Another classic, sweet and sour pork, which you can easily prepare at home following the family recipe from Chinese women. I love sweet and sour flavors like the light apple caponata or light eggplant caponata where the sour and sweet taste of the ingredients are balanced.
After choosing a tender and flavorful part of the pork, like the loin, you just need to marinate the chunks, then batter and fry them for a few minutes. Meanwhile, you will sauté the vegetables with the sweet and sour sauce to complete this exquisite dish. Serve it with plain steamed rice and enjoy it to the last bite.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
- 1.3 lbs pork loin
- 1 cup green bell peppers
- 1 cup yellow bell peppers
- 1 white onion
- as needed sunflower oil (for frying)
- 3 tablespoons dry white wine (or rice wine)
- 1 egg
- to taste salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 0.7 oz potato starch
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast for savory preparations
- 2 cups water
- 4.4 oz sugar
- 1/2 cup white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
- 3.5 oz tomato paste
- 1.2 oz potato starch
- 1/4 cup water
Steps
Start by preparing the pork for marinating by cutting it into small pieces about 0.4 inches each, preferably all the same size, removing the fatty parts.
Place the meat in a bowl and add the whole egg, wine, salt, and pepper to taste.
Mix the meat well with the ingredients, cover the bowl with a lid, and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Wash the bell peppers, clean them, and cut them into small square pieces, no larger than 0.6 inches. Slice the white onion finely and set all the vegetables aside for later.
Now, in another small bowl, prepare the batter by sifting the flour with the potato starch and instant yeast for savory preparations. Add the water and mix the batter until it becomes smooth and homogeneous, then let it rest for 10 minutes.
After the marinating time has passed and the batter has rested, pour the batter into the bowl with the meat and mix all the ingredients well to combine them.
At this point, you can proceed to fry the meat. In a deep pan, heat the oil.
Individually take the meat chunks and dip them into the hot oil, frying 10-15 pieces at a time for 5-6 minutes, until golden brown. Then drain them and place them on a sheet of paper towel.
Before starting to make the sweet and sour sauce, prepare the thickener by placing 1.2 oz of potato starch with 1/4 cup of cold water in a small bowl. Set it aside for later.
Then, in a saucepan, place the water with the sugar, dissolve it over low heat, add the tomato paste and the wine vinegar. Mix with a whisk as you gradually add the thickener, prepared earlier, to avoid lumps.
Cook the sweet and sour sauce for about 3 minutes, stirring it constantly until it becomes smooth and homogeneous.
Turn off the heat. I remove it from the saucepan and transfer it to a glass jar while waiting to assemble the dish.
We’ve reached the end of the recipe. In a high-rimmed pan, place 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil and sauté the vegetables, previously prepared. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they soften slightly but remain crunchy.
Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the vegetables, stir for 1 minute, then add the fried meat. Mix well to combine the sweet and sour sauce with the meat for 1 minute, turn off the heat, and finally add 1 tablespoon of oil (to give shine).
