Pork & Kiam Chye Stir-Fry, Not . . .

Do you know what the difference is between pork stir-fried with kiam chai, and kiam chye stir-fried with pork? If you think they're the same, you're wrong. If you think it's a trick question, you're wrong too.

Pork stir-fried with kiam chye is when there's more pork than kiam chai. Pork is the host and kiam chye the guest, so to speak. If there's more kiam chye than pork, that's kiam chye stir-fried with pork.

I don't like pork stir-fried with kiam chye because there's no kiam chye to go with the pork at the end. I don't like kiam chye stir-fried with pork either since there's no pork to go with the kiam chye at the end.

An equal partnership of kiam chye and pork is the ideal combination for me. I like to eat a bit of pork and a bit of kiam chye in every mouthful, right down to the last. (Go ahead, call me a fusspot.)

There's nothing like a pork & kiam chye stir-fry. Pork stir-fried with kiam chai, doesn't even come close; neither does kiam chye stir-fried with pork. So said the woman who was right about everything – my mother.

Check these out:

Braised Pork with Red Fermented Beancurd (炸肉焖木耳)	Minced Pork & Olive Vegetables Stir-Fry (肉脞炒 乌橄榄菜)	Hakka Yong Tau Foo (客家酿豆腐)	Steamed Pork Ribs with Pickled Plums (梅子蒸排骨)

KIAM CHYE & PORK STIR-FRY Source: My mother (Recipe for 4 persons) 200 g 咸菜 (kiam chye, salted mustard greens) 200 g pork (fatty shoulder butt with some fat) 1½ tbsp vegetable oil 4 slices ginger, julienne 2 large cloves garlic, peel and mince roughly 1 large red chilli, wash and cut diagonally 3 mm thick 2 tsp sugar ½ tsp dark soya sauce 1 medium size tomato (150 g), cut into wedges 1½ cm thick Rinse kiam chye thoroughly. Cut thick stems into thin strips 5 cm long and 1 mm thick; cut thin leaves 5 cm long and ½ cm wide. Soak 20 minutes in 200 ml just boiled water. Drain and squeeze dry, reserving the water. Add another 200 ml just boiled water. Soak till kiam chye tastes only slightly salty, about 10 minutes. Remember to squeeze dry kiam chye before tasting. Drain, discarding water, and squeeze dry. Rinse and drain pork. Cut same size as kiam chye but a bit thicker. Marinade 15 minutes with 1 tbsp kiam chye water. In a just smoking wok, heat vegetable oil till just smoking. Stir-fry ginger over high heat till lightly golden. Add garlic and chilli. Stir-fry till garlic is lightly golden. Add pork and stir-fry till colour changes. Push everything to one side. Give wok a few seconds to heat up. Add kiam chye and stir-fry with pork till heated through. Add sugar and dark soya sauce. Continue stirring, till wok is very hot. Drizzle with 2 tbsp kiam chye water, and stir till absorbed and wok is very hot again. Add tomato wedges. Repeat two more rounds of drizzling with 2 tbsp kiam chye water and stir-frying till absorbed. Add enough (tap) water to cover half of pork and kiam chai. Simmer, uncovered, till tomato wedges are very soft and sauce is reduced, stirring from time to time. This should take maybe 2 minutes or so. There should be just enough liquid to keep pork and kiam chye moist. Taste and add more sugar or remaining kiam chye water if necessary. Serve hot or at room temperature. Eat a piece of pork with a piece of kiam chai, then slurp a big spoonful of piping hot Teochew porridge.

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