Chinese Stir-Fried Lotus Root, Pork, and Pineapple

[GnawGnaw]

Chinese Stir-Fried Lotus Root, Pork, and Pineapple - Whole30 Happy

• Prep Time:  30 min
• Cook Time:  10 min
• Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices, about 1/4th inches wide and 2-3 inches long (exactness not needed)
• 1 small white sweet potato or Yukon Gold, diced
• 1 white onion - diced - divided into half piles
• Garlic - 3 to 5 cloves minced, depending on love of garlic
• Ginger - 1.5 tsp, finely minced
• 12-16 oz lotus root.  Trim off ends, peel outer skin, sliced into 1/3rd inches width and each "wheel" cut into quarters, soaked in water with 1 tsp vinegar for 3-5 minutes to remove bitterness
• 1 bell pepper - medium diced - any type although red, orange and yellow looks prettiest and taste better than the green type
• 1/2 cup of diced mushrooms (any type that has a lot of white flesh - not portabello)
• 1 mild fresh Korean pepper or 1/2 fresh jalopeno (not jarred) for heat and flavor - de-ribbed and de-seeded (optional)
• 20 oz of pineapple - cut into chunks about 5 or 6 pieces per slice (see notes below on my fave canned version)
• 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice (from canned works perfect, make sure no non-compliant ingredients added)
• 3/4 tbls - Coconut oil or olive oil divided
• Salt, black pepper, white pepper (optional), 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder (optional)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil 

Cookwares:

• Larger high-walled non-stick skillet or Le Creuset-style dutch oven so ingredients stay in when you fold the mixture
• Wooden cooking spoon (to avoid scratching skillet)
• Tongs with a plastic or silicone tip (to avoid scratching skillet)

Directions:

1.  Melt 1/4 tbls cooking fat into high rimmed non-stick skillet or glazed dutch oven (Le Creuset) on medium heat (5 out of 10)

2. Saute pork, season with kosher salt, stir occasionally to break up chunks.  Cook for 3 minutes or until there a little pink left.  Use non-metal tongs to remove the meat to a bowl to set aside - keep the used cooking fat in skillet.

3. In same skillet, add remaining cooking fat, add potato, half onions, about 1/3rd of the garlic and ginger.  Saute for total 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping brown bits from the bottom of the skillet using a wooden spoon.  Cover for the last minute so the potato cooks through. 

4.  Increase heat to 6 out of 10 (slightly higher than medium, much less than medium-high).  Immediately add lotus root, bell pepper, mushroom, korean pepper or half jalopeno (optional), remaining onions, remaining garlic and ginger.  Saute for 4 minutes, stirring often and scrapping bits from the bottom.  Season with kosher salt.

5.  Add pineapple chunks.  Saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally and scrapping bits from the bottom.

6.  Add coconut aminos and as much of the pineapple juice as you'd like (full 1/4th cup may be too sweet for some).  Add black pepper and white pepper (optional) , and cayenne pepper (optional) to taste. Stir mixture once, let sit to cook for 1 minutes.  Stir mixture again, let sit to cook for 30 seconds.

7.  Add pork into the mixture.  Cook and fold mixture onto itself often for 4-5 more minutes -  loosen bottom bits.  Sauce should begin to cook down and thicken.  

8.  Remove from heat, drizzle in half of the sesame oil, fold mixture. Drizzle remainder, and fold mixture.  

7.  Pour everything into a serving bowl and it's ready to eat!  Goes really well with cauliflower rice.  

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Notes:

Inspiration: I got really burnt out of western-style Whole30 recipes or super complicated Asian recipes requiring the instant pot (gah~).  I need more food that tasted like actual Chinese food my mom would make at home to satisfy my itch.  I combined and adapted this and this recipe to make a Whole30 compliant dish that can replace my breakfast hash and/or be a side or main dish for lunch and dinner.  This dish has multiple textures from the crunchy lotus root to the potato, and sweetness from the pineapple that keep this dish really interesting and super satisfying to eat. 

Lotus root:  This stuff stays super crunchy, has lots of fiber and vitamins, and soaks up flavor like a champ.  I prefer the kind I have to peel myself, but the bagged pre-peeled and sliced is fine, too, just drain it and vinegar water soak isn't needed.   If you buy the non-pre-peeled and sliced type (usually ends are already cut off), give it a good rinse through the root to clean out the inside tunnels. Find lotus root at any market, just make it looks relatively fresh and no mold on the tunnels (bruised outer skin is okay).  

Pineapple:  The 20 oz canned pineapple chunk from Whole Foods is my favorite because it's super crunchy compared to other canned pineapple and the perfect size for stir fry.  Strain the fruit from the natural pineapple juices and save 1/4th cup of the juice for cooking. Fresh pineapple is nice, but you'll need Whole30 compliant pineapple juice from for the sauce.

Spicy:  I like stuff super spicy, so remove or add more heat, as preferred.

Photo Credit: I stole the photo for now from the original lotus root recipe to show the coloring of the final dish.  I'll post my own photo next time I make this.