Chapter 84: The Second Dish: Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet

Liu Heming originally planned to spend more time at the Restaurant, but now that he remembered the task, he only worked there for the morning before taking his daughter and leaving.

“Dad, what delicious food are we going to make?” Alex asked brightly.

“You’ll know when we get home. I’m sure you’ll love it. But you have to help Dad make it, so it will taste even better,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

He didn’t know if this counted as cutting corners, but he felt that as long as his daughter took part, she would probably like the food they made.

Actually, the dish he planned to make today was very simple—it was Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet, which they often ate at home. He loved its sour and sweet taste.

Robin was surprised to see Liu Heming and Alex return so early. After thinking for a moment, he gave Liu Heming an approving look, believing Liu Heming had taken his advice and was starting to work hard.

Liu Heming had no time to pay him any mind. He put the pork he brought into the freezer to chill it slightly, making it easier to slice. Even with his current knife skills, he couldn’t cut fresh pork into evenly thin slices without freezing it first.

“Mom, Uncle Robin, Dad is going to make something delicious for me soon,” the little one said cheerfully as she ran up to them.

“Look at you, all sweaty. You might catch a cold—quick, wipe it off,” Sasha said, pulling the child into her arms with concern.

This silly girl was becoming quite a mess, and the main culprit was her somewhat lecherous and irresponsible father. Thinking this, Sasha glared at Liu Heming.

Liu Heming had been happily watching the heartwarming scene of the beautiful woman holding the little girl, but Sasha’s glare startled him. He quickly averted his gaze and casually took two Cucumbers from the basket Sasha brought back to give to the Bear Kids.

He didn’t know why, but every time he saw Sasha now, he felt guilty.

After managing to hold out for over half an hour, Liu Heming went to the freezer and took out the chilled pork loin. It turned out well; even though it hadn’t been frozen for long, he could now handle it easily.

Picking up the Kitchen Knife nearby, he swiftly began slicing. Looking at the neatly cut slices, Liu Heming felt quite proud. If it were his past self, even with the pork frozen longer, he wouldn’t have been able to achieve such results.

Then Liu Heming waved to his daughter, as he would need her help soon. Delighted by her dad’s call, Alex quickly ran over to him.

“Today, Dad will teach you to make a dish called ‘Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet.’ It’s a home-style dish where Dad comes from, and it tastes amazing,” Liu Heming said while tenderizing the meat with the back of the knife.

“This dish dates back to 1907. Although the method has improved a bit since then, it hasn’t changed too much.”

After tenderizing, Liu Heming added some salt and starch to a bowl with water, then placed all the meat slices into a large bowl.

“Alex, mix these meat slices evenly, and then we can start cooking,” Liu Heming said, pushing the large bowl in front of the little girl.

He had prepared a lot—it was for his daughter, but he couldn’t let Sasha and Robin just watch without sharing.

Sasha was actually very curious about this Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet too. She didn’t know if Liu Heming was telling the truth, but if it really dated back that far, the dish seemed quite special.

The little girl mixed very carefully, using both hands together. Meanwhile, Liu Heming began slicing the scallions and ginger into thin strips and cutting the Cilantro into sections for later use.

“Maybe I can help Alex with this? There’s so much meat in here,” Sasha offered after watching for a while.

“Of course. This dish is also a famous one in China, and it’s quite simple to make. When you go back later, you can try making some for Alex yourself,” Liu Heming replied with a smile.

While mother and daughter were busy coating the meat slices evenly, Liu Heming poured oil into the wok.

It was then that he remembered something he hadn’t taken care of yet: he still needed to ask John to make the Kitchen Knife and wok. It seemed that after completing this task for his daughter, he would have to get that done as soon as possible.

Liu Heming didn’t have the experience of testing oil temperature with his hand like professional chefs, so he could only estimate. “The oil is about medium-hot now. We can fry these meat slices, but not for too long, or the meat won’t stay tender. About three minutes, until the coating sets, should be enough.”

Liu Heming put the meat into the wok in batches since there was too much to fry all at once. The first batch, which started as a large bowl, ended up as a big plate after frying.

Liu Heming turned up the heat on the stove and said, “This time, the oil needs to be hotter to make the meat crispy.”

He was looking at Sasha as he spoke. Even though Sasha didn’t want to respond, she politely nodded.

“Dad, can we eat it now?” Alex asked, licking her lips as she looked at the golden fried meat slices.

“Little greedy cat, we still have an important step left,” Liu Heming said, pinching his daughter’s nose gently.

“The most crucial part of Sweet and Squor Pork Fillet is the sauce. You can use sugar as the base, but that’s a bit tricky and requires precise control of the heat. So let’s take a shortcut and use ketchup as the base.”

As he spoke, Liu Heming tossed the sliced scallions and ginger into the wok to release their fragrance, then added a bottle of ketchup.

His hands were busy too, stirring the sauce in the wok continuously with a ladle. When the sauce began to thicken and bubble, he poured half of the meat from the plate into the wok and quickly stir-fried everything.

He deliberately wanted to show off in front of his daughter. Once the meat slices were in the wok, he put his practiced wok skills to work.

The wok and ladle moved in perfect harmony, and the meat slices tumbled evenly in the sauce. Only when he was sure every slice was coated did Liu Heming grab some Cilantro and add it to the wok.

This time, he didn’t stir-fry for long—just a couple of tosses. Then, steaming hot, the golden Sweet and Sour Pork Fillet with its red sauce was served on a plate.

The aroma was enticing, and it looked amazing. The red sauce was rich and glossy, complemented by the green and white scallion and ginger strips, along with the Cilantro added at the end. Alex was so tempted she almost reached out to grab a piece with her hands.