Hakka Stir-Fry

Ingredients

• 40g dried squid
• 1 tbsp rice wine, for soaking
• 200g pork belly, cut into thin strips
• 150g pressed tofu (dougan), cut into strips
• 3 stalks Chinese celery, cut into 4cm lengths
• 4 spring onions, cut into 4cm lengths
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice wine
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp ground white pepper

Before you cook

• Soak the dried squid in warm lightly salted water with the tablespoon of rice wine for at least one hour, until it is pliable.
• Pull off the head and tail, remove the cartilage, and cut the squid body into strips the width of a pencil.
• Cut the pork belly into strips of the same width, keeping the skin on if it has any.
• Cut the pressed tofu into matching strips.
• Cut the celery and spring onions into 4cm lengths, keeping the white and green parts separate.
• Slice the garlic and chilli.

Steps

1. Heat a dry wok over medium heat and add the pork belly strips with no oil.
2. Fry the pork for six minutes, pressing it against the wok, until the fat has run out and the strips are golden and shrunken.
3. Push the pork to the side and add one tablespoon of oil to the pool of rendered fat.
4. Add the pressed tofu strips and fry for four minutes until their edges blister and brown.
5. Add the drained squid strips and stir-fry over high heat for two minutes, until they curl and smell toasty.
6. Add the remaining oil, then the garlic, chilli and the white parts of the spring onion.
7. Stir-fry for thirty seconds until fragrant.
8. Pour in the rice wine around the hot rim of the wok and let it hiss away.
9. Add both soy sauces, the sugar and the white pepper and toss everything for one minute.
10. Add the Chinese celery and the green parts of the spring onion.
11. Toss over high heat for forty-five seconds so the celery stays crunchy.
12. Serve straight away with plenty of rice.