Sweet and Sour Pork

Sweet and Sour Pork
With rice, carrots, onions, peppers, pineapple, and broccoli stem

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg
1 tsp salt
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1 cup chicken stock
1-20 ounce can of pineapple chunks in syrup, drain and save syrup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp additional salt
2 tsp soy sauce
2 carrots, cut diagonally in slices
1 whole sweet onion, cubed
1-3 cloves of garlic, fine chop
1-2 bell peppers, roasted on stove top and cubed
2 broccoli stems, peeled, and sliced
2 tbsp catsup
few turns of pepper

2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp cold water, for thickening at the end
canola oil for frying

Serve with steamed rice

To Prepare:
Trim off excess fat from the pork and cut into small bite size pieces.  Prepare the vegetables-(see my techniques page for vegetable preparations).  Stir fry the onion, carrot, and broccoli stem in olive oil until soft.  Roast the peppers on the stove top and cut into cubes.  Add into a stockpot, the chicken stock,the reserved pineapple syrup, brown sugar, vinegar, 1 tsp of the salt, pepper, soy sauce, catsup, and vegetables.  Simmer for 10-30 minutes over low heat.  At the end of this time, taste for salt and pepper, and add more if necessary for your tastes.  If you want the sauce to be thicker, add the cornstarch mixture of 2 tbsp cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of cold water.  Mix together before adding to hot liquid.  Simmer stirring constantly until of desired thickness.
Then add the pineapple chunks and the peppers. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the first part of the ingredients to batter your pork.  This consists of flour, cornstarch, water, salt and an egg.  Heat your canola or peanut oil for frying in large fry pan until your chopstick sizzles, approximately 350-375 degrees F.

Dip your pork bites into the batter, and fry in small batches, for 5 minutes approximately, turning over during cooking.  If unsure if done, take one out and cut open and see that it is all white, no pink, done.  Drain on paper towels. 
If doing a large batch, take the cooked nuggets, that have already drained, and place in a warming oven-170-200 degrees F to keep the batches warm.  Lay them out single layer on a baking pan.  Most people put the battered pork back into the sauce, you are welcome to do this.  But I find, it ruins the crispy coating and makes it soggy so I always put on top these days, much better.  I love with steamed rice, and it's a tangy sauce and the plain rice goes well.