Sweet-and-Sour Pork
Pork
12 oz lean boneless pork
2 tablespoons mirin or dry sherry
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chicken broth
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup rice vinegar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
cooking oil for frying
1 beaten egg
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup flour
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 medium carrots, thinly bias sliced
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into 1-in pieces
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into 1-in pieces
3 green onions, bias sliced into 1-in pieces
1 8-oz can pineapple chunks (juice pack), drained
3 cups hot cooked rice
Serves 4.
Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into ¾ cubes; place in a bowl. For marinade, sir together sherry, the 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and sesame oil. Pour over pork. Toss to coat. Cover; let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
For sauce, stir together the 1 cup broth, sugar, vinegar, the 4 teaspoons cornstarch, and the 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Set aside. In a wok or large saucepan heat 1½ to 2 inches of cooking oil or shortening to 365°. Meanwhile, for batter, in a bowl stir together egg, the½ cups cornstarch, flour, and the½ cups broth until smooth.
Drain pork; pat dry. Dip pork into batter, swirling to coat. Fry a few pieces of pork at a time in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden and no pink remains. Remove from oil. Drain on paper towels. Keep pork warm in a 300° oven while frying remaining pork.
Pour the 1 tablespoon oil into a large skillet. (Add more oil as needed during cooking.) Preheat over medium-high heat. Cook and stir garlic in hot oil 15 seconds. Add carrots, sweet peppers, and green onions; cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from skillet. Stir sauce; add to skillet. Cook and stir until bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Stir in pineapple and cooked vegetable. Cook and stir about 1 minute or until hot. Stir in pork. Serve over rice.