Chef critique
Teriyaki Pork & Bok Choy
A well-structured stir-fry recipe that falters by leaving the vegetables unseasoned and asking the cook to temp impossibly thin strips of meat.
Score: 7/10
Suggested fixes
- Add 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt to the bok choy when adding the leaves to the skillet in step 6, or incorporate 1 to 2 tablespoons of soy sauce into the finishing sauce.
- Remove the temperature target for the pork strips and rely entirely on visual cues, such as 'until browned and cooked through'.
Issues
- high / flavor: The 12 ounces of bok choy is completely unseasoned, and the finishing sauce contains no salt or soy sauce. The pre-seasoned pork alone will not adequately flavor the large volume of vegetables.
- medium / cookability: The recipe instructs the cook to use a thermometer to check if 'thin, bite-size strips' of pork reach 145°F. This is highly impractical for small pieces cooking rapidly in a stir-fry.
Strengths
- Smartly avoids adding extra salt to the pre-seasoned pork filet.
- Well-organized workflow, cooking the rice first and preparing the aromatics before the fast-paced stir-fry begins.
- Excellent use of a bulleted list for the finishing sauce ingredients.