Tender and juicy morsels of pork, lusciously coated with a traditional sweet, tart and smoky sauce makes this a perfect dish for any occasion.

The pig is a symbol of abundance, therefore this pork dish is an auspicious symbol of prosperity.

Ingredients

• 450g pork tenderloin or pork spare ribs, cut into 1cm thick slices
• oil for deep frying
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds, (optional)

Marinade

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Sauce

• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
• 1/2 tablespoon plum sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon chilli sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet bean sauce or hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons black vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 pinch Chinese five-spice powder, (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water

Method

• Pound pork slices with mallet, or with the back of a kitchen knife until tender. Set aside. In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients, add in pork slices, mix well, and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• •In a separate bowl, mix the ingredients for the sauce. You may add more or less sugar, or other sauce ingredients to your own liking. Set sauce mixture aside.
• Heat up a wok with enough oil, deep-fry pork slices for five minutes, or until colour changes to golden brown and slightly crispy. Dish up, drain with paper towels and set aside.
• Bring sauce to a quick boil, add deep-fried pork, and stir until all the meat is well coated with sauce.
• Dish up and sprinkle pork chops with some toasted sesame seeds. Serve with hot steamed rice.

This article first appeared in rasamalaysia.com

Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.