Cold winter days call for warm delicious meals. Over the weekend, I whipped up a very quick pork cubes and vegetable fried rice dish. Pork cubes is a spin on my mom’s signature pork chops. Her favorite all-purpose sauce, which she uses to marinade all types of meats and seafood is made up of only three ingredients – oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sugar. That’s all. The meat sits in the all-purpose sauce for at least 30 minutes. Then, you take the meat with the sauce and sear it in a hot skillet for a couple minutes until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through. I applied this same method used by my mom to make her signature go-to pork chops to cook my pork cubes. I chopped up thickly cut pork loin chops into large cubes, marinated them, seared them in the marinated sauce, and then served them tossed into the vegetable fried rice. I like to make this meal when Kevin is craving meat and I am craving a vegetarian dish. The meat is cooked separately from the vegetable fried rice and then the pork cubes are tossed into the fried rice for a meaty dish. The pork cubes can easily be omitted for a vegetarian friendly dish. Pork cubes with vegetable fried rice is fantastic for dinner and is even better packed for lunch the next day. I made a large batch so we can enjoy some now and save the rest for lunch throughout the week. When the weather outside is frightful, I find a lot of comfort staying inside and cooking warm, comforting meals. The winter storm hit our region pretty hard with what feels like 10 inches of snow, but we were able to stay bundled up inside and eat tons of delicious home cooked meals.
Pork Cubes with Vegetable Fried Rice:
For the pork cubes:
· ½ tablespoon soy sauce
· ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
· ½ tablespoon sugar
· 1 tablespoon corn starch
· 4 thick cut pork loin chops, cut into large cubes
For the vegetable fried rice:
· 1 teaspoon sesame oil
· 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
· 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
· 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
· ½ teaspoon sugar
· ¼ teaspoon white pepper powder
· 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
· ½ of an onion, diced
· ½ inch piece of ginger, minced
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 carrot, diced
· 1 zucchini, diced
· ½ cup frozen green peas
· 1½ cups jasmine rice, cooked and cooled
Directions:
1) In a large bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and corn starch. Add the pork cubes. Toss to coat the pork cubes in the sauce. Set aside and let the meat sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
2) In a small bowl, whisk together the sesame oil, soy sauces, wine, sugar, and white pepper powder. Set aside.
3) Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add a tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once the skillet is hot, add the onion, ginger, garlic, and carrot. Cook until the onions are translucent and carrots are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and frozen green peas. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Fold in the jasmine rice. Pour in the sauce. Stir the vegetables and rice to ensure all of the ingredients are coated in the sauce. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
4) Heat a separate skillet on medium heat. Add the other tablespoon of vegetable oil. Once skillet is hot, add in the marinated pork cubes. Let the pork cubes sear for 2-3 minutes, until the pork cubes are nicely browned and cooked through. Turn off heat.
5) Serve with the pork cubes on the side or with the pork cubes tossed into the vegetable fried rice.
Takeaways: This dish can be customized however you like. The all-purpose sauce works very well with beef, chicken, or shrimp. You can omit or add in any vegetables of your choice into the fried rice. The combinations are truly endless.