Sweet and Sour Pork

Tangcu Liji (糖醋里脊)

Tender strips of pork loin, enveloped in a crispy batter, are coated in one of the most classic versions of Chinese sweet and sour sauce.

The name for Sweet and Sour Pork in Chinese literally means Sugar and Vinegar Pork Loin, and traditionally these are the key ingredients for sweet and sour sauce. There is no ketchup or tomato sauce – just sugar and vinegar combined with dark soy sauce for color. Simple aromatics like Garlic, Ginger, and Scallion round out the flavor and add more depth.

The ratio of vinegar and sugar can be a little contentious among Chinese chefs. Many Sichuan chefs like to highlight the sourness by adding slightly less sugar (in the following recipe this would be only about 2-3 Tbsp). Chefs in southeastern China like the sweetness. Regardless of the amount of sugar, the total amount of vinegar should remain somewhat unchanged in the following recipe. The types of vinegar, however, are quite a bit more flexible. You can use a combination of white vinegar and rice vinegar or even a splash of Chinkiang black vinegar, or you can use only 3/4 cup of white vinegar. Once you’ve made your sauce, taste it and adjust it as necessary to your desired ratio of sweet and sour.

To create the perfect crispy-battered fried pork, there is a step you must not skip. The pork must be scored before cutting. This is the secret to great Sweet and Sour Pork. Scoring the meat will allow it to absorb more marinade, remain tender inside, and create crackly, crispy batter more easily. Traditionally, pork loin is used for Sweet and Sour Pork. If not scored properly, the meat can become rather tough and stringy with a bit of a gamey, wild flavor that is all around unpleasant. (This is how Sweet and Sour Pork is often prepared in Shandong Province, and it’s not ideal). Aside from pork loin, you can experiment with pork tenderloin, which will have much the same flavor, but is easier to keep tender when frying.

Ginger-Scallion Slurry is one of the key components for flavoring the meat. It adds a touch of ginger and scallion flavor without being overwhelming. In the following recipe, I added the word watery to Ginger-Scallion Slurry, but what I mean is to use the water from the slurry without the minced or pulverized bits of ginger and scallion. You want the water to be infused with the flavor, but for this recipe, it’s best not to have little chunks of debris in the batter or sauce.

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 10 min

Total Time: 25 min

Serving: 2 - 4 people

Ingredients

400 grams Pork Loin or Pork Tenderloin

Marinade
2 Tbsp. watery Ginger-Scallion Slurry
1/4 tsp. Salt

Batter
1 cup of Corn Starch
2 – 4 Tbsp. Peanut Oil
1 clove of Garlic

Sauce
1/2 cup Rice Vinegar
1/4 cup White Vinegar
2 Tbsp Shaoxing Rice Wine
1 Tbsp. Dark Soy Sauce
3 - 4 Tbsp. White Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

Peanut Oil (For Deep Frying)

1/8 cup watery Ginger-Scallion Slurry

2 Tbsp. Corn Starch Slurry

1/2 tsp. Scallion Oil or Sesame Oil

1 tsp. roasted Sesame Seeds

Garnish
1 green stalk of Small Scallion (小葱)
1/2 tsp. roasted Sesame Seeds

Directions

1.) Cut the Pork into 4-inch by 4-inch blocks and slice the blocks into 1-inch-thick strips. Lightly score each side of the slices by making shallow cuts diagonally across the Pork at a 45-degree angle. Then, cut straight through the Pork, slicing it into 1-inch-thick strips that are roughly 4-inches long.

(Do not cut too deeply into the Pork when scoring it. The purpose of this step is to help the Pork absorb more marinated, hold more batter, and create a crispier exterior when fried).

2.) Place the strips of Pork in a bowl, fill the bowl with water, and gently massage the pieces to remove any blood. Drain the water and repeat until the water runs clear. Squeeze out any remaining water and add the Marinade (Salt and Ginger-Scallion Slurry), mixing it until absorbed by the Pork.

3.) In a separate large bowl, add one cup of Corn Starch. Slowly add water, one tablespoon at a time, and mix by hand until the Corn Starch starts to form into an ultra-thick batter. You will know it’s the right consistency if the Batter is liquid when sitting in the bowl, but becomes solid when you move your hand through it quickly. You should be able to swirl it into a solid ball that can be picked up for a few seconds before reverting to a liquid state.

(For the Batter, you can also use 1/2 cup of Corn Starch and 1/2 cup of Potato Starch).

4.) Add a few tablespoons of Peanut Oil to the Batter and mix thoroughly, so that the pieces will be less likely to stick together while frying.

5.) Scoop the Batter into a ball and dump it on top of the Pork. Mix until every strip of meat is thickly coated in the Batter.

6.) Peel the Garlic and finely mince it. Place the minced Garlic in a bowl and add the Sauce ingredients (Rice Vinegar, White Vinegar, Shaoxing Rice Wine, Dark Soy Sauce, Sugar, and Salt), mixing thoroughly until the Sugar dissolves.

7.) Fill a seasoned wok about 1/2 full with Peanut Oil and heat on medium-high until hot. Carefully, slide in the strips of battered Pork, one at a time, around the outer edge of the wok, and fry them in batches for about 2 – 4 minutes until crispy. Remove the Pork strips from the Oil and set them aside on a wire rack.

(By adding the Pork around the sides of the wok, you will be less likely to have pieces clumping together. The pieces will naturally float towards the center, so if you start the pieces near the sides, the batter will be partially cooked before the pieces reach the center. You can also use chopsticks to help break apart any pieces that stick together. If you’re worried about Oil splashing when adding the Pork, keep your hand close to the surface of the Oil and slide them into the wok. DO NOT drop them. A tip I learned in the US from a Chinese American chef is to keep one hand coated in batter, as the batter will act as a shield and prevent burns).

8.) With all of the Pork strips resting on a wire rack, drain the hot Oil in the wok by pouring it into a metal pot through a wire strainer. Return the wok to heat and immediately add the Ginger-Scallion Slurry.

9.) Once the Ginger-Scallion Slurry is hot and bubbling, add the Sauce, increase the heat to high, and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil and reduce the Sauce until it’s quite fragrant.

10.) Add 1 tablespoon of the Corn Starch Slurry, mix, and allow the Sauce to thicken until it easily coats the back of a spoon. Finally, add another tablespoon of Corn Starch Slurry and allow the Sauce to thicken considerably until it resembles the consistency of ketchup. Quickly stir in the Scallion Oil and the Sweet and Sour Sauce is complete.

11.) Return the fried strips of Pork to the wok and toss in the Sweet and Sour Sauce, until every piece is coated. Add the Sesame Seeds, quickly mix one final time, and then plate the Sweet and Sour Pork.

12.) Optionally, you can Garnish with Scallion and Sesame Seeds. Regardless, serve immediately along with bowls of rice.

 

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