1 ts Red rice vinegar
2 tb Medium sherry
3/4 c Stock
Cornstarch paste
1 1/2 lb Boned pork butt
3 tb Peanut oil
3 Cloves garlic, minced
2 Egg yolks
1 ts Water
1 c Fine plain bread crumbs
4 c Oil for deep-frying
PASTE:
2 tb Cooked rice
1/2 ts Sugar
1 ts Dry baker's yeast
2 tb Dark soy sauce
2 tb Warm water
1 ts Wet bean cheese (opt)
The flavoring of the pork with our version of Fujinese "wine lees paste" gives it a distinctive and uniquely delicious flavor.
Prepare Paste: Use mortar and pestle to pulverize cooked rice. Combine with sugar, yeast, soy and warm water. Let stand in warm place for 30 minutes to activate yeast. Authentic wine lees paste is not available in the U.S. to our knowledge, this is the best substitute we have found. You can add wet bean cheese for a sharper flavor.
Braise Pork: Slice pork butt across the grain into strips, 1" by 3" by 1/2" thick. Heat peanut oil in wok until it begins to smoke. Add some of pork to hot oil; stir-fry pieces until they lose their pink- ness; repeat in batches until all pork is browned. Next, add garlic to wok; stir briefly. Pour in wine lees paste, rice vinegar, sherry and stock; bring to slow boil; add pork slices. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove pork, without sauce, to large platter. Cool pork. Cooling is essential so that it will deep-fry properly. Reserve sauce in small pan. You can hold pork for several hours, if you wish to braise it in advance.
Deep-fry Pork: Heat deep-frying oil. While oil is heating, beat egg yolks with water; set out bread crumbs on platter. Dip pork pieces in egg mixture, then bread crumbs, to thoroughly cover. When oil is at deep-frying temperature, 375 degrees, slip in a slice of pork as a test: pork should lightly brown in about 1 minute. Place 6 pork slices on Chinese strainer, and lower into oil, strainer and all. Check in 2 minutes (browning should take slightly longer than test because strainer cools the oil). If you prefer to fry in larger batches, use more oil. Remove fried pork to warm platter, uncovered.
Finish: Reheat sauce, and pour over pork just before serving.
Fried Onion Mums Or Pom Poms
5 Yellow onions - medium to
-small onions - OR
2 Very large onions
4 c All-purpose flour
5 t Baking powder
2 T Paprika
1 t Garlic powder
2 t Greek seasonings
1 t Salt - or to taste
-black and/or Cayenne
-pepper - to taste
3 Eggs
1 1/2 c Milk
6 c -oil for deep frying
Cut off and discard the top half-inch of the onions. Peel them but do not cut off the root end. Place each onion, root end up, on a cutting board.
With a sharp, pointed knife, make vertical cuts all around the onion about a quarter inch apart. Start the cut a quarter-inch from the root for small onions or a half-inch from the root for very large ones. Make sure the knife goes into the center of the onion. Place all the onions in a large bowl of cold water, add ice cubes, cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. The onions will open up like mums. Drain upside-down when ready to proceed. In a large bowl, mix together thoroughly the flour, baking powder and spices. In another bowl, beat together the eggs and milk.
Dip the onions one by one into the egg mixture, opening the petals with your fingers; let the excess drip off, and place in flour. Work the flour mixture into the center gently with fingertips. Shake off excess flour and repeat egg dip and flouring, shaking off the excess thoroughly.
Half-fill a deep fryer or large, deep, heavy pot with oil. Heat the oil to 360F or until a small piece of dry bread turns deep gold in 15 seconds. Fry the onions without crowding them -- one at a time for large ones -- keeping them submerged with a spatula or by placing the frying basket on top of them. Plunge them in root end up and turn them over once. To serve at once, fry large onions for about six or seven minutes, small ones for five minutes, or until deep gold. Drain upside-down on paper towels; then invert on a serving plate. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the others.
Remove the centers of large onions with a very sharp knife. Small onions may be left whole or the center can be scooped out with a melonball cutter. If serving the next day, fry the onions until pale gold; do not fry completely. Let cool. When ready to serve, reheat the oil to 380F and fry the onions just long enough to heat and brown, about 15 seconds. Drain and serve. To get the same taste without making mums, simply cut onions vertically to make "petals" or crosswise and separate into rings. This can be done ahead and the petals or rings kept in ice water. Egg, flour and fry as above.
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Cornflake Crumbs Oil -- for deep frying 1/4 Cup Honey
Whipped Cream
4 Maraschino Cherries 1. Let the ice cream stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly.
2. Combine the cinnamon, sugar, and cornflake crumbs in a shallow pan.
3. Using an ice cream scoop, make 4 large balls of ice cream. Roll these balls in the crumb mixture to cover completely. Wrap in pieces of aluminum foil and freeze for 5 hours.
4. Heat the oil to 450 F in a deep fryer. As soon as it comes to heat, uncover the ice-cream balls and deep-fry very briefly-about 2 seconds. Drain momentarily and place in dessert dishes.
5. Top each ball with 1 tbs. honey, a little whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry. Serve immediately.
3 Cups Corn Flakes -- finely crushed 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
3 Egg Whites
Oil -- for deep frying 1 Cup Whipped Cream
1/2 Cup Honey
8 Maraschino Cherries Scoop ice cream into 8 balls, using about 1/2 cup per ball. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
In shallow dish, combine crumbs and cinnamon. In another shallow dish, beat egg whites until foamy. Roll ice cream balls in egg whites, then crumb mixture, covering ice cream completely to avoid leakage during frying. Roll in egg whites and crumbs a second time, if necessary to cover completely. Freeze until firm, 3 to 4 hours.
In deep fryer or heavy saucepan, heat oil to 375. Using basket or slotted spoon, fry ice cream balls 1 or 2 at a time for 10 to 15 seconds or until golden brown. Drain quickly on paper towels. Return to freezer while frying remaining ice cream balls. Serve immediately with whipped cream, honey and cherries.
Makes 8 servings.