Tangsuyuk
Sweet and sour pork
Tangsuyuk (탕수육): crisp double-fried pork in sweet and sour sauce
Tangsuyuk is the star of Korean-Chinese restaurants, ordered with jajangmyeon for graduations and family celebrations since Chinese cooks settled in Incheon's Chinatown over a century ago. Strips of pork are coated in a thick potato-starch batter and fried twice until they shatter, then served with a glossy sweet-and-sour sauce full of vegetables and fruit. The pork marinade uses a spoonful of rice wine, which cooks off in the frying; leave it out or use extra ginger juice for an alcohol-free version. Koreans argue happily over pouring the sauce on (bumeok) or dipping (jjikmeok). The common mistake is pouring the sauce over too early: the crust softens in minutes. Chef's tip: soak the potato starch in water for an hour and pour off the water; the wet starch left behind gives the crunchiest batter.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz pork loin or tenderloincut into 1 cm x 6 cm strips
- 1 tsp ginger juicefrom grated ginger
- 1 tbsp rice wine (cheongju) or mirinor extra ginger juice for alcohol-free
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the batter
- 5 ½ oz potato starchsoaked in 300 ml water for 1 hour
- 1 litre neutral oilfor frying
For the sauce
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ carrotsliced
- ½ onioncut into chunks
- ½ cucumbersliced
- ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms (optional)soaked and torn
- 3 ½ oz pineapple chunks (optional)
- 2 tbsp potato starchmixed with 4 tbsp water
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz pork loin or tenderloin with 1 tsp ginger juice, 1 tbsp rice wine (cheongju) or mirin, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Cover and marinate in the fridge for 20 minutes.
20 minStep 2: Carefully pour the water off the settled 5 ½ oz potato starch, leaving the thick wet starch. Mix it with 1 egg white into a thick, stretchy batter, then coat the pork in it.
Step 3: Heat 1 litre neutral oil in a wok or deep pan to 350°F. Fry the pork in batches, dropping pieces in one by one so they don't stick, until pale and firm, about 4 minutes. Drain.
12 minStep 4: Raise the heat to 375°F and fry everything a second time for 2 minutes, until deep golden and crackling. Check a thick piece: the pork should be white right through, or 160°F on a thermometer. Drain on a rack.
6 minStep 5: For the sauce, bring 1 ¼ cups water, 5 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp rice vinegar and 1 tbsp soy sauce to the boil in a pan. Add ½ carrot, ½ onion, ⅛ oz dried wood ear mushrooms and 3 ½ oz pineapple chunks, if using, and simmer for 2 minutes.
3 minStep 6: Add ½ cucumber, then stir in 2 tbsp potato starch and keep stirring until the sauce turns glossy and translucent, about 30 seconds.
1 minStep 7: Serve the pork on a platter with the hot sauce in a bowl alongside for dipping, or pour it over just before eating.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tangsuyuk take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 75 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of rice vinegar?
- Cider vinegar with a pinch of sugar, same amount.
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