sweet and sour pork

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound pork tenderloin
• 2 - 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• Pinch of cornstarch
  Sauce:
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water or reserved pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
• Batter:
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1/3 cup warm water, as needed
• Other:
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 red bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup pineapple chunks
• 3 cups oil for deep-frying, or as needed

Preparation:

• Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes.
• Marinate in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.
• To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar.
• Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water.
• Set aside.
• Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
• Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.
• Heat the oil for deep--frying to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch.
• Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil.
• Add as much of the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too dry or too moist. (The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon).
• Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter.
• Deep-fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok.
• Deep-fry the pork until it is golden brown.
• Remove and drain on paper towels. (If desired you can deep-fry the pork at second time to make it extra crispy. Make sure the oil is back up to 375 before you begin deep-frying again).
• To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple.
• Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture, stirring.
• Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired.
• Serve hot over the deep-fried pork.
• Serve the sweet and sour pork over rice.

Country:

china

Prepared: 2012-01-22

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Categories: Pork
International

Source: chinesefood.about.com