Sweet and Sour Pork

Love sweet and sour pork, but don’t like the lurid red gloopy sauce that most takeaways have? We’ve got you covered. Don’t like pineapple? Leave it out. Vary the vegetables to what is seasonal and whatever you have in the fridge.

Prep:
30 mins
Cook:
15 mins
Serves:
4

Ingredients

Marinade:

450-500g Freedom Farms pork scotch fillet (loin or fillets would also work well here).

1 Tbsp rice cooking wine

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp grated ginger

½ tsp Farro 5 spice powder

1 egg, beaten

For the sauce:

½ cup Farro ketchup

1 cup Farro chicken stock or water

2 tsp sugar

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Combine all the ingredients and set aside.

Sweet and sour pork:

vegetable oil for frying

½ cup cornflour plus 1 Tbsp mixed with 2 Tbsp water

½ cup rice flour or cornflour

1 onion, cut into thin wedges

1 stick celery, sliced on the diagonal

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 red or green chilli, sliced (seeds removed if you prefer)

¾ cup pineapple, cut into small pieces (approx. ¼ pineapple)

2 bok choy, sliced across

2 spring onions, cut into 5cm pieces

Method

Cut the pork into 5mm strips and then cut each strip into 3cm lengths. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl, add the pork and set aside for at least 30 mins

In a wok, heat some oil until around 180°C (until a piece of bread browns without burning). Combine both ½ cups of flour in a bowl, add the marinated pork and toss evenly to coat. Fry the pork in the oil in batches for 3-4 mins until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels

Strain off the oil, wipe out the wok and add 1 Tbsp of the oil back to the pan. Add the onion, celery, garlic and chilli and cook for 1-2 mins, add the pineapple and cook 30 seconds to get a little colour, then add the sweet and sour sauce and bring to the boil. Add the cornflour and water slurry and cook until thickened, then add the bok choy, pork and spring onion and cook until heated through

Serve immediately with steamed rice

Cook's note: Don’t like pineapple? Leave it out. Vary the vegetables to what is seasonal and whatever you have in the fridge