Sweet and Sour Pork has long been a favorite in one form or another of most Asian kitchens. Its popularity continues to this day where we find that sweet and sour pork is quite literally on every Chinese restaurant’s menu. Sweet and Sour Pork has also become one of the default menu items at a Chinese banquet and the Asian cuisine self-serve bars in shopping malls.

To put things into perspective it must also be noted at this point that while the origins of sweet and sour pork are Asian this has not stopped practically every other culture from adopting it as their own. So without further ado here is how to make sweet and sour pork.

Ingredients

• 500 Grams (approximately 18 ounces) of Pork Fillet
• 250 Grams (1 can) of Pineapple Rings
• 1 Large Red or Green Bell Pepper (capsicum)
• 1 Egg
• 2 Cups (about 500 ml) of Rice Bran Oil
• ¾ Cup (185 ml) of Chicken Stock
• 1/3 Cup (50g) of Plain Flour
• ¼ Cup (60 ml) of White Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of Honey
• 1 Tablespoon of Corn Flour
• 2 Teaspoons of Soy Sauce (I usually use Kikkoman soy sauce)
• 1 Teaspoon of Oil

Steamed Rice – If you are going to be serving the sweet and sour pork on a bed of rice then you will also need to steam the appropriate quantity of rice.

Method

1. Lightly beat the egg
2. Cut the pork fillet into cubes
3. Cut the bell pepper (capsicum) into cubes
4. Drain the pineapple and then cut it into cubes
5. Sift both the plain flour and the corn flour but keep them separate at all times

The Thickening – Combine the corn flour and ¼ cup of water ready for use in making the sauce and as thickening a little later on

Making the Batter – To make the batter select a medium sized mixing bowl and add in a ¼ of a cup of water, the egg, the plain flour and the oil. Mix well until the batter becomes really smooth.

Batter the Pork Cubes – Add all of the pork cubes to the batter and stir well to ensure that the pork cubes are coated in batter on all sides.

Cooking

In order to ensure that the pork does not dry out or become tough and stringy and the batter does not burn we will cook the pork in batches.

1. Add the rice bran oil to your wok and heat it up over a high heat setting. Once wok is up to temperature begin adding the first batch of the battered pork cubes. Fry these until they are only just slightly lightly golden (usually takes about 4 minutes).
2. Immediately the battered pork cubes reach this stage (slightly golden) remove them from the wok and place them onto absorbent paper towels to drain
3. Repeat this process of frying the battered pork cubes in batches until all of the pork has been through the fryer once and had excess oil drained off of it
4. Empty all but 1½ tablespoons of oil from the wok. Return wok with remaining oil to a high heat and bring the oil up to a high temperature.
5. Add the cubed bell peppers and pineapple to the wok and stir-fry until the bell pepper cubes are nice and tender (this usually takes about 3½ minutes)
6. It is now time to add the chicken stock, vinegar, honey and soy sauce stirring as you do so. Bring this mixture to the boil.
7. Add the prepared corn starch and water mix to the wok and bring back to the boil stirring all the while until the sauce thickens slightly
8. Reduce heat and fold in the battered pork cubes. The idea is to gently reheat the pork and not to scorch it.

Serving

Sweet and Sour Pork is a dish that is most often served on a bed of steamed white rice but not always as it may be served as an appetizer or accompanied by egg noodles and Chinese omelet. Above all enjoy!