Crispy Fried Pork with Red Fermented Rice
A Fujian specialty of pork fat marinated in red yeast rice, dipped in a light batter, and fried until crisp. The finished pieces have a red-golden hue and a tangerine-like shape.
Ingredients
pork fatback (cut into rectangular slices 5 cm long and 2.3 cm wide)
150g
red fermented rice (for marinating)
45g
white sugar (for marinating)
65g
salt (for marinating)
a pinch
all-purpose flour (to make a thin batter)
130g
red food coloring (for thin batter)
a pinch
baking powder (for thin batter)
a pinch
sesame oil (to drizzle after frying)
a pinch
lard (for frying at high heat)
500g
Instructions
1
Marinate the fatback
Cut the pork fatback into rectangular slices 5 cm long and 2.3 cm wide, mix the red fermented rice, sugar, and salt into a marinade, toss the fatback in the marinade, and let it marinate for one day. Do not marinate for too long or too short: over-marinating will make it too salty, while under-marinating will result in poor flavor absorption.
2
Prepare the batter
Place flour, red food coloring, and baking powder in a bowl, add water, and stir into a thin batter.
3
Coat and fry
Heat the lard to a moderate temperature, dip each piece of marinated fatback into the thin batter, then place it into the oil, fry until crispy over high heat, remove, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve on a plate.
