Crispy Chinese Salt & Pepper Pork Recipe: A Juicy Flavor Explosion by Jules All

I recently went to a Chinese restaurant with my Filipina Lola (grandmother) and Chinese Lolo (grandfather), and they ordered salt and pepper pork. I'd never tried it before, so I was thrilled when an explosion of flavor hit me. The zesty taste brought back so many memories from childhood, and I felt nostalgic for my Lola’s Filipino recipes and Chinese recipes.

Back at home, I couldn’t find a restaurant with this exact recipe, so I decided to make it myself. The outside of this Chinese salt and pepper pork recipe is super crispy, the inside is super juicy and the flavor explodes throughout the dish.

I know this recipe may look like a lot of work, but it is quick to make and takes only about 30 minutes. You need pork chops, rice wine, vegetable oil, cornstarch, salt, white pepper, vegetable oil, garlic and jalapeño peppers.

I served this succulent pork recipe with rice, and it was just perfect. This Chinese salt and pepper pork recipe is a delicious dinner that I plan on making again and again to remind me of my Lola and Lolo.

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Cuisine: Chinese
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless pork chops, cut into chunky strips
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon rice wine  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Salt and Pepper Seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Additional Ingredients Needed During Cooking

• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 jalapeños, sliced

Helpful Products

• Mixing Bowls
• Frying Pan
• Saucepan
• Garlic Press
• Slotted Spoon
• Salt and Pepper

Recipe Notes

• I used thick-cut boneless pork chops and cut them into chunky strips.

• If you don't have rice wine, you can use Shaoxing wine or dry sherry.

• You can serve this pork over rice or noodles.

Here's how to make it:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the pork strips, oil, rice wine, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and salt. Mix until the pork is evenly coated in the mixture, then marinate for 15 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, mix the salt and pepper seasoning.
3. Line a plate with paper towel. In a medium-sized pan, add 1/2 cup vegetable oil and heat up the oil over medium heat.
4. To the pan, add the garlic and peppers. Fry the garlic and peppers until garlic turns golden and peppers get crispy at the edges, about 2 minutes. Remove garlic and peppers from the pan with a slotted spoon. Put them onto the paper towel on the plate so the oil can drain, then transfer them to another mixing bowl.
5. To the original mixing bowl, add 1/4 cup cornstarch to the marinated pork chops, then toss to coat. To the pan, add the pork a few pieces at a time. Cook pork pieces for about 3 minutes on each side, until coating is crispy and golden.
6. Remove pork pieces from pan and place them on the paper towel on the plate to soak up the oil. After all pork pieces are cooked, place them into the bowl with the garlic and peppers.
7. Sprinkle the salt and pepper seasoning over the pork, peppers and garlic, to taste. You may not need the full amount to get the flavor you like, so be sure to test it before using all of the seasoning. Serve with rice or noodles.
   

Recipe cooking times and servings are approximate. To ensure image quality, we may occasionally use stock photography. Need to convert cooking and baking measurements? Here are some kitchen conversion charts. Here's how to submit your recipes to 30Seconds.

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