Cannabis-Infused Crispy Sichuan Pork
I had the strangest hankering for this fried pork dish recently. All I remembered was I had this dish in my youth and it was a treat because it had a thick, puffy batter, was deep fried, and had large chunks of mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns that would pop as I cronched into it.
I wasn’t quite able to pinpoint the recipe but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. When I reached out to my parents about this particular dish, dad responded nostalgically, “oh, that was grandpa’s dish. We used to beg for a piece fresh out the fryer. It’s so good.”
I don’t have my grandparents in this world anymore so I’ve been thinking of them a lot as we’re coming up on Lunar New year. It’s supposed to be a celebratory time for families and loved ones to come together, make offerings to our ancestors, and to eat symbolic foods. I won’t be able to enjoy the new year with my family this week for obvious reasons but I’ve been preparing my home regardless to welcome in familial spirits.
This double-fried Crispy Sichuan Pork is just one of the dishes I will be putting out as an offering on my table. I’m making it mine with the addition of my Sous Weed sesame oil as a finishing touch. I hope grandpa doesn’t mind!
Crispy Sichuan Pork out of the fryer, Photography by Monica Lo
Cannabis Infused Crispy Sichuan Pork, Photography by Monica Lo
Cannabis-Infused Crispy Sichuan Pork
Serves 4
Batter Ingredients:
• 2 cups sweet potato starch
• 1/4 tbsp white pepper, ground
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp salt
Pork Ingredients:
• 1 lb pork shoulder, sliced into thin strips
• 2 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp Sichuan peppercorns, roughly ground with mortar and pestle
• 1/2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• Canola or peanut oil
• 2 tsp Sous Weed sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
• Fine sea salt, ground
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine batter ingredients together, whisk until uniform. The batter should be thick like a custard. If it’s too thick to whisk, add a tsp of water at time until it loosens.
In a another mixing bowl, toss pork strips in Shaoxing wine, roughly ground Sichuan peppercorns, oyster sauce, and salt.
Add seasoned pork into the batter and mix well to coat.
Fill a heavy bottomed pot or wok 1/3 full with canola or peanut oil and heat to 350ºF. Using chopsticks, gently add the battered pork strips one at a time into the oil and fry for about 4 minutes. Fry 4-5 pieces at a time. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel lined tray. Repeat until entire batch is fried.
Increase the oil temperature to 375ºF, place the fried pork back in the oil to fry for 30 seconds or until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel lined tray.
In a large mixing bowl, toss fried pork strips with Sous Weed sesame oil, ground white pepper, and generous pinch of salt until fully coated. Serve hot.
