Crispy Plum Pork with a Chinese Green Apple Salad

This was a case of taste association. I felt like pork, which goes well with apple. But as a twist I wanted to use green apples. Green apples, which tends to be more sour, goes well with sour plum powder. And there you go – crispy plum pork with a green apple salad.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• About 300g of pork loin
• Corn Flour
• Egg
• Japanese Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 a Green Apple
• Chinese Black Vinegar
• Honey
• Ginger Powder
• Sour Plum Powder

Getting it Done! (Crispy Plum Pork)

1. Cut the pork into 1 finger thick slices
2. Power Tip: Use a meat tenderizer to flatten out the pork pieces. This ensures that the meat will be cooked through and tender when deep frying. Otherwise, the pork could be under cooked
3. Prepare a dry seasoning by mixing 4 teaspoon of plum powder, 1 teaspoon of five spice powder and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper
4. Mix well and sprinkle liberally on both sides of the pork slices
5. Set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour
6. Over a medium flame, heat up 4-5cm depth of oil (any vegetable, peanut or palm oil works)
7. Put corn flour, a beaten egg and Japanese bread crumbs into 3 separate bowls
8. Power Tip: To bread anything, always follow this sequence: flour, egg, breadcrumbs.
9. To test that the oil is hot enough, insert a wooden chopstick. If bubbles are rapidly coming out, its ready
10. Gently place the breaded pork into the oil, 1 piece at a time. Do not over crowd, leave space in between each piece
11. Remove, drain off excess oil and leave on drying rack to rest

Getting it Done! (Green Apple Salad )

1. Cut the green apple into half and set aside
2. Use a mandolin to thinly slice the apple
3. Stack the slices, cut ‘matchstick’ thick pieces (julienne)  and set aside
4. Power Tip: Soak the matchsticks into a salt solution to prevent browning (stir 3 teaspoon of salt into 1/2 cup of water)
5. To make the dressing, whisk 2 tablespoons of Chinese black vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, and a generous pinch of ginger powder in a medium bowl
6. Whisk well until all the ingredients are incorporated
7. Taste and adjust accordingly
8. Dress the apple just before serving
9. Assemble and its Done!
10. For another fun recipe for apples, check out my apple matchstick fries

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