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)
- Cut the pork into 1 finger thick slices
- 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
- 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
- Mix well and sprinkle liberally on both sides of the pork slices
- Set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour
- Over a medium flame, heat up 4-5cm depth of oil (any vegetable, peanut or palm oil works)
- Put corn flour, a beaten egg and Japanese bread crumbs into 3 separate bowls
- Power Tip: To bread anything, always follow this sequence: flour, egg, breadcrumbs.
- To test that the oil is hot enough, insert a wooden chopstick. If bubbles are rapidly coming out, its ready
- Gently place the breaded pork into the oil, 1 piece at a time. Do not over crowd, leave space in between each piece
- Remove, drain off excess oil and leave on drying rack to rest
Getting it Done! (Green Apple Salad )
- Cut the green apple into half and set aside
- Use a mandolin to thinly slice the apple
- Stack the slices, cut ‘matchstick’ thick pieces (julienne) and set aside
- Power Tip: Soak the matchsticks into a salt solution to prevent browning (stir 3 teaspoon of salt into 1/2 cup of water)
- 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
- Whisk well until all the ingredients are incorporated
- Taste and adjust accordingly
- Dress the apple just before serving
- Assemble and its Done!
- For another fun recipe for apples, check out my apple matchstick fries
Advertisements
