Made in China

I'm not a fan of Westernized Chinese take-out fare. Dishes like General Tao's (or Tso's) Chicken are really American/Canadian inventions. The real General Tso's own descendants have never even heard of the dish, let alone tasted it. I'm not offended so much by the lack of "authenticity" as I am by how bad these foods are for my arteries and waistline.

That said, I do resort to eating Chinese Canadian fast food on occasion, mostly when I am dying for some rice. (I go through serious withdrawals if I go without rice for more than a day.)

Recently, I had lunch at Made in China, located in downtown Toronto. It's a popular venue that blends North American chic with Communist kitsch. Most of the clientele is Asian, which is its biggest claim to credibility.

I ordered a beef brisket and radish stew -- which came with rice, of course. Much to my amazement, it had deep flavors and a "gravy" that I ended up sopping up with every last grain of rice on my plate. I wondered if I could emulate the dish at home.

Sadly, my neighborhood supermarket has a lousy selection of meat and produce. Instead of beef brisket, I ended up with pork loin. Not having beef meant that I could not produce a brown gravy. The radish in the stew was supposed to be daikon, but all I could find were the small, red, "Cherry Belle" radishes. Nevertheless, the result was quite tasty.

Note: I braised everything in the oven, but next time, I think I will start it on the stove top to skim off any impurities from the meat, then move it into the oven for a long braise. The result willl look more attractive that way.

General M's Braised Pork Loin and Radish
Serves 6-8

6-8 strips of pork loin cut close to the ribs (or fillet a top loin/tenderloin into strips the thickness of ribs)
1 bunch of Cherry Belle red radishes, radishes sliced and its leaves coarsely chopped
3-4 cups of vegetable stock (homemade is best)
¼ cup sake
1 Tbsp mirin
6 ¼-inch slices of ginger
8 scallions cut into ¼ length pieces
4 cloves garlic
1 cinnamon stick
2 whole star anise
¼ tsp red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicy)
salt, to taste
sesame oil, to serve
chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a deep roasting pan, add all of the ingredients except for the salt, sesame oil and cilantro.
3. Put the pan in the oven for 1-2 hours. Turn over the meat periodically. Remove the pan from the oven when the meat reaches the desired doneness and color. Add salt to taste.
   
4. To serve, cut up the pork strips in to bite-size pieces, spoon the other ingredients over the meat, drizzle some sesame oil and garnish with the chopped cilantro.