Sweet Soy Pork W Star Anise Korean-Style

This recipe was inspired from a great cookbook called Heavenly Fragrance, a collection of aromatic recipes focusing on Southeast Asian recipes. This particular dish is a variation of a Malaysian dish but I substituted some of the main ingredients for Korean ones. But little did I know that I was basically making kalbi jjim (Korean braised short ribs) but using pork instead of beef. The other difference (actually two) is that I used star anise (grounded with a mortar and pestle) for the first time and was blown away at the strength of the spice. Though it's a great aromatic ingredient, I highly recommend using it sparingly in dishes. Also, I marinated the pork in a liter of Pepsi for several hours. This may be surprising to some, but the carbonation and the sweetness do a good job at tenderizing and taking any remaining odors out of the pork. Overall, the dish turned out pretty good and I learned a good lesson in cooking today: never underestimate ingredients you have never worked with and use them sparingly the first time. www.oliviajasonkim.com

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 plates

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  pork shoulder, sliced into chunks
• 3  tablespoons sugar
• 1⁄2 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄3 cup vinegar
• 1  star anise, grounded
• 1  tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 5  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1  tablespoon  sesame oil
• 3  cups water
• 2  large potatoes, cut up into large chunks
• 3  medium carrots, cut into 2-inch length
• 1⁄2 cup mushroom, halved
• 1  lemongrass, stalk
• 10  pine nuts (for garnishing)
•  sliced green onion (for garnish)
• 1  liter  Pepsi (for marination)

Directions

1. Directions:
2. In a large pot over high heat, place the pork chunks with a few bay leaves. Let boil for about 10 minutes and drain under running cold water.
3. With a skewer, poke the chunks of meat to tenderize the inside of the meat before marinating.
4. Combine the pork with the l liter of Pepsi in a large bowl. Cover and let marinate for at least an hour (the longer the better).
5. Rinse the pork and place in a large pot. Add the water with sauce ingredients and lemongrass. Cook on medium heat for about 20~25 minutes while occasionally coating the meat with sauce.
6. Add in potatoes, mushrooms, and carrots, cooking for another 15 minutes on low heat. Discard lemongrass stalks.
7. Near the end when most of the broth should have thickened or evaporated, add some sesame oil.
8. Serve on a platter as main course. If you have extra sauce leftover (that hasn't evaporated) I recommend mixing and eating with rice.
9. Garnish with pine nuts or green onion.