Lincoln Crisler

I know it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these… and if you’re really jonesing for a good microwave popcorn recipe, that could change! This here is a dish my wife made for me while I was home on leave, from a recipe my mother-in-law learned while stationed in Japan with my father-in-law. She’s given me permission to reproduce the recipe below. I’m not a big fan of the sweet and sour pork produced by most Asian takeout restaurants, because it doesn’t really taste like pork (Asian takeout breaded-chicken dishes are unappealing for the same reason). With this recipe, though, you know it’s pork because you made it yourself, and well… look at the pictures and tell me this isn’t a thousand times better-looking!  I could go the rest of my life without ever tasting another sweet and sour pork besides this one. Try for yourself! 

SWEET AND SOUR PORK
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cornflour
500g (1lb) lean pork chops
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
3 canned pineapple rings
½  cup cornflower, extra
Enough oil for deep-frying
2 cloves garlic 

SAUCE
3 tablespoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons tomato sauce
½  teaspoon salt
1 ½  teaspoons cornflower

Combine soy sauce, egg yolk and cornflour in bowl, stir well. Remove rind from chops, cut chops into 2.5 cm (1in.) cubes, place into soy sauce mixture, stir until meat is coated. Cover and leave 1 hour; stir occasionally.

Combine all ingredients for sauce, mix well. Remove seed from red and green peppers, cut into 2:5cm (1in.) slices, cut pineapple rings into quarters. Add extra cornflour to pork mixture, mix until pork is well coated.

Heat oil in pan, deep-fry pork until golden brown and cooked through, about 7 minutes; drain well. Pour off excess oil, leaving 1 table­spoon oil in pan. Add crushed garlic, cook 1 minute, remove from pan.

Note: you can add a sliced small onion, bamboo shoots and a little ginger to add a bit more flavour.

Add red and green peppers and pineapple quarters to pan, cook quickly, stirring constantly for 3 minutes, add pork and sauce, stir until sauce boils and thickens.