The first thing to prepare are the tofu sheets. If you are using fresh tofu sheets (thousand sheets tofu / Yuba), blanch them into hot water for a few seconds. This process helps to eliminate any sort of excess soybean smell, while improving its soft texture.

The second step is to cut the sheets into rectangular pieces so to have these ready for the wrapping part

*if you are using fresh lettuce, just go ahead with it. If you are using dried bean curd sheets instead, make sure you soak them into water first (1 hour), then blanch them for 1 min. before letting them cool down.

Then, start by cutting the leeks on one edge, then eliminate the hard layer that is sitting inside, and spread the other layers flat so to shred them finely.

*Here you want to chop some extra leeks (about 15g) into small pieces for later use.

Peel some cucumbers and carrots as well and shred them finely (same length as the leeks).

Once you cut all your vegetables, put everything aside for later. 

Now start peeling some ginger and cut that into thin slices. Get one garlic clove and cut into slices too. Place the leeks you prepared before (the chopped ones, not the shreds), together with the ginger and garlic slices into a bowl, add 10ml of warm water, 15g of cooking wine, ½ tsp of white pepper and ½ tsp of salt and stir well. Once stirred, set aside.

Now it’s time to take the protagonist of this recipe aka the pork loin, out of the fridge (keeping it cold helps also with the cutting). Start by slicing it into thin layers, then cut it into thin shreds.

Place the meat into a bowl and start by marinating it with a pinch of salt, some of the infused water we prepared as above (do not add it all in once but wait for the meat to absorb it by mixing it thoroughly), 1/2 tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of dark soy sauce, egg white, 15g of starch, and a bit of sesame oil at this very end. Remember to mix it properly, and let it sit for 30 min. if you can wait.

​Now the meat is ready to be cooked. First of all, preheat the wok and get it ready with enough oil for deep frying (130°C). Then, place the meat inside (mix it well first) and wait 20 seconds before starting to gently stir it (you want to meat to get its shape first before moving it around). 3 minutes and you should be done with the meat (even less depending on the heat of your stoves). Be careful not to overcook the meat. Take out the meat and set it aside (drain it from excess oil).

Preheat the wok with some oil inside and place the rock sugar in. The rock sugar will add sweetness to the dish while giving it a shiny glaze. Wait until the sugar gets brownish and go ahead with the Tianmian sauce. Turn on the heat and stir for 1 minute. 

Pour the water inside (20ml) and keep stirring until the sauce has reached the right thickness (about 3-4 minutes). Finally, place the meat inside and give it a nice final stir until the meat has fully absorbed the sauce.

Now it’s time to eat, but before giving the first bite here is a tip to assemble your dish:

sprinkle some sesame seeds (white and black) on the top of the meat and enjoy this dish by preparing rolls with tofu sheets, leeks, carrots, and cucumber shreds, and of course, the meat!