Sweet and sour pork

We were in the mood for some sweet and sour pork, but we were not in the mood to go out to eat.  And, we didn’t feel like preparing a big complicated recipe at home.  Unfortunately, every recipe I found was full of steps that I didn’t feel were necessary, calling for special marinades or a special batter.  So, we decided to invent our own recipe.

Streamlined sweet and sour pork

1 1/2 pound pork loin, trimmed, and cut into small bite-sized cubes

1/2 cup cornstarch

cooking oil (try peanut oil or canola oil)

1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks, packed in water

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 – 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut in thin diagonal slices

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons cornstarch

water

5 cups hot cooked white rice

4 chopped green onions

Place the pork pieces in a bowl with the 1/2 cup cornstarch.  Toss to coat.  Pour enough oil into a heavy cast iron pan to cover the bottom of the pan.  Heat the oil on medium-high.  When the oil is hot, add the pork pieces, about 10-12 pieces at a time, and cook, turning once, until cooked through (about 5 minutes per batch).  Drain pork pieces on a paper towel-lined plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.  Continue cooking the pork until all pieces are cooked, adding additional oil to the pan, if necessary.

Meanwhile, drain the pineapple, and pour the juice into a measuring cup.  Add enough additional water to bring the liquid to 1 cup.  Pour the juice/water mixture into a saucepan.  Stir in the brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and carrots.  Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low, and continue cooking until the carrots are crisp-tender (4-5 minutes).  Mix the 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water.  Stir into the sauce.  Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.  Stir in the reserved pineapple pieces and heat until warm.  Remove from heat.

To serve, place the cooked rice onto a serving platter.  Cover with the cooked pork.  Ladle over the sauce, and garnish with the green onions.  Serves 4.

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