Guo Bao Rou (Plus Bonus Sweet & Sour Recipes)

Step 1

In a bowl, marinade the slices of pork shoulder by combining the salt, white pepper, and shaoxing wine. Mix thoroughly, gently squeezing the seasoning into the meat. Refrigerate and let sit for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 days.

Step 2

Make the sweet and sour sauce: In a small pot, combine vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil. There is no need to stir. Continue to boil until most of the vinegar flavor has evaporated, at least 2 minutes. Take off the heat, add lemon juice, and stir. Set aside.

Step 3

In a large metal bowl, combine potato starch and water. Mix well until combined. Leave the bowl on the counter and let it sit for 30 min until the water and starch have separated again. Pour off the excess water and keep the remaining oobleck (cornstarch-water slurry).

Step 4

In the bowl of marinated pork, gradually add oobleck to the pork and massage pork. Until a thin coating of starch batter barely coats each piece so you can faintly see pink. Add 1 tablespoon oil and mix well.

Step 5

Heat oil to 325°F in a wok or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature. Carefully drop slices of battered pork into the oil, frying until they flat and set in shape, about 2 minutes. Remove and let drain.

Step 6

Raise the oil temperature to 375°F and fry again to finish cooking the pork for another minute. Raise the oil temperature to 400°F. Fry one more time for color, about 30 seconds.

Step 7

In a wok or skillet, heat 1 Tbsp oil until shimmering. Add garlic and ginger. Stir-fry until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the prepared sweet and sour sauce, mixing vigorously until bubbles appear and the sauce thickens slightly. Add the fried pork, cilantro stems, and scallion whites to the wok. Toss to combine. Serve warm.