One of my favorite comfort foods back in college was minced pork rice. The first time I had this dish was at a bubble tea place in Ann Arbor. The little shop served bubble tea, appetizers, and snacks. It was located on my college campus and was a short walk away from the undergraduate library where I spent most of my days studying. Each bowl of minced pork rice was about five or six dollars and included minced pork, jasmine rice, and half a soy sauce egg. After I graduated from college, I started recreating the flavors and aromas of this dish. Each time I take a bite of the minced pork rice, I am immediately transported back to my college days where I would meet up with friends, sip on bubble tea, and eat a bowl of minced pork rice. When I visited my college campus two years ago, I noticed the bubble tea place has since closed. This hasn’t stopped me from continuing to recreate this dish. Over the weekend, I made an almost identical version of minced pork rice served with half a soy sauce egg.
Minced Pork Rice and Soy Sauce Egg
· 1 teaspoon sesame oil
· 1 pound freshly ground pork
· 3 shallots, thinly sliced
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 3-4 large dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water for at least an hour, sliced into strips
· ½ tablespoon five-spice powder
· 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
· ½ tablespoon Shaoxing wine
· ½ tablespoon fine sugar
· ¼ teaspoon white pepper
· 1 cup water
· 4 soft-boiled eggs, shells peeled
Directions:
1) Heat a large pot on medium heat. Add a teaspoon of sesame oil. Cook the pork in the pot for about 3 minutes. Drain some of the excess fat rendered from the pork. Remove the pork using a slotted spoon onto a plate.
2) Add the shallots and garlic and let it cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and let cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add the pork back into the pot. Add the five-spice powder, soy sauces, wine, sugar, and white pepper. Let cook for about 3 minutes. Add the cup of water. Add the soft-boiled eggs. Let all the ingredients cook in the pot for another 20 minutes, until the pork is cooked through and the eggs are set.
Takeaways: I served my minced pork rice topped with some fresh cilantro for added flavor. I prefer the depth of flavor of dried mushrooms over fresh mushrooms for this specific dish. The five-spice powder I used is an Asian spice consisting of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, ginger, and fennel. The distinctive taste of the five-spice powder is part of the authentic flavors of this dish.