~Simple Dish for the Young at Heart~

Ok...so my wonderful friend said she's going to try the steak recipe a few nights ago...I haven't heard from her since. I hope she's doing ok...

Anyway, I thought I would share an ultra easy dish with her to encourage her to cook more. This dish is very easy and quick to make, it's yummy, and it's really great for kids. My mom made this for my brother and I all the time. It has pork, carrots, peas and corn in little pieces so it's healthy and easy to eat. Also, it goes great with rice. My mom called this "baby food", but I think everyone would like this. It is one of my fiance's favorite dish that I make.



Ingredients:

1. Ground pork: ~1lb
   
2. frozen or canned carrots, peas and corn: as much as you want. I usually do 1 to 1 ratio with the pork
   
3. oyster sauce: ~ 3 tablespoon
   
4. garlic: 2 cloves
   

That's it! Simple. Now, a tip about oyster sauce. Make sure it's not made in China :). It's a personal preference. There are a lot of horror stories about stuff made in China (I am Chinese by the way), so just in case... I personally prefer Lee Kum Kee brand, and it can be found at most asian grocery stores and some American grocery stores. You don't need to premium one, but I like it.


Step 0: Chop up the garlic
This dish can be done without garlic. I just like to put some in 'cause ... it's good for you and adds just a little bit to the flavor. Ehow has a simple article about how to peel and mince garlic. I also heard somewhere (I have tried it and it works) that you can cut off the bottom, hard part of garlic cloves, stick them in a plastic bag and swing it at the counter top. Then, just open the bag and take out the nicely peeled, possibly bruised garlic cloves. That method is highly recommended if you have to peel a lot of garlic.

Step 1: Throw in the pork
Turn on the stove to high. Wait for the pan/wok to heat up. Put some oil in there, probably a tablespoon or so. More if you don't have a non-stick pan/wok. Throw the garlic in there, and make sure it's in the oil so it's sizzling nicely. Throw the pork in after a sec or two. Chopped garlic can burn pretty quickly, so don't wait too long. Mix it around so you have nice little pieces of pork instead of a pork burger pattie.


Step 2: Throw in the veggies
When the pork is mostly cooked (mostly brown, solid color instead of pink), turn the heat to medium and throw in the veggies. Mix it around. If your veggies have been sitting in the freezer for along time, you may want to rinse it in warm water and drain it first.


Step 3: Throw in the oyster sauce
Throw in the oyster sauce and mix it up. You may add cayenne pepper, white pepper power, a little bit salt and sugar for additional kick. After you mix it, try it a lil bit. Add more oyster sauce if it's not salty enough.

Step 4: Put it in a bowl
Well...the veggies are precooked, so after a couple minutes of mixing, it's ready! Turn off your stove and put everything in a bowl. Add a spoon. I always forget and have to run back to the kitchen and get one.


O yeah, did you make rice? I forget to do that sometimes too :)