Pork fillet with black pepper sauce 黑椒豬柳

黑椒豬柳 Hak jiu gee lau (Cantonese), or Hēi jiāo zhū liǔ (Mandarin) - Pork fillet with black pepper sauce

Pork or beef fillet with black pepper sauce is a modern (westernised) Cantonese dish. In the restaurant this is normally serves on a red hot cast iron sizzling dish, the sauce sizzled on the hot iron giving out a lovely smoky flavour waffling in the air makes everyone around mouth watered. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins) and brandy is my secret ingredients to make this dish special and tasty. I normally used pork fillet as beef fillet is so much more expensive. Can sub fillet with Pork loin or tender beef steak.

Ingredients:

about 500g pork or beef fillet, sliced
2 - 3 tsp light soy
pinch of sugar
dash of chinese cooking wine
1 small egg white
1 heap tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

1 large green pepper (or other coloured sweet pepper), sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
2 - 3 stalks of spring onion or scallion (sliced)

1 tsp or more coarsely ground or crushed black peppercorns (I like spicy I used about 2 tsp)
1.5 - 2 tbsp good quality oyster sauce
about 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
about 1 tsp dark soy sauce (for colour)
dash of brandy (I normally used about 1.5 tbsp)

1 heap tsp cornflour mixed with about 1/4 cup water

some cooking oil

Method:

1. Cut pork/beef fillet into fairly thick pieces against the vein about 3 - 4mm thick. 
2. Marinate meat with lightly beaten egg white, light soy, pinch of sugar, wine and cornflour. Leave it marinated for an hour or longer in the fridge. 
3. Before you are ready to cook this, prepare the vegetables. 
4. Heat a pan or wok with about 1 tbsp of oil, swirl the oil around to coat the pan/wok. Heat till smoking hot, fry the meat in 2 - 3 batches. Spread the meat in a single layer, fry briefly on both sides till light browned/ caramelised. Remove and continue frying the rest. 
5. Scrape off any burnt bits sticking on the pan/wok. 
6. Add a little bit more oil. Fry the onion till softened add green pepper, stir for a little longer then add the meat. 
7. Add oyster sauce, dash of dark soy, some brandy and black pepper. Stir then add slackened conflour and spring onion, stir and heat till sauce is thickened and heated through. Ready to serve. I had this with some shredded iceburg lettuce or some deep fried dried rice noodles (puffed noodles). 
8. If using a cast iron sizzling dish, preheat on the stove first then put it on the wooden base. Pour the sauce and meat on the hot iron dish just before serving. To make it even more special pour on some warmed brandy on top, light with a match and flambé it.