Sweet and sour pork is a world famous Chinese dish. Its excellent aroma and great appearance fully comply with the basic principles of the Chinese culinary tradition - to change the taste and appearance of the original ingredients so that it is difficult to guess what the dish is made of and prepare it so that harmony of shape and color reigns on the plate.
Regional features of the dish
Although, like any popular dish of folk, not haute cuisine, every Chinese housewife prepares pork in sweet and sour sauce with her own subtleties and "secrets." Still, there are three main regional variations of this dish. The classic and the earliest in origin recipe is considered to be such pork in sweet and sour sauce, such as it is prepared in the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. This dish is distinguished by the longest strips of meat and no vegetable pieces are added to it. In Cantonese cuisine - the most famous outside the country - pork is cut into almost large cubes and added to the dish with pineapple and bell peppers. In northeastern China, in Manchuria, the meat sauce is more sour, and the pork slices are flat and wide.
Other meats are also cooked in sweet and sour sauce - chicken, turkey, vegetarians serve tofu cheese in this gravy. All of these dishes have nothing to do with Chinese cuisine.
Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork
To cook pork in sweet and sour sauce the way it is done in southern China, you will need the following sauce ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon of sugar;
- ¼ teaspoon of salt;
- 2 teaspoons of rice wine;
- 2 teaspoons of rice vinegar;
- 2 tablespoons of thick plum sauce;
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce;
- ¾ teaspoon of cornstarch;
- ¼ glass of boiled water.
You will also need:
- 250 grams of pork (pulp from the shoulder);
- 2 teaspoons of rice wine;
- ½ cup cornstarch;
- ½ teaspoon light soy sauce;
- 2 tablespoons of beaten egg white;
- ½ onions;
- 150 grams of fresh pineapple;
- 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger root;
- 100 grams of bell peppers;
- 2-3 feathers of green onions.
Fresh pineapple can be replaced with frozen one, but you should not take a canned product that contains additional sugar that knocks down the delicate flavor balance of the dish.
Start the process by making the sauce. Combine sugar, salt, rice wine and vinegar, soy and plum sauce, add cornstarch and achieve the desired consistency by gradually pouring in warm boiled water. Try the sauce and balance the flavor, adding sweet or savory ingredients as needed. Set aside.
Cut the pork into ice cubes. Place in a non-reagent bowl, add rice wine, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, oyster and soy sauce. Cover with a lid or cling film and leave to marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Just before cooking, add the egg and remaining starch to the pork pieces. Stir and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Heat the cooking oil in a wok and sauté the pork in several batches until golden brown. Place the meat on a plate lined with a tea towel and cover with foil.
Wash the wok. Cut the peppers into squares, the pineapple into cubes and the onions into segments. Heat the oil again in the wok. Saute onion and pineapple, add chopped ginger and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 minute. Pour in sweet and sour sauce, add pork, stir and heat. Serve sprinkled with chopped green onions.
