Braised Mushroom Meat Sauce

When I saw this recipe at Kokken69, I knew I had to try it!

A meat sauce over a bowl of steaming hot rice ... hmmmm!

I prepared this dish in the afternoon, and served it for dinner in the evening, alongside with some blanched vegetables. Great for those days when you need to be out and have to rush home to prepare dinner! And the sauce is so versatile. You can always save the extra for another day, to be poured over a bowl of noodles. I used some of the extra to frying an omelette! Isn't that great?

300g Minced pork

3 pcs Dried Shitake Mushrooms (I used fresh shitake mushrooms)

30g Red Shallots (I used 1 large red shallot)

100g Chicken Stock (I didn't measure. Just enough to cover the meat in the pan)

Seasoning

1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (I used vegetarian stir fry sauce)

20ml Dark Soy Sauce (I used 1/2 tbsp)

30ml Light Soy Sauce (I used 1 tbsp)

1/2 tbsp Rock Sugar (I guess you can replace with caster sugar)

1/4 tsp Five-Spice Powder

1/4 tsp White Pepper

1 tbsp Shaoxing Wine

• Marinade minced pork with a little light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and cornstarch. I used about 1/2 tsp of each. Adjust the amount accordingly to taste.
• Soak dried shitake mushrooms in water.
• Drained and diced into small cubes.
• In a heated wok, add 1 tbsp of water.
• Fry sliced shallots till browned and crispy.
• Remove from oil and set aside.
• Heat the shallot oil and add the diced shitake mushrooms.
• Fry mushrooms till fragrant.
• Add minced pork.
• Fry till 70% cooked.
• Add seasoning.
• Add chicken stock and simmer on low for about an hour.
• Add crispy fried shallots. Continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Turn off heat. If possible, leave the meat overnight in the fridge.
• Heat up before serving. Add a little cornstarch mixture if you prefer a thicker sauce.

I did not measure the amount of chicken stock used. I just add enough to cover the meat. So if your chicken stock is salty, you may want to reduce the amount of sauces used in the seasoning and the marinade.