← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 400 g pork loin, sliced 1 cm thick, then lightly pounded
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 60 g plain flour
• 2 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 120 ml cold water
• 750 ml neutral oil, for frying
• 4 tbsp Ketchup
• 3 tbsp Chinese red vinegar or rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp Hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 3 tbsp Water
• 1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Method

1. Mix the pork with the oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, salt, sugar, white pepper and cornflour and leave for 20 min.
2. Whisk the flour, cornflour, baking powder and salt with the cold water into a smooth batter, about as thick as double cream. Stir the sauce ingredients together.
3. Heat the oil to 180°C (350°F). Dip the pork into the batter, let the excess drip off and fry in batches for 3–4 min, until golden, crisp and cooked through. Drain on a rack.
4. Pour all but 1 tsp of oil out of the wok. Add the sauce and stir over medium heat for about 1 minute, until it bubbles and turns glossy.
5. Turn off the heat, add the pork and toss quickly to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve straight away while still crisp.

Tips

• Toss the pork in the sauce at the last moment; it softens the batter if it waits.
• Thin pork chops, bone removed, are the traditional cut.
• Use a deep, heavy pan no more than a third full of oil, never leave it unattended, and keep a lid nearby.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Made With Lau Christine's Recipes