils, remove the pan from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Drain off the water, cover the eggs with cold water and let stand until cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, combine the soy sauce, sherry, star anise, orange zest and water in the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the tea bags. When the eggs are cool, gently tap them with the back of a tablespoon so the shells are evenly cracked. Do not peel. Using the spoon, carefully lower the eggs one at a time into the simmering liquid. If it does not cover the eggs entirely, add more water. Cover the pan and simmer for 1 hour. Once cooled to room temperature, refrigerate, preferably overnight. Drain, peel, and pat each egg dry. Rub with sesame oil.


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Combine the components and serve over steamed white rice. This recipe may seem complicated, but keep in mind that parts of it may be cooked in larger batches, divided into portions, and frozen for later use.