sweet and sour pork

sweet and sour pork (咕噜肉) is ubiquitous in cantonese restaurants… its bright red-orange color and deep fried battered pork is what makes this dish so visually attractive. the sweet and sour flavor opens up the appetite, making us eat more than we should. in this recipe, we will make a simplified version; cutting down on the batter and the radioactive color. it’s slightly healthier. we will be using pork ribs because it has a good amount of fat and cartilage. cartilage is fun! however, pork belly works just as fine. you can adjust each flavor individually to your taste, i.e. add more vinegar for a more sour taste.

pork ribs 1/2 lb (1/4 kg)
flour 2 tbsp
cornstarch 1 tbsp
salt 1 tsp
oil for frying 1.5 – 2 cups (360 ml – 480 ml)

the sauce

soy sauce 1 tbsp
rice vinegar 3 tbsp
sugar 2 tbsp
ketchup 3 tbsp
cornstarch 1 tsp

• coat the pork ribs evenly with the rice flour, cornstarch, and salt. let it sit for 10 minutes
• add a good amount of oil to the wok, turn to medium-high heat
• lightly fry the pork until cooked, about 10 – 15 min
• remove cooked pork and set aside, drain the oil from the wok
• turn heat to medium and add all the sauces and cornstarch to the wok
• add the pork into the thickened sauce and toss to coat evenly

add the cooked pork to the sauce

we finished the whole plate easily

commentaries

jun:

for an even healthier version, skip coating the pork with flour and just stir-fry the pork until done. this will save time and calories.

priscilla:

you can substitute chicken for pork! use chicken breast or thigh as an alternative to pork.

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