Chapter 101 - Sweet and Sour Double Cooked Pork (2/2)

He first used his hand to add the excess starch into the pot, then deep fried it and fished it out. At this moment, a slightly golden color appeared on the surface.

Li Qing looked at the sauce and said, “I used to add ketchup when I was working at the restaurants previously. You are making sweet and sour sauce today. Aren’t you going to add it?”

Xu Le patiently explained, “After the chef went there, he discovered that no one cared about the pork he had cooked. Later on, he found out the reason and understood that it was because they had meals in a buffet style. He discovered that the pork had been placed on the buffet table for too long, and the sourness had dissipated. The softness of the meat caused the flavor to be lost. Therefore, he innovatively used ketchup to add more flavors. He even changed the way he cooked, making this dish more compatible with the tastes of foreign guests at the buffet. From then on, it was brilliant and received many praises.”

After explaining the dish’s origins, Xu Le said in a serious tone, “The common practice nowadays is to replace it with ketchup. Although it tastes good, I personally think that only the authentic way would suit the taste of our countrymen. As for the ketchup version… it tastes more like pork in sugar and vinegar.”

“Hahaha.” Li Qing was amused by this analogy. He said, “You’re already making criticisms while cooking Double Cooked Pork.”

During the second frying, they had to wait for the oil temperature to drop a little before adding water to the pot and fishing it out. At this time, the edges of the surrounding area were slightly scorched yellow.

The Double Cooked Pork needed to be fried three times. After the second time, Xu Le would start the fire and increase the oil temperature until it was 80% hot before pouring the Double Cooked Pork in.

He had to wait patiently for a while. During the process of the deep-frying, he could use a spoon to slightly separate everything. When the surface of the meat was golden and crispy, he would be able to scoop it out and put it aside to drain the oil.

Li Qing watched carefully and memorized every step.

Xu Le added some oil into the pot and started to stir-fry the sauce to make the pork. He placed the prepared carrot shreds, scallions, ginger slices, and garlic into the pot to produce a fragrance. After there was sufficient fragrance produced, the surface of the various ingredients appeared golden and he immediately scooped them out with a ladle.

Then, he poured the prepared sweet and sour sauce into the pot and stirred it.

As a result of the sugar, the sauce would become slightly sticky in a few seconds.

Xu Le swiftly sprinkled the various ingredients that had been fried to a golden color onto the pork. Then, he poured the meat into the sweet and sour sauce and stirred it a few times.

When the surface of the meat was covered with the sweet and sour sauce, it would be ready to be served.

The fragrance of the rice vinegar and white vinegar was immediately released. The entire plate of pork did not have any juice leaking and were bright and shiny.

Li Qing silently swallowed his saliva as he watched from the side. After the plate was served, he first picked up a piece of meat to taste.

The meat was crispy outside. There was sweet and sour vinegar juice hanging on the meat that had been fried into the shape of a tiger’s skin. When he took a bite, it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The sweet and vinegar juice hung just right, neither thick nor thin, and the taste was extremely authentic.

Li Qing exclaimed in his heart and said with a look of admiration, “Amazing, all the taste is just right!”

After swallowing it, there was a faint fruity fragrance coming from the savory and sour pork. It was very magical.

“Can it be served as a dish?”

“It’s so delicious, you can definitely serve it!”

After Li Qing praised him, Lu Yuxi smelled the fragrance and said, “Let me try.”

She took a bite and said with a satisfied expression, “This is the taste. Previously, there was a Northeastern uncle in our canteen who made this dish in a very authentic way. Compared to this time’s… the one made by Xu Le is even more crispy and burnt. The sauce outside has a sour fragrance, but it’s not sour in the mouth. It’s great!”

Lu Yuxi said in admiration, “Xu Le, you’re too awesome!”

As soon as the pork was served on the table, everyone started fighting over it. The brownish and salty meat slices were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They were crispy and fragrant, sweet and sour, appetizing and authentic.

Immediately, a northeastern man with an accent gave a thumbs up and said, “That’s awesome. This pork is exactly what I had when I was young. It’s the same as what my mother made.”

“In my opinion, sweet and sour sauce is the most authentic cooking method. My family always likes to put ketchup in it. The color becomes so red that it doesn’t look appetizing anymore.”

The customers discussed among themselves and soon, the large plate of pork was finished..