Jing Jiang Rou Si

Ingredients

• 400 g pork tenderloin
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 pinch ground white pepper
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp neutral oil, for the marinade
• 3 tbsp tianmianjiang (sweet flour paste)
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, for the sauce
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp water, for the sauce
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 8 spring onions, white parts only, cut into fine 6 cm strips
• 1 cucumber, cut into fine 6 cm batons
• 8 sheets fresh tofu skin

Before you cook

• Freeze the pork for 30 minutes so it firms up enough to slice cleanly.
• Slice the pork 3 mm thick against the grain, then stack the slices and cut them into fine matchsticks.
• Mix the pork with the light soy sauce, 2 tsp Shaoxing wine, cornflour, salt, white pepper and 2 tbsp water until it feels sticky.
• Stir the teaspoon of oil through the pork and leave it for 10 minutes.
• Whisk the sweet flour paste with 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, the sugar, 2 tbsp water and the dark soy sauce until smooth.
• Cut the spring onion whites and cucumber into fine strips and keep them cold.
• Cut the tofu skin into 12 cm squares.

Steps

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil and blanch the tofu skin squares for 2 minutes.
2. Drain them well and stack them on a serving plate.
3. Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a wok over high heat until it shimmers.
4. Add the marinated pork and spread it flat for 20 seconds without touching it.
5. Stir-fry the pork for 2 minutes, until no pink remains, then lift it into a bowl.
6. Turn the heat to low and pour the sauce mixture into the wok.
7. Stir the sauce for about 90 seconds, until it darkens, thickens and smells sweet rather than raw and floury.
8. Return the pork and toss for 30 seconds so every strand is lacquered.
9. Turn off the heat and stir through the sesame oil.
10. Pile the pork in the middle of a plate and ring it with the spring onion and cucumber.
11. Serve with the tofu skin so everyone wraps their own.