Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork. Delicious pork strips shallow fried and seasoned in a flavourful aromatic salt and pepper seasoning. These easy salt and pepper pork chops are quick to make in under 30 minutes and tasty. Great for dinner, lunch or leftovers!
Whenever we visit our favourite Chinese restaurant or order takeaway especially with these times, we always add salt and pepper fried pork to the list! It is such a must thanks to its savoury flavour with a hint of spice. So, I decided since I have a few salt and pepper recipes on the blog, why not add a salt and pepper pork recipe to the list?
My salt and pepper pork is a great main especially if you have it with some hot steamed rice and your favourite leafy greens! It’s the star of the meal thanks to its delicious flavour.
Easy to make!
You’re probably thinking these salt and pepper fried pork chops are difficult to make but believe it or not, they’re actually pretty easy!
You are basically marinating them in a quick 4 ingredient marinade. Then shallow frying in some oil until they are crispy. Once cooked, you will remove them from the pan. Next you’ll swiftly sauté your remaining aromatics and seasoning and add the pork back in for a stir fry. And that is it! Not hard at all if you ask me! And you save yourself a good $15 and a trip to the restaurant.
Shallow fried not deep fried
Now I know there are many Chinese salt and pepper pork chops recipes online but there are not many that are shallow fried. Most are deep fried salt and pepper pork chops. I’m not saying these are healthy by any means but if you’re trying to avoid deep fried food, this may help with the transition!
Tips for salt and pepper pork strips
I am going to share tips on how to cook salt and pepper pork chops but keep in mind, these are just guiding points:
- Use a cut of pork that is thin and marbled with fat. This is key to a juicy tender pork dish. If you use pork loins that are dry, then expect a dry salt and pepper pork.
- Use fresh ingredients. I always say this as it goes without saying but they really take your dish to the next level.
- Hammer that pork until it is thin. About 0.25 - 0.5 inches thick. When you tenderize this meat, it’ll make it much more easier to eat and it won’t take as long to cook preserving those juices inside the meat. This will take some time but totally worth it.
- You will have leftover cornstarch in your mixing bowls after coating your meat but this is normal. You want to ensure every crevice of that pork is covered in cornstarch for maximum crispiness.
- After your pork is golden crispy brown and cooked through, make sure to cut into a piece to check that it’s no longer pink inside.
- Sauté your aromatic for just 20-30 seconds. We are not cooking these. We only want to heat them up to soft and to bring out the flavour so they can seep into your salt and pepper pork stir fry
Other Pork recipes you may like!
NON-SPICY KOREAN PORK BULGOGI
TANGSUYUK KOREAN SWEET AND SOUR PORK
PORK KATSU ONIGIRAZU
PEKING PORK CHOPS
PORK AND SHRIMP DUMPLINGS
PORK AND SHRIMP WONTON
For this recipe
You will need the following salt and pepper pork ingredients:
- 750 grams marbled pork, with fat marbling through it (this is important)
- 2 red chilies, sliced
- 1 green chilli, sliced
- 2 stalk green onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger, sliced with skin on
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- ¼ cup Avocado oil, for frying, or neutral oil
- Optional: Salt and pepper to taste, if needed
Salt and pepper pork marinade:
- 2 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
Fry on each side until golden crispy brown, about 3 minutes. Over medium high heat.
How to cook salt and pepper pork
- Slice your pork into strips. Then tenderize with a meat hammer until it’s thin, about 0.25 to 0.5 inches thick. Transfer to your Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls by Finedine.
- Season the pork with your Chinese cooking wine first, salt and pepper. Give it a mix and then coat the pork strips with cornstarch. You will have leftover cornstarch and that’s normal. Make sure every crevice is coated in the starch to ensure maximum crispiness.
- In a pan set over medium high heat, add your avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully lower half your batch into the pan. Do not overcrowd your pan. Fry on both sides until golden crispy and no longer pink inside. Timing depends on your stove heat setting, but you’re looking at 6-12 minutes. Repeat process for next batch. Remove pork and place onto a plate.
- Leave about 1 teaspoon of residual oil in pan, then over medium heat fry your remaining ingredients starting with red chilli, green chilli, green onion, ginger, and sugar. Then deglaze with Chinese cooking wine. Mix everything together to fry for 20 seconds.
- Quickly add in pork strips and mix again, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a plate and serve hot. Enjoy! Season with more salt and pepper to taste, as needed.
Give it a try!
Well, I hope you give my Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork a try! It always excites me when you guys make my recipes and I hope this is one you try.
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Take care,
Christie
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Chinese Salt and Pepper Pork (30-min. Recipe)
Ingredients
- 750 grams pork with fat marbling through it (this is important)
- 2 red chili pepper sliced
- 1 green chilli sliced
- 2 stalk green onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon ginger sliced with skin on
- 1 teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup Avocado oil for frying, or neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry wine
- Salt and pepper to taste Optional
Marinade
- 2 tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine or dry sherry wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Slice your pork into strips. Then tenderize with a meat hammer until it’s thin, about 0.25 to 0.5 inches thick. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Season the pork with your Chinese cooking wine first, salt and pepper. Give it a mix and then coat the pork strips with cornstarch. You will have leftover cornstarch and that’s normal. Make sure every crevice is coated in the starch to ensure maximum crispiness.
- In a pan set over medium high heat, add your avocado oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully lower half your batch into the pan. Do not overcrowd your pan. Fry on both sides until golden crispy and no longer pink inside. Timing depends on your stove heat setting, but you’re looking at 6-12 minutes. Repeat process for next batch. Remove pork and place onto a plate.
- Leave about 1 teaspoon of residual oil in pan, then over medium heat fry your remaining ingredients starting with red chilli, green chilli, green onion, ginger, and sugar. Then deglaze with Chinese cooking wine. Mix everything together to fry for 20 seconds.
- Quickly add in pork strips and mix again, about 20 seconds. Transfer to a plate and serve hot. Enjoy! Season with more salt and pepper to taste, as needed.
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
This salt and pepper pork looks so crispy and flavorful! It will be a hit at my house!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls
What a fun weeknight dinner! I've never tried this, but I definitely need to... it looks absolutely AMAZING!
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Looks awesome, Christie!! I'm craving this crispy, salty pork now!! Yum!
christieathome
Thanks so much Katherine!
Kim
What pork cut do you usually use?
christieathome
I usually use pork shoulder as it contains a good marbling of fat through.