Chinese Breakfast Bowl

By AliceV

Ingredients

• Pork
• 3 pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce + more, if desired
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1/4 cup + 2 teaspoons Sambal Oelek chile sauce + more, if desired (see Note)
• Bok choy
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 pound baby bok choy, stems removed
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Assembly
• 3 to 4 cups cooked white rice
• 8 eggs, cooked sunny side up
• Cilantro sprigs, for garnish

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from sfgate.com

Preparation

Step 1

This recipe is adapted from what Maxine Siu serves at Plow in San Francisco. It's best to make the pork the day before serving. You'll only need about half of it for the breakfast bowl, so you can serve the rest for dinner that night or save it for another time.



For the pork: Place the cubes in a bowl. Pour the soy sauce and sesame oil over the meat and toss to coat. Let sit 1 hour.
Meanwhile, make the caramel. In a small heavy-bottom sauce pan, bring the sugar and 3 tablespoons water to a boil. Cook, without stirring, until the caramel turns dark amber. Remove from the heat and add a tablespoon or two of cold water to stop the cooking. The sauce will bubble aggressively, so be very careful.

When the pork is ready to cook, place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot but not smoking, use a slotted spoon to remove half the pork, letting any marinade drip back into the bowl; reserve the marinade. Add the pork to the pan in an even layer; do not crowd the pan. Brown the pork on all sides, about 5-6 minutes total. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and pork, leaving any remaining oil in the pan.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic to the pan; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the grated ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute more. Return the pork to the pot, along with the reserved marinade, caramel sauce and Sambal Oelek. Pour in just enough water to barely cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Taste for seasoning, adding more soy sauce for salt or chile sauce for heat if needed. If made ahead, refrigerate, then reheat before serving.

For the boy choy: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat; add the oil, then add the bok choy and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened and browned. Season with salt and set aside.

To assemble: Divide rice between four bowls. Top each with about 1/2 cup of the cubed pork and a little bit of the sauce, 2 eggs and a quarter of the bok choy. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.

Note: Sambal Oelek chile sauce is available at Asian grocers or in the Asian foods section of well-stocked supermarkets.
Per serving: 713 calories, 43 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 32 g fat (8 g saturated), 496 mg cholesterol, 738 mg sodium, 1 g fiber