I decided to try my hand at Sweet and Sour Pork. The origin of sweet and sour pork was 18th century Canton or earlier. A record shows that the renowned Long Family in the prosperous neighbouring Shunde county (of the Qinghui Garden fame, and the family was active in the 18th and 19th centuries), used sweet and sour pork to test the skills of their family chefs. It spread to the United States in the early 20th century after the Chinese migrant gold miners and railroad workers turned to cookery as trades.
The original meaning of the American term chop suey refers to sweet and sour pork.
Here is the Qinghui Garden.
In the book, he actually gives 2 versions of Sweet and Sour pork. I decided to try the Americanized version.Sweet and Sour Pork
1 pound pork loin, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
cornstarch
batter:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 t baking powder
1 cup cold water
sauce:
2 cups water
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1/2 lime
Juice of1/2 lemon
1 T minced ginger
1 cup sugar
3 T ketchup
1/2 t salt
1/2 t red food coloring
2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 inch diamond shapes
1 large white onion, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup cubed pineapple, fresh or unsweetened canned
at the end:
5 T cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water
1) Dredge pork in cornstarch
2) Combine batter ingredients and whisk until smooth. Let stand for 15 minutes.
3) Place the pork cubes in the batter.
4) Deep fry the pork cubes in 350 degree oil until yellowish white, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander. Wait 5 minutes and then refry the pork cubes until golden brown, about 1 minute.
5) Dump all of the sauce ingredients together in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and boil 15 minutes until reduced by half.
6) Stir fry the green peppers, onion and pineapple in a wok until softening but still crisp.
7) Add the sauce to the wok. When sauce comes to a boil add the cornstarch/water mixture and boil until sauce thickens.
8) Add the pork and stir to coat well. Serve with rice.
We also had some Wanna's Won Tons. Click to see the recipe!
Our little one really loved them!