Quick Pork Stir-fry

• 1.5 lbs pork (pork loin sirloin cutlets work well)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2-3 tsp sambal olek (Indonesian Chili Sauce)
• 2-3 cloves chopped garlic
• 1 inch chopped ginger
• 1 package frozen veggies (Vegetable Hodge-Podge)
• 6 oz. firm tofu (optional)
• 2-3 tbsp hoisin sauce
• cooking oil

This recipe is quick and easy. You can use fresh vegetables (carrots, pea pods, broccoli, water chestnuts), but we usually save time by using a package of mixed frozen vegetables. We tend to have most of the ingredients on hand except for tofu which is optional.

Cut pork into small cubes suitable for stir-frying. Any good quality pork will work well. Personal preference is for pork loin cutlets or pork steaks. Place pork in a glass dish and marinate with soy sauce and chili sauce for 1-2 hours. We've reduced the marinating time to 10 minutes or so when we're really starving, but the dish is better when it marinates for at least an hour.

Chop garlic and ginger, cube the tofu and get everything else handy while the wok heats. Add a little cooking oil to the wok pan and set your stove burner as high as it goes. We have an ultra cheap, flat bottomed wok which works well for us. Using appropriate sized wooden wok utensils is a great help.

Put all the pork and marinade into the wok and stir-fry until the pork is just cooked through. Time varies depending on how thick you made your cubes. Check a couple of pieces for doneness and keep stir-frying if the pieces are still pink in the middle. Add half of the ginger and garlic mid-way through the pork cooking process.

When done, remove the pork from the pan and set aside while stir-frying the vegetables. A 10oz package of frozen veggies straight from the freezer needs to be stir-fried for approximately 4 minutes. Fresh veggies need less time, do not over cook. Add the rest of the ginger and garlic during the last 2 minutes of cook time. Add the tofu with 1 minute to go.

Return pork to wok, add hoisin sauce, and stir till everything is mixed and it's now ready to serve.