Sweet and Sour Pork

[achookwoman]

I just love Kylie Kwong's recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork. It is NOT that sickly sweet bright red goo that is often served in Chinese Cafes, over puffs of fried dough with little pork in side. There are 2 parts to this recipe, and the first part, the sauce is made in the TMX. The Pork part is not. Both parts can be prepared the day before required which is a real bonus if serving it to visitors, or if you are just plain busy.

The Sauce, what is different about this is that the vegetables and the Pineapple are fresh

4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1.5 cm. long piece of fresh ginger

3/4 cup of Apple cider vinegar
5 Tablespoons of shao hsing wine or dry sherry
1/2 cup of white sugar
1 teaspoon of sea salt

1/4 of a peeled and cored Pineapple
I small carrot, cut into straws
1 Tomato cut into 8.
I red Capsicum pepper cut into strips.
1 small cucumber peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 red onion, sliced into 1/2 moon shapes

2 Tablespoons of light soy sauce
2 teaspoons of corn flour

Do

Drop garlic and ginger on to spinning blades, speed 7/ until chopped.
Add vinegar, sherry,sugar and salt , cook 5 mins./ speed 2/ 100 o.
Add vegetables , cook 3 mins/ REVERSE/speed 1.
Mix corn flour with light soy sauce and add to bowl, continue cooking for 1 min.
Leave in bowl to reheat if using immediately or when cool , store in fridge for later use.

Pork The Pork is marinated in a mix, preferably over night. Just prior to cooking , add the additional corn flour and plain flour.

2 x 300 pork fillets ( the long ones ) cut into bit size pieces.

In a large bowl place and mix......
1 1/2 tablespoons of corn flour
1 Tablespoon of cold water
2 egg yolks
3 teaspoons of light soy
2 teaspoons of Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon of Sea Salt

Add pork pieces and stir to coat. Set aside.

When ready to cook. Add additional...
1/4 cup of plain flour
1/4 cup of corn flour

Add 2 cups of vegetable oil to wok, and heat to shimmer on surface ( I use Rice bran oil)
Deep fry pork, remove when pale brown in colour, set aside to cool, Turn off heat under wok.

Re fry when ready to serve. This will crisp the pork and give a nice brown colour.

Serve with rice and sauce.


members' comments

Cuilidh - I tried this the other day and it turned out very vinegary - I've got it 'on hold' in the freezer at the moment.  Can anyone suggest how I can tame down the vinegar tang as it is just a bit too overwhelming.

Uni - You could make up some more without the vinegar and mix together. Maybe when you have guests over for dinner.

Chookie - Uni, suggestion is good.  Mine was a bit more tangy than the bought variety but quite acceptable.  Let us know how you go.

CP - this was a lovely dish. I had to read the recipe a few times before I knew what was what ie. the sauce being the Sweet n Sour, the second recipe being the Marinade. Actually ended up marinating the pork for 2 days and it was very nice. Was scoffed down and given the thumbs up. Thanks Chookie for another lovely recipe.

Chookie - CP,  glad you liked it.  I made it again last night but added a bit more sugar to the sauce.  DH does not like too much 'bite' in the sauce.

[judydawn]

I just answered this and it must have gone to cyberspace heaven 

Chookie this is DH's favourite asian meal when we are out - usually very red as you said.  I'd love to surprise him one day with this one in spite of the fact it is deep fried.  I would even eat it myself knowing there is pork fillet inside and not scrappy, fatty bits of pork. 

[trudy]

Thanks so much Bess.  Can't wait to give this a go.

[achookwoman]

Judy,  you wouldn't even know it is deep fried as there is not much coating to soak up the oil.  Even so I drained it on paper in between.cooking.   You could dry fry the Pork if you wished.  Cook some for Geoff.  as per recipe and taste one bit.  See what you think.  Let us all know

[~*sara*~]

I have to laugh at how it always seems to be DHs that really like this meal, mine included.  I would never order it at a restaurant, but would happily make this version.  Might have to file this away for his birthday in December.  Thanks!

[achookwoman]

Sara,  you are so right about the men and Sweet and Sour.  We recently had lunch at Laksa King,  a Malaysian and Chinese Restaurant in Flemington,  Melb.  Dh ordered Sweet and Sour Pork and I had a taste.  It wasn't your usual gunky stuff,  so i thought i would have a go at making something similar.  It was Kylie's recipe that i thought was closest.  I would eat this.

[Cuilidh]

This sounds very like one of my favourite (minus the pork, of course) meals from our local Thai restaurant - Pad Preaw Wann Tofu - so this is going into my "to make" file to see how it goes with some tofu.  You can get pre-packaged tofu nuggets in sweet chilli sauce in most supermarkets these days so I think that might be what I'll go for.

Thanks for the recipe - I'm looking forward to making this soon.

[Cuilidh]

I tried this the other day and it turned out very vinegary - I've got it 'on hold' in the freezer at the moment.  Can anyone suggest how I can tame down the vinegar tang as it is just a bit too overwhelming.

Thanks.

[fundj&e]

You could make up some more without the vinegar and mix together. Maybe when you have guest over for dinner 

[achookwoman]

Fundj suggestion is good.  Mine was a bit more tangy than the bought variety but quite acceptable.  Let us know how you go.

[CreamPuff63]

chookie, how long is the fresh ginger: 12cm, 1/2 cm, 1.2cm?

[achookwoman]

CP, from what remember,  it is 1 and  a 1/2 cm.

[tarasis]

Looks yummy, another recipe to add (though I tend to prefer chicken over pork). Thanks for sharing it achookwoman.

[judydawn]

Chookie, I have altered it for you.  If you decide it isn't 1.5 cm,  it can be altered again 

[CreamPuff63]

I meant to report back that this was a lovely dish. I had to read the recipe a few times before I knew what was what ie. the sauce being the Sweet n Sour, the second recipe being the Marinade. Actually ended up marinating the pork for 2 days, and it was very nice. Was scoffed down and given the thumbs up. Thanks Chookie for another lovely recipe.