Savory and aromatic with a rich, layered fragrance, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
The "crispy" in the phrase "crispy on the outside, tender on the inside" can take many forms, but for a "tender-crisp" texture, you must look to the traditional Shandong cooking technique known as "soft-frying," with Soft-Fried Pork Tenderloin as its quintessential dish. Imagine that tender-crisp coating and the juicy, tender meat within... This recipe builds on the ingredient's natural flavor by increasing the marinade, resulting in an even more savory and delicious taste.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
200 g (about 7 oz) pork tenderloin
The pork tenderloin is the most tender cut of meat on the pig, located next to the loin. When making soft-fried pork tenderloin, try to use fresh, tender meat; besides the tenderloin, pork shoulder can also be used.
Marinade
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) Shaoxing wine
10 g (about 2 teaspoons) scallion-ginger water
Scallions, to taste
Ginger, to taste
2 g salt
pepper 1 g
2 g sesame oil
a small amount of egg white
These marinades are all essential—none can be omitted.
Seasonings for the soft-fry batter
60 g all-purpose flour
40 g cornstarch
1 egg
to taste
The more starch you use, the crispier the texture becomes, but for a soft-fry batter, you want a tender and fluffy result, so while you can adjust the ratio of flour to starch, always ensure the flour outweighs the starch.
Instructions
Instructions
Preparation
Step 1: Slice the pork tenderloin into pieces about 1 cm thick, then lightly score the surface in a crosshatch pattern (Image 2), and cut the meat into 1 cm wide strips (Image 3). Slice some scallion and ginger, place in a bowl, and soak to make scallion-ginger water (Image 4).
*Lightly scoring the surface of the meat helps it absorb flavor more easily. Be careful not to cut too deep—just a few shallow slits on the surface will do. Cut the meat strips wide, as they will shrink during cooking; if cut too small, you won't taste the meat and it will feel like eating fried dough sticks.
② Add the marinade ingredients to the meat strips in this order: cooking wine, scallion-ginger water, salt, white pepper, sesame oil, and egg white. Stir well to combine, then let marinate for about 30 minutes (Photo 5).
The key to great flavor lies in thoroughly marinating the meat; beyond the usual Shaoxing wine, salt, and egg white, be sure to add a generous amount of white pepper and sesame oil to create a complex, layered aroma. Additionally, use enough salt—even though the tenderloin can be dipped in Sichuan pepper-salt, insufficient saltiness will diminish the overall fragrance.
*The meat needs time to absorb the liquid, so add the ginger-scallion water slowly, stirring constantly as you go, to ensure the meat fully absorbs it. Note that meat quality varies, so you may not need to use all the ginger-scallion water. If during the process you notice the meat is no longer absorbing the liquid or even starting to release it, stop adding more.
Mix the batter for soft frying: In a bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, egg, and a little water, stirring until smooth and slightly thick, then let it rest for a few minutes.
Stir together the flour and cornstarch in a bowl, then crack in the egg (Image 6) and whisk until smooth with no lumps. Gradually add water while stirring until the batter reaches a consistency that clings to the chopsticks (Image 7).
The consistency of the soft-fry batter should be thick enough to cling to chopsticks, meaning it will also coat the meat strips, but don't make it too thick—it should still be able to drip off; if it's too thick, the texture after frying will be poor.
Coat the meat in batter and deep-fry in hot oil.
④ Pour plenty of oil into the wok and heat over high heat to about 350°F (180°C). Dip the marinated pork strips into the soft-fry batter and mix well (Image 8), then use chopsticks to quickly drop the strips one by one into the hot oil. Fry until the surface turns golden brown (Image 9), then remove and drain.
*Oil temperature should be slightly higher rather than lower, because pork tenderloin is very tender and cooks quickly—once the batter on the surface is crispy and golden, the meat inside is definitely done. If you're unsure how to gauge the oil temperature, the batter itself is a great tool for testing. Dip a chopstick into the batter and let a drop fall into the oil; if it sinks to the bottom and immediately floats back up, the oil is at about 60% of its maximum heat (around 350°F/175°C).
This technique can be flexibly applied to other ingredients as well.
Tender and delicate ingredients are all suitable for soft-frying, such as shrimp, chicken, and fish. The most common version is soft-fried shrimp. However, since shrimp are naturally tender and do not absorb much water, you can skip the scallion-ginger water and reduce the amount of Shaoxing wine accordingly. Therefore, the proportion of marinade seasonings should be adjusted based on the characteristics of the ingredient—never apply a fixed formula rigidly.