糖醋里脊 Sweet and Sour Pork (Intermediate)

糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ) Sweet and Sour Pork (Intermediate)

Key Learning Points (Preview):

糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ): n Sweet and Sour Pork

炒 (chǎo): v to stir-fry

“糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ) Sweet and Sour Pork” is a 

 in western countries. It belongs to Zhejiang cuisine which is one of the main eight cuisines in China. An old saying describes Zhejiang province as: “上有天堂, 下有苏杭 (Shàng yǒu tiāntáng, xià yǒu sūháng) Just as there is a paradise in heaven, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou on earth (Note: Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province),” so Zhejiang cuisine also enjoys a great popularity. After eating “糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ) Sweet and Sour Pork,” people will be impressed by its features-bright red color, sweet and sour flavor, and being crispy outside and tender inside. These are also the characteristics of Zhejiang cuisine.

When cooking, the process of “炒 (chǎo) stir-frying” and “炸 (zhá) frying” are very important, as they are two vital procedures in Zhejiang cuisine. In other words, mastering the two skills is critical in making an authentic and delicious “糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ) Sweet and Sour Pork.” People who like “糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ) Sweet and Sour Pork” should also try “西湖醋鱼 (xīhú cùyú) West Lake Vinegar Fish” and “冰糖甲鱼 (bīngtáng jiǎyú) Steamed Turtle in Crystal Sugar Soup” which are famous Zhejiang cuisines and also sweet and sour.

Key Learning Points:
糖醋里脊 (táng cù lǐjǐ): n Sweet and Sour Pork 

“糖 (táng)” means sugar and “

” means vinegar. “里脊 (lǐjǐ)” is the short form of “猪里脊肉 (zhū lǐjǐròu) pork tenderloin.”

Example: 

    Qù chī wǔfàn ma?
A: 去吃午饭吗？
    Will you go to lunch?

    Hǎo a, chī shénme ne?
B: 好 啊，吃什么呢？
    Yes, what should we eat?

    Táng cù    lǐjǐ,  zuótiān chī le, jīntiān hái xiǎng chī.
A: 糖醋里脊，昨天吃了，今天还想吃。
    Sweet and Sour Pork. I ate it yesterday, but I also want to eat it now.

    Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng chī ne.
B: 好啊，我也想吃呢。
    Ok, me too.

炒 (chǎo): v to stir-fry 

Example:

Wǒ māma jīngcháng yòng huángyóu chǎo yángcōng.
我妈妈经常用黄油炒洋葱。

My mother always uses butter for stir-frying the onions.

生词 (shēngcí) Vocabulary:

糖 (táng): n sugar

醋 (cù): n vinegar

炸 (zhá): v to fry

冰糖 (bīngtáng): n crystal sugar

甲鱼 (jiǎyú): n turtle

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