Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Fujian Lychee Pork
福建荔枝肉
Recipe overview
Fujian Lychee Pork is named for pork that opens like a lychee after cross-cutting and frying. It uses water chestnuts for crunch, never lychee fruit.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 500 g Pork shoulder
- 150 g Canned water chestnuts
- 80 g Green pepper
- 80 g Red pepper
- 2 cloves Garlic
Pork marinade
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
- 1 Egg white
Crispy coating
- 90 g Cornflour
- 30 g Cake flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 70 ml Water
Sweet-and-sour sauce
- 3 tbsp Ketchup
- 2 tbsp Rice vinegar
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 80 ml Water
Frying oil
- 1 L Vegetable oil
02
Tools
- Board and chef's knife
- Deep pot and oil thermometer
- Spider strainer
- Two mixing bowls
- Wok and spatula
03
Steps
Step 1
Cross-cut pork
Cut pork into 3 cm cubes; make four diagonal cuts on each face, two-thirds deep, leaving the base joined.
Step 2
Marinate pork
Mix pork with salt, Shaoxing wine and egg white; refrigerate 10 minutes.
Step 3
Prepare vegetables
Halve water chestnuts, cut peppers into 2 cm diamonds and mince garlic.
Step 4
Mix batter
Stir cornflour, cake flour, baking powder and water into a batter that lightly coats pork.
Step 5
Coat pork
Coat each piece, working batter into the cuts, then fry immediately.
Step 6
First fry
At 170°C, fry in batches for 3 minutes until cuts open and the surface is pale gold.
Step 7
Drain and reheat oil
Drain pork and raise oil to 190°C without stacking the pieces.
Step 8
Second fry
Refry 45 seconds until crisp and golden with a lychee-like shape; drain.
Step 9
Fry aromatics
Keep 1 tbsp oil in a wok; fry garlic 10 seconds, then peppers 40 seconds over medium heat.
Step 10
Reduce sauce
Add sweet-and-sour sauce and simmer 1 minute until small bubbles appear and it lightly thickens.
Step 11
Glaze pork
Add water chestnuts and pork; toss over high heat for 30 seconds, coating only the surface.
Step 12
Check and serve
Serve at once; the largest piece must reach 71°C with no pink juices.
Common mistakes
- Cutting through the base stops the pork from opening.
- Low oil temperature makes greasy pork; excessive heat burns the coating before the centre cooks.
- Over-reducing sauce creates a heavy sugar shell.
- Holding fried pork in sauce removes its crispness.
Tips
Pork shoulder has enough fat to stay tender. Water chestnuts are the crisp traditional accompaniment, not lychee fruit. The cross-cuts, two frying temperatures and 30-second final glaze create the characteristic shape and texture. Cool frying oil before filtering for reuse or discarding it under household rules.
