Pork Stew

Ingredients:

3 lbs deboned pork spareribs

1/4 cup dark soy sauce1/4 cup dry sherry

4 small yellow onions, 1/2 lb dried shitake mushrooms, 2 TBs of dehydrated wood ear

star anise, 1 TB of szcheuan dried peppers (in asian grocery stores)

1 lb frozen chestnuts

1/2 lb chopped carrots

Marinate the pork in dark soy sauce (it is a less salty version of normal soy sauce, if using normal soy sauce may want to add a little less), and dry sherry for 3-4 hours (overnight if you have time)

Soak the shitake mushrooms in a bowl of water for about 2 hours (until fully hydrated). Do the same with the woodear.

Slice the 4 onions into sixths like so:

Coat the bottom of a large pot with vegetable oil and place the star anise and szcheuan peppers in the pot over high heat. You should be able to smell the fragrance of the anise pretty quickly. Add a TB of freshly and very finely chopped green onions.

Add the yellow onions and brown them until slightly translucent.

Remove the pork from the marinade and brown the pork with the onions and spices until it develops a nice sear (2 minutes or so).

Meanwhile cut off stems from the mushrooms and slice mushroom cups in 1/2. Brown the mushrooms in a small skillet with some vegetable oil until water is removed.

Add the mushrooms to the large pot, along with the woodears, add a 1/2 cup of water (best to use the water from hydrating the mushrooms, you may also want to add soy sauce for additional salt. Keep stew on for high heat for about 2-3 minutes. reduce heat and add defrosted chestnuts.

Simmer on medium low for 1 hour. Add chopped carrots about 45 minutes in, or until there is about 15 minutes left on cooking.