Tuesday 20 October 2015

Sweet and Sour Oink Oink!


For as long as I remember, Sweet and Sour Pork is a dish I always fantasized about throughout my childhood. This dish I never ate at home. It was only to be had on the rare occasion when my dad took us to a Chinese restaurant. As such, it was a dish to be savored whenever the opportunity arose.


My earliest recollection of Sweet and Sour Pork was a dinner I had with my parents. I was very young then. Maybe that was in Teluk Intan (Teluk Anson), I forget. 


Oh, how I loved and enjoyed the Sweet and Sour Pork! In fact I did not have enough hah...hah... To me, this dish goes very well with Chinese fried rice, the one that has a deep wok hei aroma. And another dish to complement the pork and fried rice would be kailan fried with salted fish. Give me these three dishes, I would be very happy and very satisfied. 


I think my dad will agree because he too loves this unholy trinity hah..hah... My nephew also love Sweet and Sour Pork. In fact the whole family does!

So is this dish difficult to cook? Actually no. The only hassle is deep frying the pork. As you know, I dislike deep frying. It makes the stove and kitchen oily and wastes a lot of oil. But it can't be helped. Once you have fried the pork, the rest is a breeze. Unless if you think slicing onions, peppers and pineapples is a hassle too hah...hah...


There is one more thing you need to do before you fry the pork. Depending on what cut you use, you need to tenderize it first. I used shoulder arm and so I had a pork bashing session in the kitchen. The method I used is like the one I used here

It was worth the effort because my first attempt at Sweet and Sour Pork was successful. Of course the pork was not as crispy as the one from the restaurant but it was good enough for me. Needless to say, I am very pleased that I can whip up my childhood favorite right here at home.









Sweet and Sour Pork
Recipe source : Adapted from All About Meats (page 17)

Ingredients :
- 300g pork (shoulder arm)

Marinade :
- 1 tbsp dark soya sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp water

For deep frying :
- enough oil
- enough cornflour for coating

Vegetables :
- 1 big onion, cut into wedges
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 each green, red and yellow pepper, cut into cubes
- 2 slices small pineapple, cut into small pieces

Sweet and Sour Sauce (mix everything together and adjust to taste) :
- 4 tbsp tomato ketchup (I used Maggi)
- 3 tbsp brown rice vinegar
- 1 tsp light soya sauce
- 8 tbsp water
- 2 tsp cornflour
Note : I did not add sugar because the sweetness from the tomato ketchup was just nice for me.

Method :
1. To tenderize the pork, put the pork in between 2 pieces of cling wrap and bash with a metal meat tenderizer.
2. Cut the pork into 2cm cubes.
3. Marinade with the marinade for about 30 minutes.
4. Coat the pork pieces with cornflour and deep fry until golden brown and cooked.
5. Remove the fried pork and heat the oil up and deep fry the pork again very briefly (about 10 seconds)
6. Remove and drain on paper towels.
7. Heat oil in a wok and fry minced garlic until fragrant.
8. Add onions and fry briskly and then add all the peppers.
9. Stir fry briefly until peppers are heated through and are tender crisp.
10. Add the sauce and bring to a boil.
11. Add the pork and pineapples, stir quickly and turn off the heat.
12. Serve immediately.




This post is also linked to Cook-Your-Books #27 hosted by Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

48 comments:

  1. Phong Hong, this is delicious, I can only drooling in front of computer hahahahaa

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  2. Yes, I am not fond of deep frying the meat but they say it seals in the juices and the sweetness. I saw the people outside coating the meat with cornflour and deep frying first. I think I would just go to eat this outside whenever I feel like it - no need to go through all that hassle...or just skip that step and settle for less. :(

    Yours look absolutely gorgeous!!!

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    1. Thank you! I would prefer this to be cooked by someone else too hah..hah...

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  3. tambah one telor goreng, and drizzle lots of soya sauce on both of them... my comfort food...

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  4. Who doesn't love this?? Even my mom who always complains when we order this, would not be able to stop eating hahaha! But yala, the only reason I refuse to try this at home is because of the amount of oil needed for the deep frying. Too much hassle! Easier to just go and tapao from the mixed rice stalls...

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  5. Yummzz, who doesn't like koo loo yok.. Like you said, mum never cooked these at home.. Not even mil.. Only can eat when we go tai chau or go kiu soong.. Well ok, mil cooked once, but taste not as nice as those outside one, hehe.. I tried cooking sweet & sour fish once, using dory fish chunks dipped in flour then fried.. Sauce, I used oyster sauce, ketchup and lots of sugar, that's all.. Taste ok la, but I still prefer those kiu soong one..

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    1. Louiz, the restaurant one is better as the pork is crunchy. But mine not bad also lah hee..hee...

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  6. This is one of my favourite dish, but nowadays, i cut down on eating pork...

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  7. This looks super yummy! Just give a a bowl of rice and I am good to go!

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    1. Veronica, you will need two bowls hah..hah...

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  8. Drooling.. Lovely color and absolutely tasty.. Loved your title :)

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  9. sweet and sour pork!! hmmm, i think this is one of the favorite dishes for many, especially kids huh?? and yeah, i also think this is one of the most famous three Chinese dishes in the eyes of the westerners - fried rice, spring rolls and sweet & sour chicken (or pork)..

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    1. My childhood dream food lah, this one. Every time makan, like not enough. So when I cooked it myself, I sapu kaw kaw :D

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  10. i personally also like sweet and sour pork leh.. this is one of the preferred dish i would take when i am having chap fan outside, sometimes will also order this dish at some dai chow stalls.. but funny enough, this dish isn't there on our dining table at home that often.. maybe too leceh huh?? gotta deep fry and then fry again..

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    1. Very hassle the deep frying part and also waste a lot of oil. I also cannot resist when I see this at the chap fan stall.

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  11. i love my sweet & sour pork with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, pineapples and bell pepper.. and of course the pork preferably crunchy outside.. don't like too much vinegar used in this dish, as it can kind of "sting" (errr, how do you say that ah, when the sourness is too sharp??).. and okay now, i must declare that I AM VERY HUNGRY NOW!!! hahaha~~

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    1. The sauce must have a balance of sweet and sour and of course must be salty a bit too. That's why can't really follow the recipe but have to adjust to our own taste.

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  12. That is my favorite too. Love this dish very much and it is so colorful!

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  13. I love to eat this dish too, not for the deep fried pork but because I like to eat the capsicums and the sourish pineapples. Will getting an air fryer make it more convenient for you to deep fry the pork and so you can cook this dish more often?

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    Replies
    1. I don't know about the air fryer. I tried air fried chicken chop at Salad Bar but I was not impressed. I have too many gadgets already, so I have to rule out the air fryer hah..hah...

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  14. I like sweet sour anything.....but my fav would be pork, followed by fish and then chicken. I've never attempted to cook this at home for the following 3 reasons...1) don't what cut of pork to use, 2) can't get the pork crispy and 3) don't know how to get the sauce mix just right. And, of course, it involves a lot of work....tenderising and frying the meat. So, better just eat out as all tai chow places offer this dish. Did you make this for your birthday or someone's birthday (or some full moon celebration)? Coz I see some red eggs by the side! ;)

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    1. Oh no, not for any special occasion. Just to fulfill a craving hah..hah... By the way, those were tomatoes :D

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  15. By the way, your version looks very good. I'd rather eat your version coz I see it comes with pineapples and 3 types of bell peppers....we don't get that at tai chow places, just green peppers and onions usually.

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    1. Oh, thanks! I wanted it colorful and also I love pineapples in sweet and sour. It gives the dish an extra ommph!

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  16. I think this is a favourite dish for most of us. I remembered whenever we eat out, this dish is a must for my boys. I used to cook this dish for my boys. Nowadays, less frying in the kitchen.

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    1. I tend to order this dish too when eating out. Can't resist!

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  17. Hi Phong Hong, this is 'Ko Lo Yok' a delicious dish very common in Chu Char stalls, restaurants and food outlets. They are very crispy cos' they are coated with lots of flour, the meat is thin and deep fried twice. Don't worry, given a choice, I would love to have yours cos' it looks 'Ho Chiak'.

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    1. Thanks, Kimmy! The one sold at chap fan stalls sometimes is coated with too much flour. Once it becomes soggy, it is not so pleasant to eat.

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  18. I agree - this Sweet & Sour Pork dish has been around since I was a toddler.
    In fact it was a dish during the ancient days in China and served to the Royal Families.
    All the Americans I met would know this dish besides Hot & Sour Soup! LOL
    These days I like it when Tar Chong serves them crispy with gravy.


    Yours looked so colourful and delicious! Yums!

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    1. Thanks, TM! Lately I avoid the one at Tar Chong because at one point, the pork was nothing but thick coating of flour. I felt so cheated :(

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    2. Eh Auntie PH! Uncle Anay went to eat last weekend and they have a stall selling dessert inside besides their buffet table has added so many trays of noodles, fried rice, fried bihun and etc. Go check it out! I told the boss to roll red carpet for you already.

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    3. Yes, yes, there's a dessert stall now. I saw many girls crowding around the stall when I was there 2 weeks ago. And yes, now they also have noodles and fried rice. More choices if we don't want to eat rice.

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  19. PH, like your oink oink dish :D

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  20. Hi Phong Hong,
    I occasionally cook this too. I think this is the most loved dish in most Cantonese homes. When I was a teenager, I would occasionally help out at my older sister's economic rice stall (chap fan stall) and sweet & sour pork is a must on her menu. Seeing your colourful yummy-licious sweet & sour pork made me hungry now ^-^!

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    1. Hi Karen! So Sweet and Sour Pork is something you would have eaten quite frequently. So lucky!

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  21. My kids' favourite dish of all times! You made it look so yummylicious...so colorful,too...

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    1. Thanks, Claire! This porky dish is very popular indeed :)

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  22. Hi Phong Hong,
    Sweet and sour pork is one of the most favourite dishes with my kids and their cousins. So much so, that I "phobia sweet and sour pork and tofu dishes" for quite a number of years! Haha! This dish was ordered each time we eat out! And that includes tip-pan tofu and omelette! I always wonder why the kids never get tired of these three dishes! But now that they are older, they are more adventurous to other dishes, phew! I seldom cook this at home, as I also hate the deep-frying part. But I do cook this sometimes since it is still the kids' favourite. Your dish looks oink oink delicious!

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    1. Hi Joyce! I guess most children love sweet and sour pork, so I was very normal then hah..hah...I guess this is one dish I won't get tired of but will not cook so often at home. I can easily get my fix at the chap fan stall :)

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