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Fried Pork Delights

Source of Recipe

From "Southern Fried" by James Villas


Recipe Introduction

"All Southerners (and many Southern restaurants) have in their culinary repertory what are called 'Oriental' dishes, and I don't know how long I've been playing around with these tangy pork nuggets that are marinated before being fried to a golden, slightly crispy finish. Served with any style of homemade or commercial barbecue sauce, the delights would certainly make a nice main course for four with lots of rice, but I personally think they're the perfect cocktail appetizer when eaten with toothpicks and dipped into a favorite barbecue sauce—or just Dijon mustard. Fry the delights just till they're golden; any longer and you risk their being tough."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 cup soy sauce
â—¦ 1 cup dry sherry
â—¦ 1 clove garlic, minced
â—¦ ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
â—¦ One 1 ½-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
â—¦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ Salt to taste
â—¦ Peanut oil for deep-frying


Recipe

In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sherry, garlic, pepper, and mustard and whisk till well blended. Add the pork, stir well, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least several hours and preferably overnight.

In another small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Dredge the pork nuggets in the flour, shaking off the excess, and place on a large plate.

In a deep fryer or large, deep cast-iron skillet, heat about 2 inches of oil to 350° F on a deep-fat thermometer, fry the nuggets in batches till golden and slightly crisp, about 10 minutes, turning once and drain on paper towels. Serve hot on toothpicks with a favorite barbecue dipping sauce.

Makes about 20 cocktail servings