Dish of Sweet & Sour Pork
(click to enlarge)

Sweet & Sour Pork


Thailand
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 4 w/rice
***
45 min
Prep		 Fresh, attractive and delectable, about as far away as you can get from the sticky, acrid, neon red pork of Chinese American take-out infamy - and far more healthy as well.

1
2
------
3
10
1
2
4
2
1/4
1
1
1
1/4
------
1/4
1
1-1/2
1/4
------


#
cl
---
oz
oz
c

oz
T
c
T
T
T
t
---
c
T
T
t
---


Pork lean
Garlic
-- Sauce
Straw Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Scallions
Chili, red (1)  
Onion
Tomato Sauce
Stock
Rice Vinegar
Sugar
Fish Sauce (2)  
Salt
--------
Stock
Tapioca Flour (3)
Oil
Pepper
-- Garnish
Cilantro leaves
Cucumber slices
Prep   -   (30 min)
  1. Slice PORK into thin medallions, 1/8 inch thick by about 2 by 1 inches, or however works with your pork.
  2. Crush GARLIC and chop fine.
  3. Slice Mushrooms in half lengthwise unless very small. Cut Tomato into narrow half wedges. Cut Scallions into 1 inch lengths, white and green. Seed Chilis and cut into narrow strips. Cut Onion in half lengthwise and then crosswise about 1/8 inch thick. Mix together All Sauce Items.
  4. Mix Stock and Tapioca Flour together.
RUN   -   (15 min)
  1. Heat Oil very hot in a wok or spacious sauté pan and stir in Garlic for a few seconds until it starts to color, then stir in Pork. Fry stirring until pork completely loses its raw color and any liquid has boiled off.
  2. Stir in Sauce Mix until well mixed. Don't overcook.
  3. Stir in Tapioca Mix and stir gently over moderate heat until the sauce thickens.
  4. Season with Pepper.
  5. Garnish with Cilantro Leaves and Sliced Cucumber. Serve hot with steamed Jasmine rice.
NOTES:

  1. Chilis:

      Around here everyone uses Red Fresnos, but other chilis can be used. Two Fresnos make this dish quite mild, so add Thai chilis if you wish. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  2. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.

  3. Tapioca Starch

      This starch, easily available in markets serving a Southeast Asian community, is excellent for adding right at the end of cooking. Potato starch can be substituted with very little more cooking, but cornstarch would nead nearly twice as much and have to cook longer at a higher temperature. For details see our Starches, Thickeners & Gels page.
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
smm_pigss1 090923 ett139   -   www.clovegarden.com
©Andrew Grygus - agryg@aaxnet.com - Linking to and non-commercial use of this page is permitted.