RECIPE: SWEET AND SOUR (WITH A HINT OF CHILLI) PORK IN BATTER

Today’s dinner rendition is an all time Chinese favourite. There are many variations of this meal, in terms of whether the medium is battered first before cooking or not; and the type of meat or seafood that is used to cook this meal. You can use chicken, prawns, fish or pork (funny but I have not come across sweet and sour beef! Correct me if I am wrong) to make this dish. This is how I made mine.

500 g pork leg – boned
1 large (green, red or a mixture of both colours) capsicum – cubed
1 large onion – sliced thickly
1 large or 2 small carrots – halved lengthways and sliced
1-2 eggs – beaten lightly
Around 1 cup corn flour
3 cloves garlic – minced
Canned pineapple pieces – optional (I had none today so I did not put any in)
2 tbsp chinese wine
Sauce (mixed together in a bowl):
· 1/3 cup vinegar
· 1 tbsp chinese light soy sauce
· 2 tbsp sugar
· 3 tbsp tomato sauce
· 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
· 1 to 2 tsp ‘Galiko’ or ‘John West’ crushed chilli – optional
1 cup veg oil
1 tsp corn flour dissolved in 1 tbsp water – use to thicken sauce if necessary

Method
Cut pork into 1 cm thick, beat lightly to flatten and tenderise the meat, and cut into bite sized pieces.

Dip pork pieces into egg, then coat with corn flour and deep fry in batches until pork and batter is cooked through. Lift and set aside.

Remove oil bar 2 tbsp and fry garlic. When the garlic is fragrant, add in the capsicum and fry for 1 min.

Add in the pork, mix well and moisten with some rice wine. Add in the sauce mixture and pineapple (if using). Mix well. Thicken with cornflour if required. Lift and serve hot with rice.