Sweet & sour pork (tiem shuen gee yok)

1 Servings

Ingredients

QuantityIngredient
1poundsPork fillet
1tablespoonRice Wine
1tablespoonSoy sauce
½cupCornstarch
1smallCarrot
1largeGreen pepper
2slicesCanned pineapple
4Chinese dried mushrooms
1cloveGarlic
¼cupWhite vinegar
½cupWater
teaspoonBlack pepper
1tablespoonSoy sauce
1tablespoonSalt
5tablespoonsSugar
1teaspoonDried chili pepper
1tablespoonCornstarch
1tablespoonWater
Oil for deep frying
2tablespoonsOil

Directions

PREPARATION:

Cut pork into ¾-inch cubes. Mix the sherry and 1 tablespoon soy sauce together, and add to the pork. With your fingers rub the mixture into meat. Still using your fingers, roll the cubes in about ½ cup cornstarch until thoroughly dredged but not too thickly covered. (The fineness of the end result of this recipe depends on the meat's being crisp -- never soggy.) Cut the carrot on the diagonal into ¼-inch slices. Cut the green pepper in half; remove seeds and cut into 1-inch squares. Cut the pineapple slices into ½-inch wedges. Wash the Chinese mushrooms and soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain, remove stems. Cut into ½-inch strips.

Smash, peel, and mince garlic. Combine garlic, carrots, green pepper, pineapple, and mushrooms. Combine vinegar, ½ cup water, black pepper, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, salt, sugar, and chili pepper. In a cup, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water.

COOKING:

Heat oil in deep fry pan to 375-degrees. Cook pork cubes a few at a time until very light brown, about 5 minutes. Stir with a chopstick occasionally so that the cubes do not touch each other. Drain on paper towels, and keep hot in low oven (200-degrees). Repeat this process, cooking pork in hot oil until cubes float and are golden brown -- 2 to 3 minutes. (This double cooking insures that the meat will be crisp.) Heat the water-vinegar mixture in small saucepan. In a medium-sized skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of oil at high heat. Add vegetable-pineapple mixture and stir-fry for 4 minutes.

Add the hot water-vinegar mixture to the vegetables and stir well.

Add the cornstarch mixture, and cook and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Pour sauce over pork cubes and mix.

SOURCE: ORIENTAL COOKING by Schryver