Classic Sweet and Sour Pork recipe will bring you back in time. This is the flavor you remember and crave. This recipe has simplified steps from other recipes TALLBlonde has researched and tested. The deep frying method of cooking the pork morsels coated in corn starch has been changed to dry frying in a skillet making this recipe a bit more heart smart. This recipe also uses well trimmed pork tenderloin instead of a traditional fattier cut of pork shoulder. Dice all ingredients to same size pieces to your liking, anywhere between 1/2-inch to 1'inch in size. Serves 6
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1/2 tea. fresh cracked black pepper
SAUCE
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 Tbl. ketchup
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbl. soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, smashed or grated
1 Tbl. corn starch, dissolved in 1 Tbl. cold water
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 8-oz. can of pineapple rings, drained and cut into 8 pieces (see NOTE 2 below)
NOTE: Make a double batch and save for future meals with chicken or mild fish.
GARNISH
sesame seeds
finely diced green onions
Place pork tenderloin chunks in a dry cold skillet, turn heat to medium/high. Water will leave the meat and begin to create a foam in the pan. Do not stir, resist the urge. Continue to cook meat until pan is dry and the meat is well browned on the bottom. Turn over and lightly brown second side. Drain off on paper towels and set aside. Save skillet, do not wipe clean.
Place all sauce ingredients (omitting the corn starch slurry) into a sauce pan and cook only until sugar is dissolved and garlic is fragrant. Add the cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Add cooked pork to completed sauce and set aside.
In the same pan that pork was cooking in add the diced bell peppers and onion in medium high heat. Sauté until a small amount of browning appears. You want to leave some crunch to your vegetables.
Add diced pineapple and pork with sweet and sour sauce to your sautéed vegetables, mix well and serve. You may garnish with toasted sesame seeds and/or finely diced green onions. Pour over cooked rice and practice your chopstick eating skills.
NOTE 2: I like to reserve the drained pineapple juice to make my own Teriyaki sauce adding: brown sugar, black pepper, soy sauce, fresh garlic and red chilis.
- Calories: 204.1 kcal
- Fat: 2.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.6 g
- Sugars: 19.1 g
- Protein: 20.7 g
