Orange: the Secret Ingredient

September 29, 2:54 PMFood ExaminerEric Burkett

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Not just for breakfast anymore.

For some reason, the fact that oranges are a winter fruit has always seemed counterintuitive to me. With their bright flavors and tang, they speak of summer and warm weather and the sun. Perhaps that’s why I’m so grateful for them when cooler weather rolls around.

I love to cook with oranges and I use them in a variety of ways both at home and at work. One of my favorite ways to take advantage of their sharp, sweet flavors is in black bean sauce, the Cantonese sauce made from salted, or preserved, soy beans. Orange zest provides a piquant counterpoint to the deep earthy flavor of the salty black beans. The addition of sambal oelek, a spicy chili sauce from Indonesia, takes it another step farther.

Orange Black Bean Sauce
1 heaping tbsp preserved black beans
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
Zest and juice of 1 small orange
1 tsp sambal oelek
1/2 tsp sugar

• In a small bowl, mash black beans with garlic and soy sauce. Add orange ingredients, sambal oelek, and sugar, and stir until well blended. Makes a little more than ¼ cup sauce. 
  
  

Pork and Tofu with Orange Black Bean Sauce
1 pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes, and soaked in hot water
1/4 pound minced pork
4 scallions, cut on a sharp diagonal into 1” lengths. Set aside 1 tablespoon or so for garnish.
2 slices of ginger, about the size of a quarter
1 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup orange black bean sauce
1/4 chicken stock, hot
1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 teaspoon water

• Heat oil in wok or wide skillet and stir fry the ginger coins for about 30 seconds, discarding afterward (Besides lending flavor, they lighten the flavor of the oil).
• Add ground pork and fry until browned. Drain excess grease from wok, and reduce heat to medium.
• Add black bean sauce, stir frying for about 30 seconds, and broth, and heat through until bubbling.
• Reduce heat to low and add drained tofu, folding it gently into the meat and sauce mixture to avoid breaking it up. Add scallions. Let mixture simmer for about 3 to 5 minutes, and gently stir in cornstarch/water mixture to thicken the sauce. Serve hot with rice. Makes four servings.