This recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork is from my Japanese ex-roommate, Sumiko. It is an order of magnitude better than the typical "Sweet and Sour Stuff" you get at many restaurants, which looks and tastes like cornstarch gravy with vinegar and sugar, tinted pink with food coloring. What transforms this recipe is the complexity of the sauce (and the red pepper!).
(Source: Sumiko S.)
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3/4 lb pork, in 1" cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 green onions, cut in 1" pieces
2 green peppers, cut in bite-sized pieces
4 slices of pineapple, cut in bite-sized pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1 dried hot red pepper, round slices
1 T wine (Chinese, sherry, or sake)
2 tsp cornstarch in 4 tsp water
Sauce (mix well beforehand)
1/3 c vinegar (see notes, below)
1 T soy sauce
4-1/2 T sugar
1 T catsup
2 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
Dip pork in the egg, roll in cornstarch. Fry until brown. Sautee garlic in 3 T oil. Add red peper, green pepper, green onion, pineapple, and pork. Stir well. Sprinkle in wine, stir in sauce. Boil. Add dissolved cornstarch and stir well until the mixture is thick and clear.
NOTE: I opted to cut down the sourness by using half the vinegar and adding water to make up the volume.
Updated: April 5, 1996
Comments or questions? Write to me at suemaster@interport.net....
(: remove "master" from the address)
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