Sweet & Sour Pork is the most well known Chinese food abroad. According to a Cantonese chef, the primitive or the authentic cooking method of the dish is to add Cantonese pickled vegetables. When cooking, simply sauté the pickled vegetables along with the deep fried pork. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to find Cantonese pickled vegetables, so here I'll be pleased to introduce everyone a Sweet & Sour Pork recipe without the pickled vegetables but still tastes as delicious.

Ingredients:

a). For step 1 & 3:

• 300g (10 oz) pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon cooking wine
• ginger juice
• cornstarch

b). For step 4 & 5:

• 1 small bamboo shoot
• 2 dried mushrooms (soaked)
• 1 small onion
• 1 small carrot
• 1 green pepper
• 2 slices pineapple
• 1 clove garlic
• 3 tablespoons oil

c). Seasonings for step 5:

• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup soup stock
• dash of monosodium glutamate

d). For step 6:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons vinegar

Method:

1. Cut pork into bite size cubes
2. Marinate pork in soy sauce, wine, ginger juice for 15 minutes.
3. Add cornstarch. Coat pork with starch. Fry in 370°F oil till crisp. Drain.
4. Thin slice bamboo shoot. Cut pineapple in 6 sections. Slice mushrooms. Cut onion and green pepper in 8 sections. Slice carrot and cut into flower pattern for interesting look.
5. Heat oil. Add garlic, onion, mushroom, bamboo shoot, green pepper. Fry quickly. Add seasonings and soup stock from c). Bring to boil.
6. Thicken with cornstarch mixed with water. Add vinegar, Add fried pork, pineapple. Mix well. Serve while hot.

Cooking time: 40 minutes

Nutritional information:

Yield: 4 servings

Each serving provides:

Calories: 422.3

Protein: 18.1 g

 By Jacklyn Chen