Sweet and sour pork is a quick stir fry dinner, full of fresh vegetables and breaded pork. It’s relatively easy to make, too, which is always a plus in my book. Hopefully, in your book, too.
I’m all about the quick and easy meal from time to time. The king of quick and easy has got to be the stir fry dinner. We love mixing it up and trying new ones. Part of my new year’s resolution is to try to utilize more of my cookbooks and magazines, so the moment I saw this sweet and sour pork recipe, I had to try it!
I ripped the recipe out (as per my new organization process) and added it to the pile.
Sweet and Sour Pork
from Food Network Magazine, January/February 2011
Ingredients:
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt
- 2 teas low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tbs cornstarch
- 3 tbs ketchup
- 3 tbs sugar, plus a pinch (really, FN – is plus a pinch an actual form of measurement?)
- 1/3 cup water
- 3 tbs peanut or vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 3 scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cups snow peas, cut in half
- 1/2 small head of cabbage, sliced thin *I threw this in
Preparation:
Toss the pork with 1/2 tbs vinegar and pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tbs vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch , ketchup, 3 tbs sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1/2 teas salt in another bowl.
Heat 2 tbs oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork and slowly sit until it turns mostly opaque, about 2 minutes (my 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces took more like 5 minutes to get to a point I was ok with serving). Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Discard the oil and wipe out skillet.
Heat the remaining 1 tbs oil in the skillet, then stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, 15 seconds. Add the carrots and scallions and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. If the garlic starts to stick to the skillet, add a bit of water. Add the pork, snow peas and soy sauce mixture stir until the pork is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minuets.
Serve with rice and enjoy 😀
My thoughts on the sweet and sour pork recipe:
Until I made the sweet and sour pork, I had never eaten a sweet and sour anything. After trying this dish, I’m not sold. I didn’t love love this one from Food Network magazine, but with amount of recipes in each issue, there are bound to be a few we don’t love. It was a meal, and I packed a ton of veggies in without much prep-work or time wasted, but I won’t be making this one again. Win some, lose some.
Pretty. Good. Food.
Saturday 23rd of July 2011
Mmmmmm, sounds delicious! So much better than take out!
Sandra
Thursday 21st of July 2011
Very pretty dish, love the colors!
Christa Rose
Wednesday 20th of July 2011
I was just admiring this photo on Foodgawker! The veggies looks so fresh and crisp. Can't wait to try it!
Drew
Tuesday 19th of July 2011
Just a quick note about cooking the pork...the recipe is correct...in the initial fry, you're only just browning the pork...it then sits on the side and the cooking process is completed when you add it back into the wok by simmering in the sauce...
also, yes, this is nothing like the "traditional" sweet & sour sauce you normally see in take-out restaurants (what I like to refer to as tourist-style chinese food) which is a nasty concoction that is mainly an excessive amount of breading with an unnaturally neon red sauce...ugh...
one thing that doesn't make sense to me is using low-sodium soy sauce yet adding salt...uhhhh, what?
btw, feel free to ask if ya have any chinese food questions...just don't ask me to make chop suey...heheh
Ann
Tuesday 19th of July 2011
Congratulations on making the Top 9! This was So beautiful and well deserved!