SWEET AND SOUR PORK

Sweet and sour is a generic term that encompasses many styles of sauce, cuisine and cooking methods. It is commonly used in China, but has been used in England since the Middle Ages and remains popular in Europe and America.

3/4 kg pork fillet (use the best quality you can get, it makes a difference), cut into bite sizes
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut and seeds scraped off
1 red capsicum, cut into medium pieces
1 green capsicum, cut into medium pieces
1 large onion. quartered
1 can of pineapple chunks (435g), drained
4 cloves minced garlic

Marinade-
1/2 cup Shaoxing Huatiao wine (or 1/4 cup wine + 1/4 cup water)
1/2 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 egg (beaten)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/4 teaspoon or a pinch of salt

Sauce-
5 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons Shaoxing Huatiao wine
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon mango or peach chutney
1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
6 to 8 cups of cooking oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch in 2 tablespoons water (optional)

Method
Clean the pork and cut into small bite sized pieces.

Measure out 1/2 cup of Shaoxing Huatiao wine.
The alcohol would evaporate when the pork is deep fried, but if you would prefer not to use so much wine in the marinade, do use 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup wine. The wine tenderizes the meat. So the pork is ultra tender when marinated in wine for 4 hours or more.

Add all other marinade ingredients one at a time and mix well.

Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.

Now prepare the sauce.

Add 5 tablespoons of ketchup to a bowl.
Add 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce.
Add 4 tablespoons of Shaoxing Huatiao wine.
Add 2 tablespoons sugar.
Stir one tablespoon of chutney into the sauce.
(optional)
Season with dash of chili powder, and Worcestershire Sauce.

Mix the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Heat the cooking oil in a large pot and wait till oil is smoking hot.

Shake off as much marinade as you can, and slide each piece of meat into the oil until golden brown...then cook the other side. Place in a serving dish and set aside.

Heat a separate large saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil.

When the saucepan and oil are hot, add the onions and stir fry for a couple of minutes till they become fragrant and brown slightly.

Add about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic. Stir fry for a minute.

Add the rest of the vegetables and stir fry for a minute.

Pour the sauce in and stir fry for a minute or two more or until sauce thickens up.

At this point, TASTE the sauce. Every brand of oyster sauce and ketchup taste different. If the sauce is too sour, add more sugar. If it’s not salty enough, add more oyster sauce.

When the sauce is ready, pour just enough into the cooked pork in the serving dish. Serve and enjoy.

Serves 6.