Taiwanese Ground Pork and Pickled Cucumbers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 3 dashes ground white pepper
• 0.5 pounds ground pork
• 0.33 cups Taiwanese pickled cucumbers with brine , chopped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 small shallots , thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
• 0.25 teaspoons ground star anise
• 1.5 cups water
• 0.25 teaspoons sesame oil
• 2 greens onions , chopped

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix rice wine, soy sauce paste, soy sauce, sugar, and white pepper together in a bowl.

2. 2

   Mix ground pork with brine from cucumbers together in a bowl.

3. 3

   Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots; cook and stir until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add pork mixture; cook and stir until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Push pork and shallots to the sides of the skillet, making a space in the center. Add garlic, ginger, and star anise; stir.

4. 4

   Pour water into the skillet; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer until sauce reduces to about 1 cup. Stir in chopped cucumbers. Stir in rice wine mixture; cook until flavors combine, 4 to 6 minutes.

5. 5

   Top pork mixture with sesame oil and green onions.