When it's Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork.So, Ken (or Jerry - whichever you know him by) received this interesting box as we were leaving HK. Apparently he was known for eating McDonalds hamburgers. It's actually a little Bento lunch box. Check it out...
But the best thing is the paper container has a recipe for Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork printed inside the lid.
The McDonalds style container was custom made for Ken. It seems his favorite lunch shifted from the hamburgers to the S&S Pork after a few trips to the Leo factory. He was such a fan that they always made sure it was on the lunch menu when he was in town.So, here's to finally having all of the boxes unpacked from a move that happened 18 months ago. Cheers!
Chinese Sweet and Sour Pork
For the batter:
3/4 c flour
3/4 c cornstarch
1 1/2 T baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 c cold water
1 1/2 t peanut oil
For the sauce:
3/4 c white vinegar
1/2 t salt
6 T tomato sauce
1 T dark or mushroom soy sauce
3/4 c sugar
1 T cornstarch
oil for deep-frying
3/4 lb boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 T flour
2 t minced garlic
4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 c bamboo shoots, cut into 3/4 by 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Heat oil in a wok or deep-fryer, to about 350 to 375 degrees. While wok and oil are heating up, dust pork loin cubes with the flour, shaking off excess. Working with a few pieces at a time, dip the four-coated pork pieces into the batter (stir briefly once again before you begin) and fry in the hot oil. The important thing is not to crowd the wok, so your pieces fry up nicely and don't stew. Turn them a few times until they're evently golden in color, cooking them for a total of 8 minutes or so. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain using a Chinese wire-mesh skimmer or other strainer. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in the oven while you fry the rest of the pork. Repeat until everything has been fried. Return all pork pieces into the hot oil and fry breifly, about 3 minutes, until everything is a nice golden brown. Strain again and keep warm in the oven.
Discard the oil in the wok except for a tablespoon. Working over high heat, add minced garlic and scallions, stir-frying for about 30 seconds. Add bamboo shoots and red pepper and continue to stir fry for a minut or so. Give the sauce mixture a quick stir and add to the peppers, bringing to a boil and stirring until thickened. Remove from heat. Transfer pork to serving platter and pour peppers and sauch over the pork. Serve hot with rice.
