This is a re-post of a recipe that I recreated in 2009 while on a low carb diet. It was a Sunday and I wanted something that I could be cooking down all day while I lounged about the house. I really wanted a beef pot roast, but potatoes and carrots were not on my diet and I had a pork shoulder roast on hand that I needed to use, so I concocted this dish with an Asian flare that includes traditional Chinese ingredients of soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil and shallots. I've made it several times and every time I do, I wonder why I don't make it more often. I have revised the method of preparing this roast by adding back the gravy thickening ingredient as flour, rather than egg yolks, as originally prepared. However, I've retained Splenda as a sweetener because I don't like to add sugar to my diet. You can substitute brown sugar for Splenda.
As an accompaniment, I came up with this Napa cabbage slaw recipe after seeing an episode of East Meets West with Chef Ming Tsai, yet another true culinary giant that was pushed out of the Food Channel before it adopted its now abhorrent game-show format. Chef Tsai had the original recipe for this slaw, although I added radishes to the mix. I actually don't care much for radishes and rarely eat them, but for some reason they really work with this recipe.
Ingredients
For the Pork Roast
6 pound bone-in pork shoulder roast
1¼ cup low sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman Low Sodium)
1 cup dry sherry wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
2 large shallots, minced in processor
1 tbsp dry ground ginger
2 tbsp grated fresh or minced preserved ginger
3 tbsp minced garlic
½ cup Splenda
½ cup ketchup (like, Heinz "No Sugar Added")
4 tbsp all-purpose flour dissolved in 3/4 cup water (called a "slurry")
½ pound mushrooms, sliced (or 1 6-oz jar sliced mushrooms, like, Green Giant)
4 tbsp peanut or canola oil
Ingredients
For the Napa Slaw
1 medium head Napa cabbage
8 radishes, sliced paper thin
1 red bell pepper, cored and finely diced
3 green onions, chopped
½ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup fresh lime juice
3 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp Splenda
dash of dark soy sauce
black pepper to taste
The Recipes
The main event:
Mix the soy sauce, sherry, white wine vinegar, shallots, the dried and fresh (or preserved) ginger, garlic and Splenda together in a mixing bowl, then pour over the roast in a plastic zip-lock bag. Close the bag, removing as much air as possible and place it into a small bowl or pan to get as much of the marinade in contact with the roast as possible. Marinade 5 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
After marinating the roast, remove it from the liquid and dry it with paper towels. Reserve the marinade.
Pre-heat the oven to 375F degrees.
In a cast iron Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the roast on all sides, but make sure the roast is fat side up after browning. Add one cup of the marinade to the Dutch oven, cover and place in the oven for two hours.
Meanwhile, pour the remainder of the marinade into a sauce pan and set on very low heat so it warms through but doesn't simmer. After the roast has cooked in the Dutch oven for two hours, remove the roast to a roasting pan, and return to the oven for one hour. Pour all of the liquid from the Dutch oven back into the sauce pan over medium heat and add the mushrooms. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer uncovered, allowing the sauce to reduce a bit.
The roast should become crusty and browned during its last hour in the oven. Test with a thermometer to 150 degrees and remove the roast allowing it to rest under aluminum foil for twenty minutes before serving.
To finish the gravy, add the ketchup to the simmering marinade. Add the slurry a little at a time, allowing the sauce to return to a simmer and thicken until it coats the back of a spoon.
After the roast has rested, slice it and top with the Asian gravy. The dish goes well with potatoes, rice or noodles. Serve with the Napa slaw on the side
About an hour before the roast is ready:
Wash the Napa cabbage and remove the core and any blemished outer leaves. Slice in thin horizontal strips and place in large bowl.
Combine the cabbage with the radishes, red bell pepper and green onions in the mixing bowl and chill well in the refrigerator until time to serve.
In the mean time, whisk together the vinegar, lime juice, sesame seed oil, Splenda and soy sauce. Test for seasoning and add black pepper as desired. Chill well. When ready to serve, toss the vegetables with the dressing, and serve in small ramekins or side dishes.
And if you want something unique to do with the leftovers, try this recipe:
Asian Pork Tacos with Tomato-Radish Relish:
Ingredients
1 small tomato, diced
1/2 small shallot, finely minced
1-2 large radishes, washed with roots and caps removed
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman)
1 tbsp oyster sauce (like, Panda brand or Kikkoman)
1 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar (like, Marukan)
2 tbsp red pepper jelly
1 cup leftover Asian Pork Roast from the recipe above
2 enchilada-sized flour or whole wheat flour tortillas (like, Mission Carb Balance)
The Recipe
The radishes need to be very, very finely diced. You accomplish this by thinly slicing the radish into "coins." Then, make very thin matchstick size slices from each "coin." Finally, you turn the matchsticks perpendicular to the blade of your knife and cut them into very small cubes.
If you don't have red pepper jelly on hand, blend 1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha Sauce (or another hot pepper sauce, like Tabasco) with 2 tablespoons of honey.
Mix the tomato, shallot, radish, soy sauce, oyster sauce, vinegar, and red pepper jelly or its substitute together and allow to sit in the fridge for at least two hours. Longer is better. When ready, use a slotted spoon to place the relish in a serving ramekin.
Zap the leftover pork roast in the microwave until heated through, 1-1/2 to 2 minutes. Shred any sliced or chunks of pork.
Zap the flour tortillas on a paper plate or in paper towels, covered, until heated through, 20-30 seconds.
Use a slotted spoon to put an ample amount of pork into a tortilla and fold over to make a taco. Serve along side the ramekin of relish, which can be spooned into the taco as the diner desires.
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