The older , the spicier

姜是老的辣 (Jiang1 shi4 lao3de la4.). Wonder whether some of you have come across this Chinese proverb, it means the older the ginger the spicier it gets. It symbolizes the older you get the more life experiences you acquired. I have much to learn from people with greater life experiences.

Tonite I am going to introduce to you a homely Chinese dish. Stir fry chicken/pork with ginger and spring onion. One of the key ingredient is old ginger, the older it is the spicier you'll get.

Stir fry chicken/pork with ginger and spring onion

Ingredients
[good for 2 persons]

• 200 gm pork loin/chicken breast (sliced into pieces)
  
• 120 gm spring onion (cut into 2-inch length, separate the white part from the green part)
• 50 gm old ginger (peeled off the skin with peeler and shred thinly)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce/ or salt to taste
  

Marinating ingredients

• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp light soya sauce
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1/2 tbsp corn flour
  

1. Marinate the chicken/pork pieces with marinating ingredients. Set aside for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat up your pan and pour the sesame oil and cooking oil. When the pan gets very hot and begins to smoke, add in the ginger and stir for a few seconds, then add in the chicken/pork pieces and continue to stir fry for one minute. Add in the white part of the spring onion and continue to stir fry for another minute. Just when the chicken/pork pieces start to cook, add in shaoxing wine, sugar and light soya sauce and stir fry, off the heat and throw in the remaining green part of the spring onion and stir for 30seconds, in this case you'll get crunchy green bit rather than soggy spring onion.
3. Remove and serve hot with steamed white rice.

Enjoy the wise saying of a young ginger trying to be an old ginger :-)