Pork Cubes are marinated with a Chinese Five Spice ‘Barbecue Sauce’ including Ketchup, Soy and Brown Sugar. Small amount of the Chinese Five Spice gives the marinated pork cubes their unique flavor without overpowering the sauce. The ingredient list does contain peanuts. These are separated and need not be used in case of allergies!
I read through the recipe and got out the pots and pans I would use.
A. 1 qt pot for Rice Pilaf. 2-3qt pot for Large and XL servings
B. 1 qt Pot for Peas. 2-3 qt pot for Large and XL servings
C. Skillet for the Pork Cubes. Or, sheet pan to skewer the cubes to cook on the grill
D. Lay out and go over your ingredient bags. 1. Marinated Pork Cubes. 2. Chicken Stock 3. Rice Pilaf 4. Peas 5. Butter 6. Oven Roasted Peanuts
Let’s start with the Rice Pilaf. Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the rice and orzo bag. Gently brown the rice and orzo, stirring occasionally. It will only take 2-4 minutes depending on your heat. Looking for a light browning. Add your stock bag…Beware that it will sizzle and steam want the cold stock hits the hot rice/pasta. Stir and cover. Put heat on low and allow to simmer gently until done. 8-12 minutes. Since we used chicken stock, I did not add any salt, as the chicken stock will add its own flavor!
I opted to cook the Pork Cubes in the Skillet rather than skewer them and use the grill. The storm clouds had rolled in, so cooking outside was not going to be a pleasant experience. Follow the directions on the Menu Card if you wish to Grill.
For the Pork Cubes I used my Cast Iron Skillet on a medium high heat with 2 Tablespoons of Oil. I drained the pork cubes as I did not want the extra liquid interfering with the searing method. If you want exta seasoning, now is the time to add a small amount of salt and pepper. I seared the Pork for about 3 minutes and then turned them for another 3-4 minutes. I am looking for a nice browning effect from high heat.
As the Pork was searing, I started the Peas. I had some shallot left over, so I put some butter in my pea pot, lightly sauteed the sliced shallots and added the peas. A sprinkle of Salt and Pepper and covered to cook over medium heat for 3 minutes. Onion, garlic and or other diced vegetables cooked with the peas just makes them more interesting.
Be sure to monitor your Rice Pilaf. Once 80% of the liquid/stock is absorbed, the heat can be turned to low or, even, off. Just keep the Pilaf covered so the liquid/stock continues to absorb to finalize the cooking process of the rice. Peanuts may be added to the rice to the rice at this point to create the “Pilaf.” Or save them for final plating, which is what I did. The Peanuts are bagged separately in case there are allergies!
Time to Plate…Start with a generous serving of Pilaf. Place the Pork Cubes on top of the Rice and sprinkle with peanuts. Spoon your Peas on the plate and…
Enjoy!
And Remember…. Get the kids to help set the table. Placemat, Fork, Knife, Folded Napkin, Cup or Glass for their drinks. Teach them: Forks go on the left and knives and spoons go on the right. (To remember: “Fork” has four letters, as does “left”; “knife” and “spoon” both have five letters, as does “right.”) Folded Napkin under the Fork on the left side. A set table sets up a nice protocol for family time. Not always easy to do and it gives kids a chance to share about their day.
NO CELL PHONES...that includes mom and dad!
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