Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork

This is a stir fry dish that I found in a Betty Crocker cookbook that I am borrowing from the library.

2 lbs. of boneless pork loin chops
vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 can (20 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained and syrup reserved
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 carrots cut diagonally into thin slices
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 green bell pepper, cut in 3/4 inches slices
4 cups hot cooked rice

First of all trim excess fat off of the pork and slice it into 3/4 inch slices. Heat at least an inch of vegetable oil up in a deep fryer or dutch oven (I used a deep fryer) to a temperature of 360 F. Beat flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup cold water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and an egg until smooth, with a whisk. Place the pork slices in this batter and stir to thoroughly coat the pork. Deep fry this pork for about 5 minutes or until golden brown, stirring at least 2 or 3 times. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until ready to use.

If the pineapple juice that you saved from the pineapples does not equal 1 cup, add water to reach this measurement. Heat this up in a wok, if you have one (I currently do not), along with the brown sugar, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, soy sauce, carrots and garlic to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for about 6 minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water, then stir into sauce. Add pork, pineapple and green pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for about 1 minute or until green pepper is crisp-tender. Serve over rice.

This recipe was good, but here is what I would change about it after discussing it with my husband. In place of the green bell pepper, I would use the snow pea pods. Also, I used white vinegar since it was not specified what type of vinegar to use; next time I would try apple cider vinegar. I would also add chili peppers to this recipe, to add a slight bit of burn, but not in huge quantities or it would take away from the sweet sour taste of the sauce. My husband and I also talked about serving it as a side dish of sorts, along with some type of dinner roll and some type of garlic shrimp. Being that I am an amateur at cooking, the presentation is not what it should be, but I am sure that over time, it will improve for me. As it is quite late and I need to get up early, I will post the mandarin orange cake recipe tomorrow.