Sweet and Sour Pork (Korean Tangsuyuk)

Ingredients

1 pound pork shoulder or tenderloin, cut into 2 inch x ½ inch strips
1½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon minced ginger
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup plus ¼ cup potato starch
1 large egg white

Sauce:

2-3 dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in cold water for 1½ hour -cut to small pieces
⅓ cup sliced onion
1 small carrot, sliced thinly
⅓ English cucumber, sliced thinly
2 rings of pineapple (canned or fresh), cut into halves
1 small red apple, cored, and sliced into ⅓ inch thick pieces
¼ cup sugar (white or brown sugar)
4 cups plus 1 teaspoon corn oil or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
water

Dipping Sauce

2 tablespoons
3 tablespoons white or apple vinegar

Directions (Serves 4)

1. Combine the pork, ½ teaspoon salt, the ginger, and the ground black pepper in a bowl. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate.
2. Mix 1 cup starch and 3 cups of water in a bowl with a spoon. 
3. Let it sit on the kitchen counter until the starch sinks to the bottom of the bowl and turns solid (about one and a half hour).
4. Mix 2 tablespoons starch with 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl, and let it sit for later, to thicken the sauce.
5. Fill a deep 10 to 12 inch skillet with 4 cups of corn or vegetable oil. Heat it up over medium high heat until it reaches 330°F.
6. Take the pork out of the refrigerator and mix with the remaining 2 tablespoons of starch.
7. Pour out the water from the bowl of starch that was soaking. Add the egg white and mix well.
8. Add the starch mixture to the pork. Use your hand to gently mix it in.
9. Drop the pork pieces into the oil. Use tongs to split them apart if they stick to each other.
10. Fry in batches if you need to, until they are crispy and turn light golden brown (5 to 7 minutes). 
11. There should be plenty of room in the skillet for them to fry without always touching each other.
12. When done, transfer to a strainer set over a bowl to drain.

Make the sauce:

1. Heat the 1 teaspoon of corn oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, and carrot and stir-fry for 1 minute.
2. Add the apple and stir-fry 1 minute.
3. Add 3 cups of water, the sugar, the vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil.
4. Stir the small bowl of starch water one last time before adding to the sauce. Stir it in with a wooden spoon. The sauce will thicken and shiny.
5. Let it sizzle for a few minutes and then remove from the heat.

Serve:
Mix 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl, to use as a dipping sauce.
Heat up the oil and fry the pork for the second and last time, until they are very crispy and golden brown (about 3 to 4 minutes). You can crowd them in the skillet this time, but the color of the pork should be golden brown and shatteringly crisp.

Reheat the sauce over medium high heat until it bubbles. Stir in the cucumber and pineapple for 1 minute. Add the sesame oil and stir for 10 seconds.

Source: http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/tangsuyuk