Pork in Changchun sauce, a famous Northeastern dish with a long history, is loved by diners for its mellow sauce, firm meat and melt-in-your-mouth texture. While making Changchun pork may seem complicated, everyone can make this mouth-watering delicacy at home if they master the key steps and techniques.

First Step: Selection and Preparation

The raw material is the key to good or bad meat sauce. Choose fat and lean pork, the ratio of fat to lean is about 3:7. Wash the pork and cut it into long, even strips, about 5 centimeters wide and 10 centimeters long.

Next, making the sauce is the soul of the meat in the sauce. Pour the rock sugar into a pot and stir-fry slowly over low heat until it melts into a caramel color. Add the water, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sweet noodle sauce, and mix well. Add cinnamon, sesame leaves, star anise, peppercorns, ginger and other spices, pour in cooking wine and moderate salt, simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Marinate for flavor

Place the meat strips in the sauce and soak for more than 4 hours. During this time, turn the meat strips every hour to ensure they are evenly flavored. The longer the marinade, the more flavorful the meat will be.

Step 3: Air-drying

Remove the meat strips from the marinade, drain them, and hang them in a cool, airy place to dry. Allow the meat to air dry for 2-3 days until the surface of the meat becomes dry and firm. This step allows the sauce to penetrate deeper into the meat while removing excess moisture, resulting in a firm texture.

Step 4: Steam to Cook

Place the air-dried strips in a steamer basket and steam over high heat for about 2 hours until the inside of the strips are cooked through. During the steaming process, the sauce will ooze out of the surface of the meat strips, making the sauce red and attractive.

Step 5: Re-fry the meat for color

Re-fry the steamed meat in hot oil for about 2-3 minutes, until the meat is golden brown and crispy. This step allows the meat to become crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the sauce to become more flavorful.

Step 6: Plate the meat

Take the meat out of the frying pan, drain the oil, and cut it into slices for plating. At this point, the sauce meat color red, sauce is rich, fragrant. With shredded green onion, cilantro and cucumber strips, an authentic Changchun pork in sauce is ready.

Tips:

When making the sauce, the ratio of soy sauce to sweet flour sauce can be adjusted according to personal taste, with more soy sauce for those who prefer a heavier salty taste and more sweet flour sauce for those who prefer a sweeter taste.

During the air-drying process, pay attention to ventilation and coolness to avoid bacteria growth on the meat strips.

When deep-frying, the oil temperature should not be too high, so that the meat strips will not be battered or burnt.

The meat in the sauce can be served with different side dishes, such as sauerkraut and shredded radish, according to personal preference.

The meat can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container, so that it can be eaten on the go for a better flavor.