Normally, I’m not a fan of sweet and sour anything. The sauce in most restaurants is a disturbing shade of day-glo red, and the veggies consist of giant hunks of onion, overcooked peppers, and canned pineapple. However, I decided to give sweet and sour a second chance by making it at home- and the results were much better! I used fresh pineapple, and cooked the veggies just until the onions started the turn translucent, and upgraded the meat in this meal by using pork tenderloin.
Ingredients:
300 grams pork leg or tenderloin (about 10.6 oz.)
1/3 onion
1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
3 slices of pineapple,
1/2 cup cornstarch (for breading)
4-5 cups oil for deep frying
Marinade for meat:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 egg yolk
Sauce:
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons vinegar (either white vinegar or rice vinegar)
3 tablespoons ketchup
6 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
sesame oil (just a few drops for flavor)
1. Dice onion; seed peppers, and dice. Set aside. Cut pineapple into small chunks; set aside.
2. If using pork leg meat, pound meat with the back of a cleaver to tenderize the meat (you can skip this if you are using a more tender cut of meat). Cut meat into bite-sized cubes. Mix marinade ingredients, then marinate meat for at least half an hour. When ready, remove meat from marinade, and coat all the cubes with cornstarch.
3. Heat oil in wok to 320 F (160 C), then deep fry pork over high heat for about 10 seconds (you may want to do this in small batches), setting pork aside to drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Reduce heat to low, and then cook until the pork is done and the breading is golden brown and crispy. Remove pork from skillet, and let drain on a paper-towel lined plate again. Drain oil from skillet.
4. Heat one tablespoon of fresh oil in the wok, then stir fry onion and bell peppers for a few minutes (the onions will just begin to turn translucent). Add sauce ingredients, and bring to a boil (sauce will thicken quickly). Once sauce is boiling, turn off heat, and stir in pineapple and fried pork; mix well to coat all ingredients with sauce. Serve immediately.
Serves 4.