Make sweet and sour pork the authentic Chinese way

ASK ANY Chinese kid what his or her favorite dish is, and the answer is very likely to be sweet and sour pork tenderloin, or tang cu li ji in Pinyin (phonetic Mandarin). The boneless meat, the rewarding sweetness and the enticing sourness - all are the things that children cannot resist.

SWEET AND SOUR PORK TENDERLOIN

2 pounds pork tenderloin (about 6 pieces)

Cornstarch

Cooking oil

Salt

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoons vinegar

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

4 scallions, chopped (green and white portions)

Chop pork into long strips. Marinate for 15 minutes in cooking wine with a pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by mixing vinegar, a little salt and sugar together till sugar dissolves.

Pour a generous amount of cooking oil into a frying pan and heat on medium-to-high heat.

Dredge marinated pork strips in cornstarch and deep-fry in the pan until surface turns white. Remove from pan and drain well, making sure the strips are not sticking together.

Now refry the pork strips in the oil until surface turns golden.

Warm a tablespoon of oil in a second pan. Add ketchup, the sauce mixture and some water. Stir gently until sauce thickens and turns red.

Put fried pork strips into that pan, quickly stir-fry and serve, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serves two.