5-spice pork with water chestnuts and greens
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Ant Duncan
5-spice pork with water chestnuts and greens
This makes a great dinner party dish and is less than 300 calories per serving. Serve with brown rice, for extra fibre. The recipe can easily be doubled if serving a crowd
Serves: 4
Prep time: 25 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
248Kcal
Fat
9gr
Saturates
2gr
Carbs
17gr
Sugars
10gr
Fibre
1gr
Protein
25gr
Salt
0.2gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp Chinese 5-spice
- 1 x 425g pack extra-lean diced pork leg
- 1½ tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 4cm piece of root ginger, cut into matchsticks
- 2 red chillies, sliced (deseeded if you wish)
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 4 tbsp reduced-salt soy sauce (we used Kikkoman)
- 1 x 225g tin water chestnuts, drained
- 1 x 120g pack shiitake or chestnut mushrooms, halved if large
- 1 x 200g pack choi sum or pak choi, roughly chopped
Step by step
Get ahead
Make up to the end of step 2 and chill or freeze. Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and greens when reheating.
- Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1. Mix the cornflour and Chinese 5-spice in a bowl and toss the pork in the mixture to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a casserole and brown the pork in 2 batches, removing to a plate when it’s done, and adding the rest of the oil with the second batch.
- Add the garlic and most of the ginger and chillies to the casserole and fry for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Return the pork to the casserole, adding any leftover cornflour mixture, and add the sugar, soy, and 400ml water. Bring to a simmer and cover, then transfer to the oven to cook for 2 hours, or until tender.
- Add the water chestnuts, mushrooms and greens, stir in and return to the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with rice, scattering the rest of the chilli and ginger on top.
