Jet-Black Sweet and Sour Pork with Black Vinegar — Served over Golden Fried Rice

Cut the pork shoulder loin into bite-sized pieces, keeping them as even in size as possible. Cutting them on the smaller side makes them easier to eat.

Put the cut meat in a bowl and season with salt and pepper at about 1% of its weight, plus Shaoxing wine. Once mixed, add the beaten egg (1/3 egg) and knead it in well, as if letting the meat absorb it, then let it sit for about 15 minutes.

Cut a section of Japanese leek, score the outside, and peel off 2–3 layers, then slice them extremely finely to make shiraga negi. Soak in water for about 5 minutes to draw out the sharpness. Mince the remaining leek and set it aside for the fried rice.

Peel the piece of ginger, as it is eaten raw, and julienne it just like the shiraga negi.

Make the black vinegar sauce. Combine 3 tablespoons black vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, dilute with 2 tablespoons water to keep it from burning, and add slightly less than 1 teaspoon chicken stock powder.

Coat the marinated meat thoroughly in potato starch just before frying.

Fry the meat gently for 4–5 minutes at a low temperature of around 160°C. The oil temperature drops when you add the meat, so raise the heat just before adding it, then lower it to medium-low once it's in. Once cooked through, turn the heat up at the end to get it crisp.

Heat the sauce, dissolving the sugar as it reduces. Taste and adjust, then take it off the heat and add the potato starch slurry a little at a time, thickening it without forming lumps.

Add the fried meat to the thickened sauce and toss to coat, then drizzle a small amount of sesame oil over at the end to finish the black vinegar sweet and sour pork.

Make the fried rice. Add a generous amount of oil and heat the pan until it smokes, then add the egg followed immediately by the warmed rice. Keep the heat high throughout and break up the rice by pressing it against the pan, keeping it close to the flame rather than tossing more than necessary.

Once the grains have separated, add the minced Japanese leek and season with salt, pepper, Ajinomoto, and just enough soy sauce for aroma. Mix thoroughly so the seasoning is even, then add a little sake at the end to adjust the moisture.

Top the finished egg fried rice with the black vinegar sweet and sour pork, garnish with the soaked shiraga negi and julienned ginger, and it's done.