Ben and I tried to make sweet and sour chicken back in college. That was an interesting experience. I realized the oil container in the cabinet was empty after already going to the grocery store. For some reason, we refused to give up on the dinner project. Needless to say, we made a mess of the kitchen and dinner didn't really taste great. Since then, I have learned much more about making food, especially when a recipe just won't work. Sometimes you really have to give up, and go back to the store or make something different.
Before going to the store, make sure you have enough oil to cook the pork. Otherwise, this will not be a fun-to-make dinner. You really do want to make sure the oil is extremely hot before adding the pork. This helps the outside be a bit crispy while the inside is still juicy. It also helps cut back the greasiness. The hotter the oil, the less oil the pork will absorb.
What you'll need:
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1/2 tbsp ginger puree
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium white onion
-1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Sriracha
- 1/4 cup chopped pineapple, canned in its own juice
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice from can
- Cornstarch
- Canola oil
What to do:
1. Cut pork into pieces (a little bigger than bite-sized). Marinate in soy sauce, ginger puree, and garlic for 30 minutes.
2. Chop bell peppers and onion into small squares. Saute on high heat in 1 tbsp oil until barely browned. Turn off heat. Heat a heavy duty pot or Dutch Oven with enough canola oil to make a 1/3" layer of oil.
3. Pour ~1/2 cup cornstarch in a bowl. Dip pork pieces in cornstarch and shake off extra powder. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. When oil has reached 300* F, add only enough pieces of pork to avoid overcrowding the pan. After 1 minutes, flip pieces of pork and cook 45 more seconds. Remove pieces and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. If cooking pork in batches, let oil reheat to 250*.
4. When all the pork is cooked, add to pan with peppers and onions. Add in sweet and sour sauce, pineapple juice, Sriracha, chopped pineapple, and pineapple juice. Cook over medium-high heat 3 - 5 minutes. Serve over rice.
Before going to the store, make sure you have enough oil to cook the pork. Otherwise, this will not be a fun-to-make dinner. You really do want to make sure the oil is extremely hot before adding the pork. This helps the outside be a bit crispy while the inside is still juicy. It also helps cut back the greasiness. The hotter the oil, the less oil the pork will absorb.
Sweet and Sour Pork
What you'll need:
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce, divided
- 1/2 tbsp ginger puree
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 medium white onion
-1/4 cup sweet and sour sauce
- 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Sriracha
- 1/4 cup chopped pineapple, canned in its own juice
- 2 tbsp pineapple juice from can
- Cornstarch
- Canola oil
What to do:
1. Cut pork into pieces (a little bigger than bite-sized). Marinate in soy sauce, ginger puree, and garlic for 30 minutes.
2. Chop bell peppers and onion into small squares. Saute on high heat in 1 tbsp oil until barely browned. Turn off heat. Heat a heavy duty pot or Dutch Oven with enough canola oil to make a 1/3" layer of oil.
3. Pour ~1/2 cup cornstarch in a bowl. Dip pork pieces in cornstarch and shake off extra powder. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the oil. When oil has reached 300* F, add only enough pieces of pork to avoid overcrowding the pan. After 1 minutes, flip pieces of pork and cook 45 more seconds. Remove pieces and place on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. If cooking pork in batches, let oil reheat to 250*.
4. When all the pork is cooked, add to pan with peppers and onions. Add in sweet and sour sauce, pineapple juice, Sriracha, chopped pineapple, and pineapple juice. Cook over medium-high heat 3 - 5 minutes. Serve over rice.
