Fried Pork Spareribs With Salt And Pepper

I had a craving to prepare a Chinese dish.   We usually order fried pork spareribs whenever we eat out. I found an easy to follow recipe in Yummy Magazine.  So glad I made this dish, it turned out delicious without being too oily and greasy.  The pepper and vegetable toppings added a new dimension to the dish.  Will definitely be adding this recipe to our favorite home cooked pork dishes. 

Here's the recipe.

500 grams pork belly, skin removed and meat sliced into 2x2-inch pieces
1 tsp meat tenderizer
1 tsp five spice powder or ground cinnamon
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsps ginger juice
2 tsps liquid seasoning
2 tbsps gin
1 tbsps sesame oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten
5 cups cooking oil, for deep-frying
1 cup cornstarch

For the topping
1 tsp Szehcuan peppercorns or black peppercorns
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1 stalk leek, sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 finger chili, sliced into rings

1. Mix together pork belly, meat tenderizer, and the rest of the seasonings.  Marinate overnight. When ready to cook, mix pork with beaten egg.

2. Heat oil in a deep pan.  Dredge pork with cornstarch and fry.  Drain on paper towels, keep warm.

3. Make the toppin: Heat the wok or frying pan. Saute peppercorns until just fragrant.  Pound using a mortar and pestle until in powder form, add salt then set aside. 

4. Using the same wok or pan, heat oil and fry garlic until golden brown. Toss in leeks, chili and peppercorn-salt mixture.  Toss in fried pork, then transfer to a serving platter.