If you ever go to Korea and want to get a Chinese takeaway, this delicious dish would be on the menu. Korea has very specific Chinese takeaway dishes that I’ve not seen anywhere else. Those include Jjajangmyeon (black bean noodles), Jjampong (spicy seafood noodle soup) and this gem, crispy pork in a tangy, sweet sauce.
This tastes unlike any other sweet and sour pork I’ve had and I think it’s the way the sauce is made with cucumber which gives it a really fresh taste. The pork is super crispy thanks to potato starch batter and double frying.
Now, you know how everyone here has their own opinion on whether cream or jam goes first in a scone? Well, this is Korea’s version of this.
Some people (like me) prefer the sauce on the side and dip the pork in it to keep maximum crispiness.
While the other side (incl my mum) prefer pouring the sauce all over.
Which team would you be on?
Recipe for 2 people:
130g potato starch
250ml of water
1/2 egg
400g pork fillet, sliced into thin strips
1 thumb of ginger, grated
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs mirin
salt and pepper
Sauce:
250ml water
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs apple vinegar
3 tbs sugar
1/2 onion, cut into chunks
1/2 large carrot sliced at an angle
1/4 cucumber sliced
1/2 tbs potato starch mixed with 1/2 tbs water.
First of all, mix potato starch with water. Cover and set aside for about 3-4h or do it overnight.
Slice pork into small, bite-sized strips and marinate with ginger, garlic, mirin and salt and pepper. Put in the fridge for an hour.
Add carrots and onion to water in a small saucepan. Add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and mix. Let it simmer for 5 min. Depending on how sweet or our tangy you like the sauce, now is the time to adjust. Once it’s to your taste, set aside.
Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a saucepan, heat to 180C.
Take the starch from the fridge and pour water away carefully, leaving just the starch at the bottom. The water should be clear and separated from the starch.
Mix starch with about half a scrambled egg and mix until thick, pancake batter consistency, if too runny, and a bit more potato starch.
Dip pork in the batter, then fry for 2 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd, work in batches.
Take out and keep on kitchen towel.
Do this until all pork is fried.
Then get the oil back to 180C and fry all the pork in one batch again, for 2 mins.
Double check the pork is cooked.
Set aside on kitchen towel.
Now bring the sauce back to boil, add starch slurry and boil. It should be thickened after a few minutes. Add cucumber and turn off the heat.
Serve immediately and I leave it up to you how you want to serve it.
