Dish of Pork Belly, Sweet & Sour
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Pork Belly, Sweet & Sour


China - Guangzhou

Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  
3 main
***
1 hr
Yes
A substantial and distinctly flavorful dish - serve with plenty of steamed long grain rice. You can vary the richness by what part of the pig you use (see Note-1) but it shouldn't be too lean.

1
------
1
2/3
1-1/2
------
10
4
5
1/4
4
------
2
2/3
1
3
1
------
3
3/4
1/2
1/4
------
1

#
---

t
T
---
oz
oz

in
cl
---
T
c
T
T
T
---
T
c
t
t
---
t

Pork belly (1)  
-- Marinade
Egg
Salt
Rice Wine
-- Aromatics
Bell Pepper
Bamboo Shoots
Scallions
Ginger root
Garlic
----------
Cornstarch
Oil, deep fry
Oil
Sugar
Oil
-- Sauce mix
Vinegar (2)
Stock
Salt
Pepper
-----------
Sesame Oil

Prep   -   (30 min)
  1. Score skin side of PORK BELLY closely, then cut into pieces about 3/8 inch thick, 3/4 inch wide and as long as the thickness of the belly. Each piece will have skin at one end.
  2. Beat EGG well. Mix together All Marinade items and then mix in the Pork. Set aside while you prepare everything else, turning now and then.
  3. Cut BELL PEPPERS into 1/2 inch wide strips 1-1/2 inch long. Slice BAMBOO SHOOTS thin and cut into strips a little narrower than the peppers. Slice SCALLIONS crosswise thin. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Slice GINGER thin and chop fine. Mix all Aromatics items.
  4. Mix together all Broth items.
Run   (30 min)
  1. Drain Pork and tumble with Cornstarch to coat.
  2. In a wok or spacious sauté pan heat deep fry Oil very hot. Stir in Pork and fry stirring until lightly browned all over and cooked through. Turn the heat down a bit as it browns, Don't fry too long or the skin will harden.
  3. Remove Pork and drain on paper towels. Remove Oil and wipe the the pan well.
  4. Heat 1 T Oil and fry Aromatics mix stirring for just a couple minutes. Peppers should be under-done. Stir Pork back in to mix, then remove all from pan and set aside.
  5. Rinse and wipe the pan. Stir in 1 T Oil and Sugar. Cook over moderate heat, stirring only a little, until the sugar is a light caramel color. Let cool some, then slowly stir in the Sauce mix. Bring to a boil and stir until the sugar is well incorporated (it will have hardened into lumps).
  6. Stir in the Pork mix until well coated with sauce. The cornstarch on the pork will thicken the sauce.
  7. Stir in the Sesame Oil and serve.
NOTES:
  1. Pork belly:

      Also called "uncured bacon" is readily available in East and Southeast Asian and Mexican markets. It may be sold as a slab or may be sliced but should not be sliced thinner than about 3/8 inch. I've also used the meaty boneless end of a side of pork spare ribs (less fat) with good results. For details see our Pork Belly page.
  2. Vinegar:

      This should be Chinkiang black vinegar (Gold Plum is a common and pretty good brand). If you don't have that use another rice vinegar, but flavor and color will be somewhat affected. For details, see our Sours page.
  3. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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