Shanghai Surprise

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Pictured above: tonight's repast of Shanghai Red Pork with rice. The recipe is one that I first saw cooked on one of Rick Steins' programmes on his travels through China. There are various interpretations of it out there on the web, but I would guess that, as long as you stick as closely as possible to the ingredients and quantities - the equivalent ingredients are more than close enough to the originals, I think - you can't go far wrong.

The initial sautéing and braising stages are straightforward enough, and don't require much monitoring. However, the final 10-minute reduction of the sauce on a high heat to get just the right sticky finish, needs constant stirring to avoid ending up with a carbonized pan and ruined meat - oh, but what meat results, if you get this last stage just right - gelatinous, fatty and tender; sweet, salty, and fragrant: the gooey, almost melted-toffee coating having subtle background notes of aniseed and cinnamon. Glorious. Try it...

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