Crunchy and Tangy Lemon Pork

Lemon Pork.png

Today’s RECIPE is Lemon Pork. This crunchy and tangy version is a family favorite at Chinese restaurants. Cook it at home and you can have as much lemon sauce as you like.

Recipe by Mama Ding

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Total Time | 1 hr 50 mins

Prep Time | 10 mins + 1 hr marinate time

Cook Time | 40 mins

Servings : 3 - 4

Ingredients

  • 600 g (1.3 lb) pork shoulder, sliced into 2.5 cm/1 inch thick pieces

  • 1 large fresh lemon (for garnish)

    For the Marinade, combine the following in a bowl ~

  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce

  • pinch of salt

  • 2 tsp sugar

  • 1/2 tsp white pepper powder

  • 2 tbsp cornstarch

  • 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine/Huatiao wine

  • 2 tbsp grated ginger

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

    For the Lemon Sauce ~

  • juice of 2 large lemons

  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

  • 3 tbsp sugar or to taste

  • 2 tsp custard powder

    To coat the pork cutlets ~

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

  • 2 tbsp rice flour

  • 1 cup (120 g) plain flour

  • 1 cup (120 g) cornstarch

Method

01 Use a meat mallet or the back of your knife to hammer a few times on the sliced pork pieces.

Place all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add in the pork slices.

Marinate meat for at least 1 hr at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. If marinating in the refrigerator, remove from fridge 2 hrs before cooking time.

02 Break the egg for the coating into a bowl. Beat lightly. Dip the meat in the beaten egg. Coat evenly on both sides.
Combine the rice flour, plain flour and cornstarch in a large container. Mix well. Coat the egg-dipped meat with the flour mixture. Coat evenly.
Shake off excess flour and place on a tray. Do not overlap.

03 In a wok/pot, heat up enough cooking oil for deep frying (3 or 4 cups). When the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium.
Gently slide in the coated meat. Deep fry until crispy and golden brown, flipping over 1 or 2 times so that both sides are evenly browned.

Fry 2 or 3 pieces at a time. Do not crowd the wok/pot. Remove from heat when golden brown and drain on a wire rack.

04 To prepare the Lemon Sauce:

Put the lemon juice, zest, sugar and custard powder in a small saucepan.
Bring to the boil and simmer on medium heat. Stir constantly while cooking. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat and set aside.

05 To serve the Lemon Pork:

Place some lettuce on your serving plate. Slice the meat into bite-sized pieces.
Drizzle lemon sauce over the meat before serving. Best serve hot.

Garnish with lemon slices.

Notes

Replace the pork with chicken legs (bone in or boneless) to make Lemon Chicken. If using whole chicken leg, make some criss cross slits on both sides of the meat before marination.

You can cook a large batch of the lemon sauce and store in a clean lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to a month. Reheat before using.

Main Dish, PorkMama DingComment