Grace Young

This spicy classic from Sichuan couldn't be easier to make. The pork is marinated in egg white to tenderize the meat, but it does not change the texture to the extent it would if the meat were truly velveted and blanched in oil or water. Occasionally I make this with chili garlic sauce, but I prefer chili bean sauce; the difference is chili bean sauce is made with soybeans and has greater depth of flavor.

When I was in Trinidad, Winnie Lee Lum showed me how to make this superb dish, which beautifully demonstrates the convergence of Chinese and Trinidadian cooking traditions. Of course, the taste was extraordinary because Lee Lum only cooks with fresh local shrimp that her husband, Tony, purchases for her. Before cooking, she rinses the shrimp in lime juice, a Trinidadian cooking practice said to remove the "fishy" taste. She prefers the Chinese custom of cooking the shrimp in the shell to protect the shrimp's succulence and flavor. Rather than rice wine, Lee Lum insists on using dark Jamaican-style rum; according to her, white rum is too harsh for cooking. This is one of the easiest dishes to stir-fry, and it is guaranteed to satisfy.