This crispy, tangy and flavoursome dish is something I often cook at home as a fakeaway meal. You can use any pork cut but my preference is shoulder, as it tenderises and crisps up really well. Add extra chillies if you like it that bit spicier.
Ingredients: Serves 2-4
For the pork and marinade:
500g pork shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
30g dark soy sauce
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
For the sweet and sour sauce:
45g tomato ketchup
30g rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
45g honey
15g dark soy sauce
100ml water
1 tsp corn flour (for thickening)
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 green pepper, cut into chunks
1 small carrot, sliced
200g tin of pineapple chunks and juice
Vegetable oil for stir-frying
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
In a bowl, combine the soy sauce, cornflour, beaten egg, salt, and pepper for the marinade. Add the pork pieces and marinate for about three hours so that the pork tenderises.
Prepare the sweet and sour sauce. In a bowl, mix together the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, soy sauce, water and cornflour. Set aside.
Heat oil in a deep skillet or wok for frying. Carefully add the marinated pork pieces and fry until they are golden brown and crispy (four minutes or so). Remove the pork from the oil and drain on paper towels. You may have to do this in several batches.
The next step is optional, but I think it retains the crispy texture. Repeat the frying element above for a final two minutes, just before serving, so that the pork is extra crispy.
In a separate pan, heat a bit of vegetable oil over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, peppers and carrot. Stir-fry for a few minutes until the vegetables start to soften but still have a crisp texture. Remove from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Pour in the prepared sweet and sour sauce, then add the pineapple chunks and juice at this stage. Heat through, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy.
Add the fried pork and the sautéed vegetables to the pan with the sauce. Gently toss everything together to coat the pork and vegetables. Allow everything to heat through and serve the sweet and sour pork over steamed rice.
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