Purple-Covered Pork
A classic Fujian specialty: pork belly is first braised to develop flavor, then coated in batter and deep-fried until crisp and purple in color, sliced, and arranged on a serving plate.
Ingredients
pork belly (about 500 g, trimmed neatly and sliced for plating)
1
eggs (mixed with flour into a thin batter)
2
Shaoxing wine
125 g
sugar
75 g
soy sauce (partly brushed on the pork, partly used for braising)
165 g
arrowroot starch (dusted onto the pork)
a pinch
flour (mixed with eggs into a thin batter)
25 g
stock
25 g
Instructions
1
Prep the pork
Trim the pork belly neatly and rinse it well. Blanch it in a pot of boiling water to draw out the blood, then remove and brush it all over with soy sauce.
2
Braise the pork
Heat a generous amount of lard in a wok over high heat, briefly pass the pork through the oil, then drain off the oil. Add the stock, soy sauce, sugar, and wine, and gently braise the pork over low heat until completely tender (about 1 hour). Remove and set aside.
3
Coat with batter and fry
Dust the braised pork with arrowroot starch, then coat it evenly with a thin batter made from the eggs and flour. Heat more lard in a separate wok over moderate heat, fry the pork until crisp and a deep purple color, then remove, slice, and arrange on a serving plate.
