Deep fried pork belly is a popular appetizer in China. Its salty, meaty, hearty and rich flavors pairs nicely with a spicy sesame dipping powder!

Deep Fried Pork Belly
Ingredients
Pork Belly
- 1 lb pork belly
- 2” knob ginger, minced (1 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 egg white
- 1 tbsp cooking wine
- Pinch of white pepper
Batter
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 eggs
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup water
For Frying
- 4 cups vegetable oil
Dipping Powder
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp chili powder
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the pork belly. Slice the pork belly into thin strips, 2” to 3” long.
- Put the pork belly and ginger into a bowl. Add oyster sauce, soy sauce, egg white, cooking wine and pepper. Massage the mixture for several minutes to thoroughly mix the ingredients. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch, flour, baking soda, eggs and salt. Stir water while mixing, a little at a time, until the mixture reaches a batter-like consistency.
- Add the pork belly to the batter and stir to combine.
- Heat 4 cups of vegetable oil to a temperature of 350℉. Careful lower coated pork belly strips and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the batter is a pale yellow. Remove strips from the oil to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Turn the heat up and heat oil to 380℉. Return the pork belly strips and fry until they turn a golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan to paper towel-lined pan.
- In a skillet or wok, toast sesame seeds. Use a mortar, blender or grinder to turn them into powder. Mix in chili powder and salt.
- Dip the fried pork belly into the sesame/chili mixture before eating!
Here in the US, we eat pork belly mostly as bacon and salt pork. In many other countries, it’s eaten as a popular main dish or appetizer.
Suggestion: Twice-cooked pork belly is another Chinese dish brought to us by Yohungs Country Kitchen!
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