May 19, 2011

Last Nights' Fabulous Dinner + The Recipe


 Sweet and Sour Pork
Sorry for the lame picture - I think I was a little too close and the lighting is horrid in the kitchen at night

Last night, we had Sweet and Sour Pork for dinner and I must say it was out of this world delicious! We are currently working towards adjusting to a lacto ovo diet. We are still eating meat (supplemented with a veggie recipes) a few nights a week while we are learning the veggie ropes so to speak. Lately, there have been a few nights of stir fry and I must say it suits me just fine. The following recipe is fabulous, and I can tell you first hand it is even better left over - (as I sit at my desk polishing off the leftovers.) The recipe calls for pork butt  - we subbed a leaner pork chop cut and oh my stars it is yummy! I am not a big, big meat eater and I have to say this is a delightful way to prepare pork. 

There is a little bit of prep time - the meat needs to marinate and there are veggies to cut up - but Oh Yum!

There is some refined sugar involved, but you could probably just eliminate the sugar and go with whatever sugar is in the pineapple juice. Also, the not so healthy for you part is the meat is fried. This isn't the most healthy of recipes one could make, but it's not the worst and it is fabulous!

Ingredients

  • 1 pound pork butt, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 quart vegetable oil for frying
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  •  
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 3 stalks celery, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
  • white sugar to taste
  • salt to taste
  •  
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup water

Directions

  1. Place cubed pork in a medium bowl, and season with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Mix in the egg white and green onions. Cover, and place in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.
  2. Heat 1 quart oil to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C) in a large, heavy saucepan or deep fryer.
  3. Coat the pork with 1/2 cup cornstarch, and fry in the heated oil about 10 minutes, until evenly browned. Drain on paper towels.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok over medium heat. Stir in the celery, green bell pepper, and onion, and cook until tender. Season with salt and sugar. Remove from heat, and set aside.
  5. In a large saucepan, mix 1 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 3/4 cup sugar, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, and 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce. Bring to a boil, and stir in the cooked pork, celery mixture, and the pineapple chunks with juice. Return to boil, and mix in 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/4 cup water to thicken. Cook until well blended.
Recipe source; Allrecipes.com

2 comments:

Tara said...

Sounds delicious. I can't see why you wouldn't be able to substitute tofu for the pork, if you wanted too. Thanks for the recipe.

Tierra Verde Handmade Soap said...

I bet tofu would be a great substitute.