beijing okay

肉夹馍

"Rou jia mo"

Silvia and I attempted this typical Xi'an street snack. It's quite Muslim meets Chinese. See if you can make it at home, too.

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you'll need
About 1/2 lb fatty pork with skin removed
two green peppers
4 pieces of Chinese style "mo" bread (I believe thicker nan bread or pita could be substituted.)

for the slow cooker
pinch salt
couple pinches fresh black pepper
3 inch knob of ginger
3 inch piece of Chinese onion, or leek
3 cloves of garlic
1 t fennel seed
1 tsp clove
three star anise
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns
2 small sticks of cinnamon or cassia bark
1 t soy sauce
2 t Chinese black vinegar
2 t Chinese red pepper sauce (this should be mostly pepper flake, peanuts and red oil. Available at nearly all Asian grocers)
1 t canola or other flavorless oil
1 tsp sesame oil

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Using a heavy, non-Teflon stock, briefly heat spices until fragrant. Remove and crush with the back of a Chinese cleaver. Set aside.

In same pot, cook pork hunk until brown on all sides, but not cooked through. Remove. Place both peppers in pot and cook until brown and roasted. Remove peppers and add a cup of water to pot, scrape with a spatula to produce fond. Dice peppers and set aside. Leave pork uncut.

Add fond, spices, vegetables, peppers and pork to small slow cooker or small, lidded pot. Use above list as a checklist to make sure you have everything added. Cook for a few hours, until pork is extremely soft and fragrant.

Grill "mo" or pita-type bread either on coals (for authenticity) or on an ungreased pan on both sides until brown. Split in half, add meat mixture, and enjoy!