Sweet and Sour Pineapple Pork

(Abbreviated from) The Key to Chinese Cooking, written by Irene Kuo, drawings by Carolyn Moy, Australia 1978

Ingredients: 

1/2kg/1 pound boneless loin of pork, cubed; 4 cups of oiI; ¼ cup cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Marinade:

½ tsp salt; 2 tspn light soy sauce; 1 tsp sesame oil; 1 tblsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tblsp water; 1 egg yolk, beaten

Seasonings:

5 tblsp sugar; ½ tsp salt; 4 tblsp distilled white vinegar; 3 tblsp light soy sauce; 2 tblsp dry sherry; 3 tblsp catsup; 1 large clove garlic, lightly crushed and peeled; 1 tblsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tblsp water; 1 tblsp sesame oil; ½ cup water; 1 cup canned pineapple cubes

2 tblsp oil

Method:

Trim excess fat from the pork cubes. Toss in marinade.

Sauce:

Mix the sugar, salt, white vinegar, soy sauce, sherry and catsup in a bowl, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Crush and peel the garlic. Dissolve 1 tblsp cornstach in 3 tblsp water and add 1 tblsp sesame oil, set aside. Measure out ½ cup water and set it aside. Drain the pineapple cubes and set aside.

Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat until hot, then turn heat to medium. Add 2 tblspn oil, swirl, and toss in the garlic, flipping and pressing it in the oil a few times. Then pour in the sauce seasonings slowly as you stir with the back of a spoon in a circular motion until the liquid comes to a boil.

Turn heat low, add the cornstarch mixture, stirring circularly, until the sauce begins to thicken. Then add the water slowly as you stir in circular motions until the sauce is smooth and bubbly. Turn off the heat.

Final cooking:

Heat a wok or large heavy saucepan over high until hot; add 4 cups of oil and heat until it foams a cube of bread snappily, about 350°F/175°C. While the oil is heating, dredge the marinated meat cubes in the cornstarch and flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and drop them into the hot oil and fry for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Lower the heat slightly and continue to fry, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Turn off the heat and scoop out the meat with a skimmer or slotted spoon to drain on paper towels for about 1 minute. (If you haven’t made the sauce yet, use this lull to do so). Heat a small amount of this oil in a fry pan, return the pork cubes to the oil and stir fry until crisp and brown.

Bring the sauce to a simmer over low heat; discard the garlic. Turn heat to medium high, add the pineapple cubes, and stir for 30 seconds or so to heat them through. Scoop out the meat from the oil with a skimmer or slotted spoon, pause over the fry pan to drain, then scatter the cubes into the sauce; turn heat to high and stir in fast, using flipping and turning motions with a spoon or spatula to glaze the meat. Pour immediately into a hot serving dish.