A - Z Recipe List  | Cooking Tips  | Rate this Recipe

Honey Pear Ham
(This sweet and savory dish is popular in south-west China)  

Serves 4 as part of a multicourse meal

Ingredients
4 large pears, peeled and cut into six pieces
1/2 pound cooked Smithfield ham, sliced thinly into slices 2 inches long and 1-inch wide

1/2 cup rock sugar

Sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons honey
3/4 cup water

Oil for Deep-Frying

Directions:
Lay the ham slices out in a flat, heatproof dish. Mix together the sauce ingredients.  
Heat the wok and add oil for deep-frying.  When oil is ready, add the pears and deep-fry briefly (for about 30 seconds). Carefully remove the pears and drain on a tempura rack or paper towels.  Lay the pears on top of the ham slices. 
Sprinkle the rock sugar over the ham/pear mixture.  Steam the ham for about 25 minutes.  
When the ham is nearly finished steaming, give the sauce ingredients a quick re-stir, place in a heavy bottomed pot and heat to a boil.  Stir to thicken.  
Place the ham on a serving platter and pour the sauce over. Serve immediately. 

(This recipe is adapted from The Encyclopedia of Chinese Cooking, by Kenneth Lo)

Return to Pork Recipe Index