Basically a pot roast, this pork dish is served with a sauce that is an improvement of the one I used for my drunken chicken. I’m trying to use up the bottles of alcohol in the kitchen cabinets; there will be more by December. Filipino clients/corporations love giving away bottles of alcoholic drinks for Christmas.
To make this dish, I used pork round with the rind removed. Only a very thin layer of fat was left–just enough to make sure that the pork won’t stick to the bottom of the pan while cooking. And, having used up my jar of chili bean sauce, I bought another but of a different brand. This new chili bean sauce is much spicier than the old one. When I tasted the sauce while cooking, I knew that it would be too spicy for the kids. So I decided to serve the sauce separately. It was a pour your own sauce kind of thing. If you have the time, it might be a good idea to prepare another sauce for the kids like creamed corn sauce.
Bottled chili bean sauce is available in the oriental section of most supermarkets.
Ingredients :
750 g. slab of pork round, rind removed but with with a little layer of fat remaining
1 tbsp. of finely minced garlic
1 tbsp. of finely chopped ginger
1 onion, chopped
2-3 tbsps. of commercial chili bean sauce (bottled)
3/4 c. of cognac
salt
2 tbsps. of cooking oil
1 tbsp. of tapioca starch
12-15 baby potatoes
Cooking procedure :
If the pork is well-cut, you probably don’t need to tie it up. If it’s kind of flat, it might be a good idea to tie it to make it more round.
Heat a casserole or a large thick-bottomed saucepan. Pour in the oil. Saute the garlic, ginger and onion until fragrant. Push them towards the sides to make enough space for the pork at the center. Place the pork on the hot oil. Cook over high heat for a few minutes, turning to brown all sides. Then let the pork rest, fat side down. Pour in the cognac and continue cooking over high heat, uncovered, for about five minutes. Season with salt. Add the chili bean sauce and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil then lower the heat, cover and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the baby potatoes. Wash and scrub the skins well if you intend to cook them unpeeled. Otherwise, use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Paring them will make them too small since a big part of the “meat” under the skin will get cut off as well.
When the pork is almost done, add the baby potatoes and continue simmering for another ten minutes.
Remove the roast pork from the sauce and transfer to a plate. Cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into 1/2″ slices. Arrange the pork slices on a serving platter with the baby potatoes around them.
Dissolve the tapioca starch in 1/4 c. of water. Reheat the sauce and pour the starch solution into it, stirring until the sauce thickens. Transfer to a bowl or gravy boat and serve with the pork and potatoes.
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