Sweet and Sour Pork
Quick and easy sweet and sour dish made of pork shoulder (kasim in Filipino)
Servings: 3 people
Equipment
- 1 medium pan
Ingredients
Marinade
- 200 grams pork shoulder (kasim in Filipino) in 1-inch slices or cubes, see notes
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white sugar
- egg whites from one egg
Frying
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 cups vegetable oil
Sweet and sour sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar see notes
- 1 ½ tbsp white sugar
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
Stir-frying
- ½ tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 pc medium red onion quartered and separated into individual layers
- 1 pc small green bell pepper seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces, optional
- 1 pc small red bell pepper seeded and cut into ½ inch pieces, optional
- ½ tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Combine all marinade ingredients and marinate the pork for at least 1 hour.
- In a medium pan, add your the vegetable oil and heat to medium-high heat (around 180 to 200C)
- Drain excess juices from the pork marinade. Coat each pork slice with cornstarch until a dry, thin layer forms around it.
- Once your oil is hot, fry the pork slices until cooked through. It should be somewhat golden and takes about 3 minutes per side. If needed, fry pork in batches so you don't overcrowd the pan (it won't get crispy). Set aside on a paper towel or wire rack so they don't get soggy. Repeat until all your pork are fried.
- Remove oil from the pan and set aside if preferred. Wipe out the excess oil and starch from the pan (or you can wash it too)
- In a bowl, combine all sweet and sour ingredients and mix until well-combined. Adjust taste to preference.
- In the pan, heat to medium and cook the onions until semi-translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add in your chopped bell peppers and stir fry until cooked through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Adjust heat to low and add in your combined sweet and sour sauce to the pan and until sugar has been dissolved completely. Let simmer for about 2 minutes. Add water if it's starting to dry out, in 1 tbsp increments.
- In another bowl, combine cornstarch with about 2 tbsp of cold water. Mix until it forms a slurry.
- Add consnatarch mixture to the pan until it thickens.
- Add in your pork and stir until coated. Serve hot!
Notes
- Pork shoulder (Kasim) - you can opt to use another cut, but I prefer to use kasim for this sweet and sour pork because it's accessible anywhere and the fat is minimal (can be easily taken off), safe for those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but still lend some flavor and tenderness.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - I use apple cider vinegar as it has fruity, sweeter note that adds depth to the dish. You can use white vinegar but may need to tweak the recipe a bit to adjust the sugar and salt.
- Bell peppers - if you don't have or like bell peppers, you can take them out and it still works!