肉絲 (Rou Si)

Many Chinese dishes, such as lo mein, rice noodles, soups, and stir-fries, call for marinated pork slivers [1]. At home I tend to make these pork slivers in large batches and freeze them for later use—having a stash of cooked pork slivers at the ready is a great time-saver when putting dinner together on busy weeknights.

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin or tenderloin
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda (optional)
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

The key to this recipe is cutting thin slivers! Pork loin is a lean cut of meat, and large, irregular pieces can get overcooked and tough. Additionally, large pieces of cooked pork will not freeze as well. We are aiming to julienne the pork into slivers no more than ¼ inch wide. Start by trimming the pork loin or tenderloin, removing any excess fat, connective tissue, or silverskin. Then cut against the grain to make slices of pork ¼ inch thick. If you’re having trouble getting thin slices, you can place the pork in the freezer for 30 minutes or so, which will make the meat firmer. Turn the pork slices and cut the pork again, making slivers with a cross-section of about ¼ inch by ¼ inch. If you have any slivers longer than about 2 inches, cut them in half. Then place all the julienned pork in a large bowl.

Next, we will marinade the pork. Add the marinade ingredients to the bowl: soy sauce, white pepper, cornstarch, sugar, and wine. Optionally, to get the ultra-tender pork slivers you’ll find in restaurant-style dishes, add 1 tsp of baking soda to the marinade. Baking soda increases the pH and denatures the proteins on the surface, preventing them from further polymerizing when heated. For small pieces of meat with a high surface area to volume ratio, this surface effect will noticeably change the texture of the entire piece of meat, resulting in a tender and juicy texture. If you are using baking soda, don’t overdo it—too much will make the pork bitter! Mix the pork thoroughly with the other ingredients and set aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.

When you’re ready to cook, heat about 1 tsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is up to temperature, add the pork in a single layer. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may have to work in batches. Fry the pork without moving it for about 1 minute. Once the first side has cooked and the pork has colored, begin tossing the slivers. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes more, tossing constantly, until the pork slivers are just cooked through. Salt to taste, but remember that this recipe should not be salted very heavily since these pork slivers will be used in other dishes and seasoned again. Remove from the heat and set aside. The pork can now be used immediately in another recipe. If you are not planning to do so, let the pork cool and then refrigerate or freeze it for later use.

[1] Rou si (肉絲) are sometimes translated on menus as “shredded pork” or “pork shreds,” despite being cut, not shredded.

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 5 min Total Time: 35 min
(+20 min inactive)

Difficulty: 2/5

Heat Sources: 1 burner

Equipment: skillet or pan

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin or tenderloin
1 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda (optional)
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
Vegetable oil
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Trim away any fat or connective tissue from the outside of the pork loin.

2. To julienne the pork, start by cutting the pork against the grain into slices ¼ inch thick. If you are having trouble slicing thinly, place the pork in the freezer for 30 minutes to make the meat firmer.

3. Cut the slices again to make ¼ inch by ¼ inch slivers. If any slivers are longer than 2 in, cut them into two.

4. In a large bowl, combine the julienned pork with the soy sauce, white pepper, cornstarch, sugar, baking soda, and wine. Mix well and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

5. Heat about 1 tsp vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, add the pork in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Fry the pork without moving it for about 1 minute.

6. Start tossing the pork and cook for 1-2 more minutes, or until the pork slivers are just cooked through, salt to taste, then remove from the heat.