A favorite in Chinese restaurants, using boneless pork in place of the traditional ribs gives everyone more meat to enjoy. Frying the pork twice, first over medium heat and a second time over high heat, gives the meat the crispiest crust.
Pat the pork dry with paper towels and cut into 1 ½-inch cubes.
Mix together the salt, pepper, two tablespoons starch and baking soda. Add to the pork and toss to coat all pieces.
Add the egg white, soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shao xing rice wine and sesame seed oil. Mix well.
Place the pork in a covered container and keep in the fridge overnight.
Fry the pork
Add the remaining starch to the pork and toss to distribute evenly.
In a wok or frying pan, heat enough cooking oil to reach a depth of at least three inches.
Fry the pork over medium heat (see notes below), separating them with tongs or chopsticks just until the crust is lightly golden.
Scoop out the pork and spread on a rack.
Turn up the heat to high and fry the pork a second time until the crust is crisp.
Scoop out the pork and spread on a rack once more.
Finish the dish
Toss the chili and garlic slices with the starch and deep fry just until lightly crisp.
Transfer the pork to a plate, scatter the chilies and garlic on top, then sprinkle in more rock salt and coarsely ground pepper.
Serve with vinegar (optionally with chili flakes and more coarsely ground black pepper) for dipping.
Notes
If your wok or frying pan is not so large, do the frying in batches to prevent the temperature of the oil from dropping too much when the pork is dropped in. This is important to make the crust really crisp.