Sweet and Sour Pork with Egg-fried Rice
Ditch the takeaway and make this classic Chinese dish of Sweet and Sour Pork using this easy-to-follow recipe from Britain's Best Home Cook.
Introduction
Making your own Chinese takeaway favourite is surprisingly easy. To make this even speedier, you can use a pouch of pre-cooked rice, available from supermarkets.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | soy sauce |
| 1 tbsp | sake or dry sherry |
| 2½ tbsp | cornflour |
| 500g (1lb 2oz) | pork fillet, cut into 2cm (¾in) cubes |
| 2 tbsp | groundnut oil |
| 3 | garlic cloves, crushed |
| 1 | onion, finely sliced |
| 1 | green pepper, de-seeded and finely sliced |
| 1 | carrot, finely sliced |
| 4cm (1½in) | piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks |
| 3 tbsp | soft brown sugar |
| 6 tbsp | rice vinegar or white wine vinegar |
| 170ml (6fl oz) | water |
| 2 | spring onions, finely sliced |
| ½ | fresh red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced |
| sea salt and black pepper | |
| For the egg-fried rice: | |
| 225g (8oz) | jasmine rice |
| 2 tbsp | groundnut oil |
| 2 | eggs, beaten with ½ tsp sea salt |
Method
1. In a large bowl, combine the soy sauce, sake and one tablespoon of the cornflour. Add the pork and stir to coat. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. For the egg-fried rice, cook the rice according to the packet instructions. Drain, then spread out on a plate to cool.
3. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a pan over a medium–high heat, add the pork and stir-fry for 5–7 minutes until golden brown. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
4. Return the pan to the heat and add another tablespoon of oil. Add the garlic, onion, green pepper, carrot and ginger and stirfry over a medium–high heat for 2 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, water, the remaining cornflour and a pinch of salt. Add to the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the cooked pork. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. For the rice, heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick pan over a high heat. Add the cooled rice and beaten eggs and stir-fry for 4–6 minutes until some of the rice begins to colour and the egg is cooked.
7. Spoon the rice onto a serving plate and top with the pork and vegetables. Garnish with the sliced spring onions and red chilli.
