Flies' Head

By Lisa Cheng Smith
Yields 4 servings if served as a main dish, 6 if served alongside other dishes

Flies’ Head
蒼蠅頭

Ingredients

• ½ lb (225 g) garlic chives
• ½ lb (225 g) ground pork
• 4 tbsp Fermented Black Beans
• 1 tbsp Taiwanese rice wine
• 2 tbsp Peanut Oil
• 1 tbsp Firewood Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp Firewood Soy Paste
• 1 tsp Dong He White Sesame Oil
• 4 long red chile peppers, like red serrano
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp ginger

Instructions

1. Soak the fermented black beans in warm water for at least 5 minutes, then drain in a sieve and rinse. Set aside.
2. Chop the ginger and garlic into a fine dice.
3. Chop the chiles crosswise, similar to a fine dice in thickness, but preserving their ring shape.
4. Trim the white ends of the chives and chop finely.
5. Heat 1 tbsp peanut oil in a wok over a high flame.
6. When hot, add in the ground pork and stir fry for a few minutes, frequently breaking up the pork and turning. Cook until the pork no longer releases water and starts to char.  Remove the pork.
7. If there is enough fat from the ground pork to sizzle the garlic and ginger, don't add any oil. If there is not enough fat, add in another tbsp or so of oil and stir fry the garlic, ginger, and drained fermented black beans until fragrant.
8. Next, add the pork back in, along with the chives and peppers, and sugar. Stir fry for a minute or two, until the chives have just softened. Do not overcook!
9. Finish by drizzling sesame oil, soy sauce, and soy paste over the stir fry and toss to incorporate. Serve immediately with plenty of white rice.