Braised Daikon and Pork Rice Bowls

Method8 steps · about 50 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Before heating the wok, mince the ginger (1 tbsp) and smash and finely chop the garlic (3 cloves). Chop all four scallions, keeping their white and green parts separate. Peel and cut the daikon into pieces about ½ inch by 1 inch and dice the eight fresh shiitake mushrooms. Have the ground pork and seasonings ready, and arrange purchased or separately cooked jasmine rice for serving.

   Uses 1 tbsp minced ginger · 3 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped · 4 scallions, chopped with whites and greens separate · 1½ lb white Chinese daikon radish, peeled · 8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, diced

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Put all 3 tbsp vegetable oil, three star anise and 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorns in the wok over low heat. Let the whole spices infuse the oil for about 10 minutes, watching closely and lowering the heat if needed so they do not burn.

   Uses 3 tablespoons vegetable oil · 3 star anise · 2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Scoop out and discard the whole star anise and Sichuan peppercorns from step 2, leaving the infused oil in the wok. Add all the prepared ginger and garlic and the scallion whites from step 1. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.

   Stir the chopped aromatics · 1 minUses Infused oil remaining after the whole spices are removed · All prepared ginger, garlic and scallion whites

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Add all 8 oz ground pork to the fragrant oil and aromatics from step 3. Break it into small pieces and stir-fry until browned.

   Uses All infused oil and chopped aromatics · 8 oz ground pork

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Add all the prepared daikon and diced shiitake mushrooms from step 1 to the browned pork mixture from step 4. Stir until evenly mixed.

   Uses All browned pork, aromatics and oil · All prepared daikon and diced shiitake mushrooms

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Add 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, ½ tsp sugar and all 2 cups braising water to the mixture from step 5. Mix, bring to a steady simmer, cover and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Check that the daikon is cooked through, tender and translucent; continue simmering if needed. While it simmers, prepare the slurry in the next step.

   Check the braised daikon · 15 minUses All pork, daikon, mushrooms and aromatics · 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine · ½ teaspoon salt · 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce · 1 tablespoon light soy sauce · 1 tablespoon oyster sauce · ½ teaspoon sugar · 2 cups water for braising

7. 7

   Step 7: While the daikon braises, stir all 1½ tbsp cornstarch with the separate 3 tbsp water until smooth. Keep the slurry ready and stir it again just before adding it.

   Uses 1½ tbsp cornstarch · 3 tbsp water for cornstarch slurry

8. 8

   Step 8: Once the daikon in step 6 is tender and translucent, uncover and raise the heat to high. Stir the slurry from step 7 again, add it all and stir-fry for about 1 minute until the liquid thickens into a sauce. Confirm the ground pork reaches at least 71°C and continue cooking if necessary. Stir in all the reserved scallion greens from step 1 and serve the finished pork and daikon over ready steamed jasmine rice.

   Thicken the sauce · 1 minUses All tender daikon, pork, mushrooms and braising sauce · All freshly stirred cornstarch slurry · All reserved chopped scallion greens · ready steamed jasmine rice, for serving