J: There were options with this recipe. I chose to go for pak choi, green beans and spinach from the window box for the greens, and saki instead of sherry for the alcohol. I can't think of a use for sherry other than as a cleaning product anyway to be honest. I also did a variation on the stock, as there was a lot of fat and bone on the chops I bought I fried them off and boiled the offcuts up to get some of the flavour out. This worked out better than I'd imagined. Again Mr Harriot has discovered the secret of guaranteed successful cookery is too much fat. The recipe calls for multiple tablespoons of oil. I substituted those for little splashes to no detrimental effect.
All in all a great dish, ready in under the hour. I cycled 25 miles to work and back today so the protein from the pork was much appreciated. It comes out succulent and flavoursome, and even with just 15 minutes the meat is steeped in flavour. This works because of the combination of saki, soy sauce and sesame oil. In fact I find that a little dash of sesame oil can make something taste "authentic" to this style of cuisine in a way not much else can. An hour later the flavours are still hanging around in my mouth, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow when we get to devour the remainder.
I washed it down with a real ale from realale.com which my sister and her husband got me for christmas last year (Oakleaf Bitter from the Oakleaf Brewery in Gosport. Unexceptional, but would make a reasonable session ale for a night).
L: Subtle flavours, tasty meat, crunchy vegetables, a good choice.
J: She's so much more succint than me, but no less eloquent don't you think?
Sorry this blog isn't turning out to be more critical, but the food is genuinely great so far.
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