Shameless plug: Our editor has got a dish named after him!

While having lunch with the owners of Smoking Hog earlier this year, I was reminiscing about this amazing sweet and sour pork meatballs that I had in Hong Kong; it was cooked in strawberries instead of the conventional vinegar or ketchup. Inspired by this, Smoking Hog experimented with the pork and berries combo and came out with this: CW’s Berries ‘Ku Ru Yok’ (RM39).

This is a brilliant dish, if I may say so myself. (Okay, yes, I may be a tad biased. Just a little.) As expected, pork and berries make a great pairing: Not only does the fruit acid act as a natural tenderiser, it also lends some freshness to counter the oiliness of the meat. For this dish, the fatty pork slices are first lightly braised before roasted in a strawberry and cherry sauce. As a result, you get beautifully tender pork that is light but also complex in flavours; it’s sweet, tart and savoury, and the sticky glaze that clings to the pork is finger-licking good.

Smoking Hog recommends that you put a slice of the pork in a mantao, then add the soy bean sprouts, oyster mushroom, zucchini and cucumber, and take a big bite. Honestly, I’m more than happy to have the pork all on its own.