Leftover Pork Chop Stir Fry

Oh Happy Day! After thirty long years, I have finally found a recipe that does justice to a leftover pork chop. I grew up in a family of seven, so I learnt how to cook always having enough to feed seven people and enough for seconds. I just never figured out how to downsize my portions when it became just the ladygirls and I. And now my little chickadees have flown the coop, so there are always, always leftovers no matter what I make for dinner. It's hard to cook for just two people. Pork chops always seem to come in packs of four and for some strange reason, steaks always seem to come in packs of three. We never get to the bottom of a bag of potatoes without the eyes growing up out of the bag like some scary gargoyle monster. My cheese gets mouldy before I'm halfway through it, and my carrots turn to slime in the bag in no time it seems. My fridge is a frightening place. And it just isn't economical to buy potatoes in smaller quantities. Four loose potatoes cost as much as a ten pound bag. It's depressing is what it is. The grocery store is a constant reminder that I miss my big family and I sure as hell miss my girls at the dinner table. I can see why lonely people just get take-out most of the time.

Luckily enough though, I have two great co-workers, Kyle and Colin and they are forced to eat my leftovers. I'm sure more often than they'd like. They are my guinea pigs to try out new recipes on and they decide what goes on the blog. They both gave a thumbs up on today's leftover recipe and said it was most definitely blog worthy! So here we go friends, let's make a pork chop stir fry.

You'll need:
2 or more pork chops. I used thick cut boneless loins which I barbecued with a seasoning of salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoning salt. But I think any leftover pork chop will do. And you could also use steak or chicken or shrimp in this recipe too. It's a stir fry, so anything goes.
3 tablespoons of sesame oil. (This is pretty critical because of the flavour)
1 sliced onion
3 minced garlic cloves
stir fry vegetables. I used carrots, celery, snow peas, mushrooms and bean sprouts. But broccoli and cauliflower would be the dandy too. Just use whatever you like and whatever you have.

For the sauce:
1/4 cup of honey
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1 knob or about a tablespoon of minced ginger
1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds to sprinkle on just when you serve.

Slice up all of your vegetables and your meat. Make it pretty like you would see in a restaurant because people love that.
Saute the onion in the sesame oil just until it softens and add your garlic. Don't go too high on the heat or you'll burn the garlic. And burnt garlic is a bitter tasting meal destroyer.  Add the mushrooms and let them brown up a bit. Then add your meat. Now add the other vegetables one by one with the ones that take longer to cook first. So carrots first and then celery a couple of minutes later. Cover the pan for a few minutes to let the veggies steam. Then add your snow peas and put your bean sprouts in last. This whole process takes only about ten minutes. Stir often since it is a stir fry. :)

In a small saucepan, make your sauce. Just put the honey, soy sauce, ginger and pepper flakes in and let in all slowly melt and stirring as you go. When it just comes up to the simmer, pout it all into your stir fry. Put the lid back on the pan and let everything steam until it's too your liking. Some people like a vegetable with a good bit of crunch in it, while others prefer a softer texture. So you make the call. Sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds on just before you serve it.

If you like, you can serve this with any kind of Asian noodle. I don't serve it with any kind of carbohydrate at all because it's delicious just in itself. But don't serve it with rice. And here is the reason why: Colin really enjoyed the stir fry and he said it was better than his mom's because she always serves rice with hers. And I asked him why he didn't like that and he said "Rice just doesn't belong with stir fry." So there you have it. And Colin is a guy, so he knows what's up. I trust his word. And I'm pretty sure I haven't ever served stir fry with rice. Although I can't really, truly be sure. Enjoy! Leftovers never tasted this good!