Guo Bao Rou (Northeast Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork)

Steps

▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.

1. 1
   Trim the silver skin from the pork loin and slice into 1/8-inch thick pieces.
   ▶ ≈1:00
2. 2
   Marinate the pork slices with salt, garlic powder, ground white pepper, baking soda, and Chinese cooking wine. Mix well and let sit for 15 minutes.
   ▶ ≈1:26
3. 3
   In a separate bowl, combine all sweet and sour sauce ingredients: sugar, cornstarch, water, vinegar, and salt. Stir until smooth and set aside.
   ▶ ≈1:44
4. 4
   Mix cornstarch with water in a separate bowl until smooth. Add the marinated pork and gently separate the slices with your hands to coat evenly. Let sit briefly until the mixture thickens.
   ▶ ≈2:23
5. 5
   Heat oil to 193°C (380°F) in a wok. As the oil heats, the pork will absorb more of the coating mixture. Fry the pork slices in 2-3 batches one by one until lightly golden, a few minutes per batch.
   ▶ ≈3:00
6. 6
   Remove the fried pork and let rest for 10 minutes on the side. The color should not be golden brown yet as it will be double-fried.
   ▶ ≈3:26
7. 7
   Increase the oil temperature to 204°C (400°F) and double-fry the pork for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
   ▶ ≈3:42
8. 8
   Remove the fried pork from the oil. Leave about 1.5 teaspoons of oil in the wok and use it to sauté the garlic slices and julienned ginger until fragrant.
   ▶ ≈3:57
9. 9
   Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.
   ▶ ≈4:11
10. 10
    Add the fried crispy pork back to the wok and toss thoroughly to coat with sauce. Garnish with julienned scallions and serve.
    ▶ ≈4:26