Sweet & Sour Pork (Chinese New Year)

Directions

Directions for sweet and sour pork Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes.

Marinate in the soy sauce and cornstarch for 20 minutes.

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl, combine the sugar, ketchup, dark soy sauce, salt, water or juice and vinegar.

Set aside.

In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the water.

Set aside.

Peel the carrot and chop on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.

Cut the bell peppers in half, remove the seeds and cut into cubes.

Heat the oil for deep--frying to 375℉ (190℃) Fahrenheit.

For the batter, combine the flour and cornstarch.

Stir in the egg white and vegetable oil.

Add as much of the warm water as is needed to form a thick batter that is neither too dry or too moist.

(The batter should not be runny, but should drop off the back of a spoon).

Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter.

Deep-fry in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the wok.

Deep-fry the pork until it is golden brown.

Remove and drain on paper towels.

(If desired you can deep-fry the pork at second time to make it extra crispy. Make sure the oil is back up to 375 before you begin deep-frying again).

To prepare the sweet and sour sauce, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat.

Add the carrot, green pepper, and pineapple.

Bring to a boil again and thicken with cornstarch mixture, stirring.

Check the sauce one more time and adjust seasonings, adding salt and/or vinegar if desired.

Serve hot over the deep-fried pork.

Serve the sweet and sour pork over rice.