Fujian Recipe
Fujian Lychee Pork
Lychee pork is a Fujian sweet-sour pork dish named for the lychee-like shape and appearance of the cut pork, not necessarily for lychee fruit.
Recipe at a glance
| Purpose | High-frequency Chinese restaurant menu dish |
| Cuisine or format | Fujian |
| Menu variation rule | Protein may be adjusted without creating a separate recipe family. |
Ingredients
- 12 oz pork shoulder or loin
- 1/2 cup potato starch
- Oil for frying
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons ketchup or red yeast rice water, optional
- 1/4 cup water
- Garlic and scallions
Method
- Cut and lightly score pork pieces.
- Coat with potato starch.
- Fry until set, then fry again until crisp.
- Simmer vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, color ingredient if using, and water.
- Add aromatics.
- Toss pork quickly in sauce.
Variations and substitutions
- For chicken, beef, shrimp, pork, tofu, or mixed seafood variants, keep the same sauce logic and adjust the cooking time for the protein.
- For allergies or religious dietary needs, check sauces, broth, wrappers, cooking wine, and shared wok or fryer use.
- For takeout-style dishes, sauce texture matters: the sauce should coat the food rather than become a thin soup.