Easy Sweet and Sour Pork

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) pork scotch fillet (pork butt), cut into bite-sized pieces (2 cm/3/4 inch) (see note 1 for other cuts of pork to use)

1 tbsp all-purpose soy sauce

1 tbsp freshly minced garlic

1 tsp freshly minced ginger

¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) (see note 2)

½ tsp sea salt flakes

¼ tsp cracked black pepper

1 egg

½ cup (60 g) cornflour (cornstarch)

Oil, for frying (see note 3)

1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)

1 tbsp water

1 tbsp all-purpose soy sauce

¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar

¼ cup (60 ml) pineapple juice (from the can of pineapple, see below)

⅓ cup (80 ml) apple cider or rice wine vinegar

⅓ cup (80 ml) tomato ketchup

1 brown onion, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 red capsicum (bell pepper), diced

1 green capsicum (bell pepper), diced

½ cup (95 g) canned pineapple chunks in juice, drained, juice reserved (see note 4)

Jasmine rice

White sesame seeds

Directions

Marinate the pork

Add the pork, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, bicarbonate of soda, salt and pepper to a bowl. Mix to combine, then allow to sit and marinate (for up to 15 minutes) while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Sweet and sour sauce

Mix the cornflour and water together well in a small bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients. Stir well and set aside.

Cook the pork

Add the egg and cornflour to the pork mixture. Use tongs to toss and coat the pork as evenly as you can. It will be sticky, forming a batter around the pork. It’s okay if it’s not completely even. Heat the oil in a large, deep, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat.

Cook the pork in batches for 5–6 minutes or until it is cooked through and crispy and golden. Set aside on a paper towel to drain (see note 5).

Stir-fry

Pour the oil out of the pan (see note 3).

To the same pan, over medium–high heat, add the onion and capsicum. Cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until lightly charred.

Add the sweet and sour sauce to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes until thickened and glossy. If the sauce is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s too thin, continue cooking on high heat until it thickens. The end result should be similar to runny honey.

Return the cooked pork to the pan, along with the pineapple chunks. Stir to coat evenly.

Serve immediately with jasmine rice, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F) for 3–5 minutes.

Lightly spray the air fryer basket with oil, then place the pork pieces in a single layer, leaving space between each piece (you’ll need to cook in batches).

Lightly spray the tops of the pork with oil to help them crisp up.

Air fry for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway, until the coating is golden and the pork is cooked through. (See note 6.)

Follow the Stir Fry instructions from Step 2.

Nutrition

• Calories: 721
• Total Fat: 27.7 g
• Saturated Fat: 4.4 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 156 mg
• Sodium: 900.1 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 74.5 g
• Dietary Fiber: 8.5 g
• Total Sugars: 31 g
• Protein: 46.5 g