Korean Sweet and Sour Pork (Tangsuyuk), Made with Monk Fruit Sweetener
International dishesFried DishesKoreaabout 50 minutes
In Korean sweet and sour pork, the crisp coating is the thing to protect. Sauce poured on early softens the pieces at once, and a thin sauce slides off the meat instead of clinging.
The potato flour is mixed with water and left to settle until it thickens before it meets the pork, and that is what gives the coating its proper crunch. The sauce goes on only after the pork is fried golden, or it is served alongside as a dip.
This batch weighs about 3kg, at roughly 82 calories per 100g. It suits a weekend family dinner.
Method
Wash and peel the carrot and cut it into thin bite sized pieces. Soak the cucumber in salted water, rinse it, peel it and slice it thinly. Peel the pineapple, take 2 rings and cut them in half.
Rinse the wood ear mushrooms, soak them until soft, trim the hard ends, rinse again and cut them into bite sized pieces.
Season 450g pork with salt, 2g finely minced ginger and black pepper for about 15 minutes.
Mix 125g potato flour with water and leave it to thicken slightly, then combine it with the pork, stirring steadily so the batter does not clump.
Heat the oil and test it with a piece of pork, which should send up strong bubbles.
Lower the pieces in one by one and fry until golden and crisp on both sides, then lift them onto paper towel.
Make the sauce: heat a pan with a little cooking oil, add the carrot, onion and wood ear mushrooms and stir for 1 minute, then add the apple and stir for another minute.
Pour in water, add 45g kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 45ml white vinegar, 30ml soy sauce and a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. Mix a little potato flour with water, pour it in and stir until the sauce thickens.
Turn the heat to medium, add the pineapple and cucumber and stir for 1 minute, then add 15ml sesame oil and stir for another 10 seconds.
Pour the sauce over the pork, or keep it separate as a dip.
Tips
Potato flour gives the signature crisp shell, and tapioca starch stands in.
Judge the starch slurry carefully, since too thick turns the sauce gluey and too thin will not cling.
Do not cook the vegetables long, as their crunch is what makes the plate.
Mix the potato flour with water, let it settle, pour off the clear liquid and use the thick paste at the bottom.
For pork that stays crisp, keep the sauce separate and dip piece by piece.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.