Lychee Pork (Lizhi Rou)

Lychee pork is a classic Fuzhou dish: lean pork is scored in a crosshatch, dredged and deep-fried so it curls up, then tossed with white water chestnut in a sweet-and-sour glaze. Red and tangy, it takes its name from looking like lychees, with the water chestnut standing in for the fruit's stone.

With a history of two to three centuries, lychee pork epitomizes Fuzhou's habit of naming dishes by form, showcasing Min cuisine's flair for knife work and sweet-sour seasoning.

It is served as a hot main to go with rice—glossy red, sweet-sour, crisp outside and tender within—and is a familiar banquet favorite in Fuzhou homes.

Its charm is a double 'mock lychee': the curled red pork mimics the fruit's flesh and the snow-white water chestnut its stone, marrying appearance and flavor in an appetizing tang.