Sweet and Sour Pork

SAVORY

Jun 22

Pork Belly, Vinegar, Apricot, Cranberry, Pepper, Onion, and Pineapple

Chef Johnny Lee of Pearl River Deli | Los Angeles

Diving hard into Chinese food media, Chef Johnny Lee came across dried hawthorn berries. With a strong tartness, the berry is considered medicinal and crops up in Chinese teas, juices, jams, and candy. It’s also a main ingredient of traditional Cantonese sweet and sour sauce. At Pearl River Deli, Lee throws the berries into his sweet and sour pork. “I tried to incorporate an ingredient that was less commonly used here in the United States,” he says. Lee combines the berries with vinegar, sugar, and apricot and cranberry jams. While the marinated pork is coated in cornstarch and fried twice in a wok to render it crispy, the sweetness of blanch-fried bell peppers, onions, and pineapple cut through the vinegar. Tossed in the sauce, every bite of the pork sings with the sour-apple-like notes of the hawthorn berries, striking a richer balance than the typical Americanized version.

INGREDIENTS:

Pork Belly:
1 pound pork belly, skin-off and cut in ½ cubes
½ tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry
Cornstarch
Neutral oil

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
½ cup distilled white vinegar
110 grams dark brown sugar
¼ cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce or jam
1 cup dried hawthorn berry (optional)

To Assemble and Serve:
Bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks
White onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
Pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
Neutral oil
Cornstarch slurry (1:1 cornstarch to water

METHOD:

For the Pork Belly:
In a large, nonreactive container, combine pork belly cubes, salt, sugar, and shaoxing wine . Cover and let marinate overnight or at least 1 hour. Dust pork with cornstarch and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to allow it to stick. Meanwhile, in a wok, heat oil to 325°F, using enough to cover the pork. Fry the pork pieces slowly, until they begin to float. Remove from oil, drain, and spread out on a tray. Let cool for at least 15 minutes or until it reaches room temperature. Reheat oil to 375°F and fry pork again for 1 minute or less until pork becomes even crispier. Remove from oil.

For the Sweet and Sour Sauce:
In a bowl, mix all ingredients and 1 cup of water. Transfer to a pot then bring to a boil. Continue to cook until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Adjust seasoning.

To Assemble and Serve:
Using the same oil used to fry pork, quickly blanch fry the vegetables and pineapple. Remove and allow to drain. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water to make a slurry. Set aside. Heat a clean pan or wok with a thin layer of oil. Add the Sweet and Sour Sauce and allow it to boil. Add vegetables, pineapple, and Pork Belly and toss to coat with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Add the cornstarch slurry a little at a time, tossing, until the Sweet and Sour Sauce thickens to desired consistency. The Sweet and Sour Sauce should cover the Pork Belly and stick to it without dripping off or being overly thickened.

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