Szechuan Pork and Broccoli

The week after the review. The restaurant is now operating in a different reality. The dining room is full at every service. The reservation system is permanently slammed. Lily and James have hired three more people in seven days — a sous chef who came up from Austin, a server from a fine-dining place in Montrose, and a food runner who is technically Lily's second-cousin's kid but who legitimately knows what he's doing. Lily and James have not slept more than five hours in any single night. They are running on adrenaline and the kitchen scraps James eats between services.

I have settled into a daily routine: arrive at the restaurant at 1 PM, do whatever needs doing — restocking, deliveries, walking dishes, prepping vegetables, taking out trash, anything below the chef's station, anything that doesn't require culinary skill — and leave by 5 PM before service starts so I'm not in the way. I'm the dad-in-residence. I'm the unpaid helper. I am, in the official paperwork, a silent partner with no operational role. In practice I'm an operations utility infielder. James calls me "Coach" now, which is his joke about my non-role role.

Mai came to the restaurant Friday for the first time since the review. She walked slowly with her cane, sat at her corner table, and ordered the brisket. She tasted it. She took her time. She put her chopsticks down — Lily and James kept chopsticks at her place because Mai eats brisket with chopsticks and that is the only way to eat brisket according to Mai — and she said, "It is good, Bao." I said, "It's the same brisket you've been eating for ten years." She said, "It is better in this dining room. The room makes it taste different." She wasn't wrong. The room does change the food. The room is part of the meal. Mai understands rooms.

Mai’s comment about the room stayed with me all weekend — how the same dish can taste different depending on where and who you’re with. I couldn’t replicate Lily and James’s brisket at home, but I could make something bold and meant to be eaten with chopsticks, something that carries that same idea: the food is only part of it. This Szechuan pork and broccoli is what I made Sunday night for the family, loud with garlic and ginger and a little heat, the kind of dish that demands you slow down and pay attention — and it tasted exactly right at our own table.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin or boneless pork chops, thinly sliced against the grain
3 cups broccoli florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (or to taste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns, toasted and roughly crushed (optional)
Cooked white rice, for serving
Sesame seeds and sliced green onions, for garnish

Instructions

Marinate the pork. In a bowl, toss the sliced pork with the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. Let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.
Make the sauce. Whisk together the remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, and chicken broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
Blanch the broccoli. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli florets and cook for 90 seconds until bright green and just tender. Drain and set aside.
Sear the pork. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Add the pork in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then stir-fry for another 1–2 minutes until cooked through and lightly browned. Transfer to a plate.
Build the stir-fry. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Add garlic, ginger, and crushed Szechuan peppercorns and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the broccoli and toss to coat.
Combine and finish. Return the pork to the pan, pour in the sauce, and toss everything together over high heat for 1–2 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the pork and broccoli evenly.
Serve. Spoon over steamed white rice. Garnish with sesame seeds and sliced green onions. Set out chopsticks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Szechuan Pork and Broccoli — The Dish That Tastes Different in the Right Room