Sweet & Sour Pork

A bit fiddly, but well worth the effort. I find that marinating the pork overnight is a must for this dish – the flavour is so much more intense. The double frying is also essential to get that incredibly crispy texture of the pork fillets. For a healthier version, you can pan fry the pork instead.

Ingredients

600g pork scotch fillet, cut into 1.5cm pieces or 1.2kg pork spare ribs
Vegetable/peanut oil for deep fry

Marinade
3tbs cornflour
2tbs cold water
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
6 tsp light soy sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sea salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce

1 tbs peanut oil
1 green capsicum, chopped
1 red capsicum chopped
1 carrot, sliced
1 brown onion, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
½ cup caster sugar
½ cup (125ml) white vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs tomato sauce
1 cup (250ml) water
2 tbs cornflour mixed with 2 tbs water
½ small ripe pineapple, peeled and chopped or use 425g can pineapple pieces in natural juices if fresh unavailable
Red food colouring (optional)

Batter
1 cup tapioca flour
Salt and pepper

Method

1. For the marinade: blend cornflour with water in a medium-sized bowl until dissolved. Add egg yolks, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt and mix well to combine. Add to pork. Cover and leave to marinate in the refrigerator overnight if time permits.
2. For the sauce: heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, capsicums, carrot and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, tomato sauce and water until sugar dissolves. Combine the cornflour and 2 tbs water. Add to the pan and whisk until it comes to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the pineapple. Add red food colouring if desired. Set aside.  
3. Heat the deep fryer to 190°C. Meanwhile, make the batter by combining the flour with some salt and pepper. 
4. Dip the marinated pork cubes in the batter. Deep-fry pork in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the deep fryer. Deep fry until pork is almost cooked through/golden brown. 
5. Remove from deep fryer and drain on kitchen paper.
6. When oil is reheated again, return the pork to the hot oil and deep-fry for a further 3 minutes, or until lightly browned, crispy and cooked through. 
7. Remove from deep fryer and drain well on kitchen paper.
8. Combine pork with sweet and sour sauce. Serve with rice.