Classic Chinese-Style Double-Cooked Pork Slices

Ingredients

• Pork tenderloin
• Scallion
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Carrot (optional)
• Cilantro
• White vinegar (Recommended to use 9-degree rice vinegar for a distinct rich acidity of the classic style)
• White sugar
• Cooking wine
• Salt
• MSG (optional)
• Potato starch
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Roasted white sesame seeds (optional)
• Cooking oil

Steps

1. **Prepare the Meat**:
2. Cut the pork tenderloin into uniform slices with a thickness of 8mm. Remove the white connective tissue.
3. Wash the meat slices with fresh water to remove blood and impurities.
4. Optional: Add 5g baking soda, mix well, and let sit for 5 minutes.
5. Rinse the meat 1-2 times with fresh water to remove excess baking soda.
6. **Marinate the Meat**:
7. Mix 3g salt and 5ml cooking wine into the meat slices, then marinate for 15 minutes.
8. **Coating**:
9. **Method 1 (Recommended)**:
10. Add 170g potato starch to an excess amount of water, stir well, and let sit for 60 minutes to allow the starch to settle and separate.
11. Pour out all of the top clear water, keeping only the bottom starch slurry (it behaves like a non-Newtonian fluid).
12. Put the meat slices in, add 5ml water, and add 3ml cooking oil. Stir everything together and mix well.
13. **Method 2**:
14. Mix 210g potato starch and 70g all-purpose flour.
15. Add water in small amounts at a time and stir until it reaches a yogurt-like consistency that stretches when lifted and forms a pile in the basin.
16. Add 10ml cooking oil and 1g baking soda, stir until homogeneous.
17. Put the marinated meat slices into the slurry, mix well to coat each slice evenly.
18. **Make the Sauce**:
19. Mix 65g white sugar, 55g white vinegar, 4g soy sauce, and 2g salt together. Stir well and set aside.
20. Optional: 4g water and 1.5g cornstarch can be added to make the sauce thicker.
21. **Prepare Garnish**:
22. Slice scallion, ginger, and carrot (long strips/flakes) and cut cilantro into segments.
23. **Deep Fry**:
24. **First Fry**:
25. Add cooking oil to the pot and heat to 170℃ (6/10 heat).
26. Place meat slices in the oil one by one. Fry until the surface is set and the batter doesn't stick to chopsticks, the meat floats up, and it turns a light yellow color. About 30 seconds (depends on slice size). Remove and set aside.
27. **Second Fry**:
28. Increase oil temperature to 200℃ (7/10 heat).
29. Add all meat slices to the oil and fry until the crust is golden brown and crispy. About 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.
30. **Third Fry (Optional)**:
31. Increase oil temperature to 220℃ (8/10 heat).
32. Quickly fry the meat slices again until you can see a red tinge through the gold on the exterior. About 30 seconds (depends on how well the oil maintains temperature). This enhances crispiness. Drain thoroughly.
33. **Stir Fry**:
34. Leave 20ml oil in the pot. Pour in the pre-made sauce. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sauce thickens, about 30-60 seconds.
35. Optional: Remove 1/2 of the sauce beforehand to make later stir-frying easier.
36. Add the fried meat slices, scallion strips, garlic slices, carrot strips, and cilantro segments. Pour in the removed sauce and quickly stir-fry 3 times to ensure the sauce evenly coats the meat slices.
37. **Serve**:
38. Transfer the Double-Cooked Pork to a plate. Sprinkle with roasted white sesame seeds (optional) and serve.