Chinese Fried Pork Nuggets (炸排骨)

Love sweet and sour pork? Try these Chinese Fried Pork Nuggets and serve them with your favorite dipping sauce on the side.

Don’t get me wrong—I love a good sweet and sour pork but I like my pork ultra-crispy.

So in my opinion, the best way to serve fried pork is to serve it naked with the sauce on the side. That’s a win-win situation right there.

Chinese Fried Pork Nuggets

Chinese Fried Pork Nuggets is similar to Taiwanese popcorn chicken, except it’s made with pork instead of chicken.

This is the perfect base recipe for making crispy and succulent fried pork.

What you do with it afterward is totally up to you.

You can eat it plain. Toss it with five-spice salt. Or serve it with a sweet and sour sauce on the side.

Frequently Asked Questions For Chinese Fried Pork Nuggets

What can I serve this dish with?

Serve this dish a side of vegetables such as Broccoli With Oyster Sauce and Cantonese soups such as Chinese Winter Melon Soup Recipe (冬瓜湯).

Can I prepare this in advance?

No. Deep-fried dishes should be prepared immediately before serving.

Can this dish be frozen?

No. Deep-fried dishes do not freeze well.

Fried Pork Nuggets

Elaine Fung

A no-fuss recipe for the ultimate in comfort food—fried pork nuggets.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Course Pork

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4 servings

Calories 690 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 375 Grams Of Boneless Pork Shoulder
• 2 Eggs Beaten Divided
• 1/2 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Cup Cornstarch
• 4 Cups Cooking Oil

Marinade

• 1/2 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Sugar
• 1/4 Tsp White Pepper
• 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 Egg Beaten

Instructions

 

• Prepare the marinade by mixing all the ingredients.
• Cut the pork into nugget size and mix well into the marinade.
• Put 1 1/2 beaten egg, flour, and cornstarch into 3 separate bowls.
• Coat each piece of nugget lightly with flour, then dip it into the egg, and then coat with the cornstarch, gently press the nugget in your palm to form some batter lumps.
• Heat oil in a wok to medium-hot.
• Coat again in cornstarch lightly before placing nuggets piece by piece into the oil.
• Leave nuggets to fry for 3 minutes until firm before loosening them up, continue frying for another 5 minutes until the nuggets are pale golden brown and firm to the touch of tongs.
• Remove nuggets with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate; remove and discard any loose batter from the oil.
• Heat oil to medium-high, and return nuggets to the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes till golden brown.

Notes

1. Pork shoulder is ideal for this recipe because the marbling keeps the nuggets tender.

2. Squeezing the cornstarch onto the nuggets make them a little lumpy and crispier.

3. Drop a small piece of batter into the oil and if the batter rises from the oil immediately, it is hot enough for frying.

4. Sometimes when all the nuggets are placed into the oil, they cool the temperature, it is necessary to adjust the heat so that there is continuous bubbling around the pork pieces, otherwise, the nuggets absorb the oil and become greasy.

5. Frying the first time in medium heat cooks the meat and keeps it tender, frying the second time in medium-high crisp the batter.

6. These nuggets are great on their own but they could be served with spice salt. Spice salt is a combination of equal parts of salt and five-spice powder heat in a dry pan on low heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant.

7. Deep frying is cooking food submerged in hot oil, so a wok is a good choice because its concave shape requires less oil than a flat-shaped pan.