Sweet and Sour Pork

Pork

• 1.25 lb Pork loin or shoulder, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 3/4 tsp Salt

Coating

• 3/4 cup Cornstarch

Frying

• 3 cups Neutral oil, for frying

Sauce

• 1/2 cup Pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup Rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup Brown sugar, packed
• 3 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Cornstarch

Vegetables

• 1 Bell pepper, chunked
• 1 cup Pineapple chunks

Sauce

1. Whisk the pineapple juice, vinegar, brown sugar, ketchup, and soy sauce together in a small pan. Dissolve the cornstarch in a splash of water and whisk in. Simmer until thickened, then set aside.

Coat

1. Season the pork with salt, then toss thoroughly in the cornstarch, shaking off any excess.

Fry

1. Heat the oil in a deep pot or wok to 175°C (350°F). Fry the pork in batches until golden and cooked through, about 63°C internal. (Tip: Fry hot and fast — the coating is thin and delicate, and it needs the meat to cook through quickly rather than sitting in the oil at a lower temperature for longer.)

Stir-fry

1. Pour off most of the oil, leaving a spoonful in the pan, and stir-fry the bell pepper until just crisp-tender.

Finish

1. Add the pineapple chunks, the fried pork, and the sauce, tossing quickly just to coat everything. (Tip: This toss should be brief. Cornstarch coating has no gluten to hold it together in liquid, and it starts dissolving the longer it sits in sauce.)