Sweet and Sour Pork

We ate a lot of Chinese food growing up. A LOT. Maybe it was a Pacific Northwest thing. According to my sister Joy, this was the first Chinese (OK, "Chinese") recipe my dad tried making at home. He moved on to more complex recipes and flavors, ones that did not involve pineapple juice, but this stayed a family favorite.

When I make this recipe, I lighten it up by skipping the batter, and just browning the pork in a non-stick skillet with about a teaspoon of cooking oil. I also add sliced onions.

Sweet & Sour Pork

1 pound boneless pork loin (or boneless chicken breast), cut into strips

8 ounce can pineapple chunks with liquid

1 green pepper

vegetable oil for frying

Batter:

½ cup flour

¼ cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ cups cold water

Sauce:

¾ cup water-pineapple juice mixture

2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

Mix together the batter ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Add the pork to the batter.

Chop the green pepper into 1/2 -inch cubes (and any other veggies you might feel like adding).

Drain the can of pineapple into a measuring cup and add water to make ¾ cup.  Mix the sauce ingredients together in a small saucepan.

Put oil into a wok to a depth of about one inch and heat on medium-high. When the oil is hot put in as much chicken as will fit. Cook the chicken about 5 minutes, flip the pieces over and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the pan, drain on paper towels, and then put in a bowl in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

When you’re on your last batch of pork, put the sauce over high heat and recruit a volunteer to stir it constantly until it boils. When it boils, turn the heat down to low and add the green pepper and pineapple.

To serve, pour the sauce over the bowl of pork. Serve with plenty of white rice.

 

Recipe from the Whitworth Elementary School Cookbook