Well, I haven't made this dish for more than 8-10 years. So at the request of my sisters, I made it again. Anyway, I won't forget how to make it as I used to make this dish a thousand times. Actually I prefer to use the spare ribs with some fat, as the meat with some bone and fats taste better and it will make the coating more crispy when deep frying it. However, I need to care about the kids; so I chose pork loin (actually should be the pork with some fat （柳梅）as it will taste better.), and I purposedly cut the pork in smaller pieces (should be a little bit bigger than those in this photo). So if you make this one, better cut the pork in a size like 1.25"x1.25". It's because if you cut them in too small pieces, the meat inside will dry out easily. However, if you cut it in big pieces, you may not have them cooked to well done. To make the pork more crispy, don't marinate the pork with salt. Just put some soy sauce, white pepper powder (put less if there are kids) to marinate for about 20-30 min. Then put some battered egg into it (not too much). Then use the flour (or flour for deep frying or mix it with some sticky rice flour) for the coating. Actually, if you have time, you may try to dip it with the flour, battered egg and then flour for a dry/wet/dry coating. However, for this one, the coating seems to be a bit thick to me, but this dry/wet/dry coating will make the pork more crispy. So another note is that frying it in 2 sections. First fry them for about 1 minute something. Then let it cool for a while. Then re-fry them at high heat for another 1 minute something to 2 minutes (depending on your stove power). This way, it will make the coating more crispy. Then cut the red, yellow, and green bell pepper and pineapple in similar size pieces. This time I used some pickled baby onoin （喬頭）and cut them in small pieces. If you can find some pickled baby ginger （酸子薑), it will be even better. Then heat up the wok, put some oil in it. prepare some fresh ginger slices. Then put the ginger slices in the wok, follow with the bell peppers for a quick stir frying for about 1 minute with a very very slight dash of salt. Take them out. If you can find some baby red onion (乾蔥), put 6-7 gloves in the heated wok. Stir fry them until you smell the aroma. Then put the pineapple and the bell peppers and the pickled baby onion (or the sliced baby ginger if you have). Stir fry them at high heat. Then put some white vinegar, sugar, ketchup (the quantity portion is one portion of vinegar with the same portion of sugar, the ketchup should be 2/3 portion to the vinegar/sugar together). Prepare some cornstarch for slight thickening. Note that you shouldn't make the sauce too much - just good enough to cover all the ingredients. Remember we are not to make pork in tomato sauce. The best is that you shouldn't find some oil and sauce left on the plate. So the last step is to put the fried pork back into the wok and quick stir fry them. Actually this dish has quite a lot of variety for making it. You may also consider to put the Haw Flakes (山楂片）to make the sauce first for preparation, if you don't use the pickled baby onion or baby ginger. But then if you use haw flakes, you should reduce the quantity of the ketchup.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
My cooking - Sweet and sour pork
Well, I haven't made this dish for more than 8-10 years. So at the request of my sisters, I made it again. Anyway, I won't forget how to make it as I used to make this dish a thousand times. Actually I prefer to use the spare ribs with some fat, as the meat with some bone and fats taste better and it will make the coating more crispy when deep frying it. However, I need to care about the kids; so I chose pork loin (actually should be the pork with some fat （柳梅）as it will taste better.), and I purposedly cut the pork in smaller pieces (should be a little bit bigger than those in this photo). So if you make this one, better cut the pork in a size like 1.25"x1.25". It's because if you cut them in too small pieces, the meat inside will dry out easily. However, if you cut it in big pieces, you may not have them cooked to well done. To make the pork more crispy, don't marinate the pork with salt. Just put some soy sauce, white pepper powder (put less if there are kids) to marinate for about 20-30 min. Then put some battered egg into it (not too much). Then use the flour (or flour for deep frying or mix it with some sticky rice flour) for the coating. Actually, if you have time, you may try to dip it with the flour, battered egg and then flour for a dry/wet/dry coating. However, for this one, the coating seems to be a bit thick to me, but this dry/wet/dry coating will make the pork more crispy. So another note is that frying it in 2 sections. First fry them for about 1 minute something. Then let it cool for a while. Then re-fry them at high heat for another 1 minute something to 2 minutes (depending on your stove power). This way, it will make the coating more crispy. Then cut the red, yellow, and green bell pepper and pineapple in similar size pieces. This time I used some pickled baby onoin （喬頭）and cut them in small pieces. If you can find some pickled baby ginger （酸子薑), it will be even better. Then heat up the wok, put some oil in it. prepare some fresh ginger slices. Then put the ginger slices in the wok, follow with the bell peppers for a quick stir frying for about 1 minute with a very very slight dash of salt. Take them out. If you can find some baby red onion (乾蔥), put 6-7 gloves in the heated wok. Stir fry them until you smell the aroma. Then put the pineapple and the bell peppers and the pickled baby onion (or the sliced baby ginger if you have). Stir fry them at high heat. Then put some white vinegar, sugar, ketchup (the quantity portion is one portion of vinegar with the same portion of sugar, the ketchup should be 2/3 portion to the vinegar/sugar together). Prepare some cornstarch for slight thickening. Note that you shouldn't make the sauce too much - just good enough to cover all the ingredients. Remember we are not to make pork in tomato sauce. The best is that you shouldn't find some oil and sauce left on the plate. So the last step is to put the fried pork back into the wok and quick stir fry them. Actually this dish has quite a lot of variety for making it. You may also consider to put the Haw Flakes (山楂片）to make the sauce first for preparation, if you don't use the pickled baby onion or baby ginger. But then if you use haw flakes, you should reduce the quantity of the ketchup.
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5 comments:
Wow wow wow. This is my favorite dish since I was a teenager and now I still order it at restaurant. Your recipe is very detailed but looks difficult to make. I have not tried a good one for a long time(either at home or at restaurant). Those at restaurant the meat either too fat or too dry(no "lau mui"). Will try yours one day.(We only cook dishes less than one hour-I mean 3 dishes for one hour).
so that's why I said cooking is also another matter of time management. When I was a kid, I cooked for my sisters in my lunch break. I could have half hour for cooking the rice, with 3 dishes.. Normally one dish is a steamed one and I put that in the rice cooker. Another one is quick fry vegetable. Then one more meat dish.
OK, I got some comments about the difficulty in making this dish. Then you can consider to make it with less steps. First marinate the pork. Then put some flour in it, make it semi-dry and wet. Then deep fry it (no need to fry it in 2 times). Then get one green bell pepper and cut it in pieces. Then get pineapple chunks (canned is ok). Then prepare the sauce (3 soup spoons of vinegar, 3 soup spoons of sugar, 4 soup spoons of ketchup and 1/2 table spoon of cornstarch). Get some ginger slices. Heat the wok and put some oil (about 1 soup spoon). Put the bell pepper with a slight dash of salt. Stir fry for about 1 minute. Put the pineapple. Stir fry for 0.5 minute at high heat. Then put the sauce. Stir it a little bit. Then put the fried pork in it. Quick stir fry it.
in the sea must have a passion for cooking, his home-cook dishes are better than those offer in the restaurants, just looking at the pictures made me feel hungry
Yes, I enjoy eating because I enjoy cooking. Besides, when we are given so much nice food from our mother nature, why don't we make good use of it. I don't pray, because I do my praying in other ways - like the way I try making good food to appreciate.
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