This is an easy and humble home-style dish (家常菜) which I totally enjoy with steamed rice (yes, double carbs!). The ingredients are cheap (about S$2) and really basic – one potato, half cup frozen peas, garlic and onion.
It is also nutritious and easy to cook. Even though I name it a “stir-fry”, it is also much like a simple stew whereby the potatoes and pork are simmered for about 10 minutes in the braising sauce. This recipe is really flexible and you can adjust the taste and consistency of the sauce along the way with hot water and seasoning sauces.
Slice peeled potato to 1/2 cm thickness.
Marinade minced pork with seasonings.
Heat oil in pan. Add onions and stir fry until they just start to soften. Add garlic and stir fry for 30 seconds.
Push onions and garlic to side of the wok, then add marinaded minced pork. Stir fry pork until semi-cooked, breaking the meat to smaller bits with your spatula while doing so. Add potato slices and stir fry for two minutes.
Add sauce and seasonings. Stir to coat everything evenly in the sauce, then cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes, adding the thawed vegetables half way through cooking time. Add hot water any time the simmering sauce runs dry. Season to taste and garnish with coriander before serving.
In this recipe, russett potato is used as it is cheap, common, fragrant and fast cooking. If you do not take pork, feel free to substitute with chicken instead.
The potato’s natural starch content thickens the sauce as the stew is cooking, but if you prefer, you can also use cornstarch solution at the end to thicken the sauce.