Sweet And Sour Pork (Gu Lao Rou)

        It is said that Gu Lao Rou is the most famous Chinese dish in the world. Gu Lao Rou, also known as Gu Lu Rou, ancient meat, the origin of the name there are some allusions:

First, the dish is sweet, sour and tasty. When it is served, its fragrance is overflowing. It makes people gulp their saliva and get their name.

Second, the meat in this dish, crisp and tender, fresh and sweet, slippery, at the first entrance, before chewing, it has a grunt through the throat into the abdomen, only lip and teeth fragrance, amazing;

Third, the dish has a long history, so it is called ancient meat, which is later transformed into grunt meat and grunt meat.

INGREDIENTS

400 grams pork (pork shoulder / skinless pork belly/pork loin)

Marinade

1 egg

2 tablespoons light soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or sake

? tablespoon sesame oil

Dash of white pepper

Frying

Canola oil/peanut oil for frying

1/3 cup cornstarch

1/3 cup plain flour

Sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch

6 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons canned pineapple syrup

3 tablespoons cider vinegar or rice vinegar

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/2 red onion, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (best if you have a mix of red, yellow and green)

3 pineapple rings, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (or 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks)

If canned pineapple syrup is not available, replace with water and add in 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar.

Garnish

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)

METHOD

1. Marinating

Rinse and pat dry the pork meat. Cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a mixing bowl. Add in the Marinade ingredients and stir well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours. If marinating for more than 1 hour, keep the pork in the refrigerator, taking it out from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking so that the meat can return to room temperature.

2. Frying

1). Add oil into a big pot until it reaches 2 inches in height. Heat oil over high heat until 175C / 350F - if you don't have a thermometer, insert a wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles start to form vigorously around the chopstick/spoon, the oil is hot enough for frying. The oil should not be smoking. If it's smoking, it means the oil is too hot, remove the pot carefully from the heat and let it cool before using.

2). While the oil is heating, combine cornstarch and plain flour together and coat the pork pieces in the flour mixture evenly. When the oil is hot enough, turn the heat down to medium, then add the pork pieces gently into the hot oil. If your pot is small, you may want to deep-fry the pork in 2 batches. Use a pair of chopsticks or a wooden spoon and stir the pork pieces occasionally so that they fry evenly and don't stick together. Fry the pork pieces for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are cooked and lightly browned. Remove the pork pieces with a slotted spoon and drain them over a wire sieve or rack. (Set the wire sieve over a bowl to catch the oil.)

3). Once all the pork pieces have been fried, turn the heat up to high again until 175C / 350F. Once the oil is hot, add in all the pork pieces (no need to divide into 2 batches) and deep-fry them for another 1 to 2 minutes over high heat until the pork is golden-brown in color. This will crisp up the pork and make it taste less oily. Drain the pork pieces over a wire sieve or rack.

3. Making the Sauce

1). Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl until cornstarch has dissolved. Stir in brown sugar, pineapple syrup, vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce. Set aside.

2). Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in onion and sauté until onion is translucent then add in the garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant then add in the bell pepper and pineapple dices. Sauté for another minute until bell pepper is slightly softened.

3). Give the Sauce a stir (as the cornstarch tend to settle to the bottom) then add it into the frying pan. Bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce has thickened to your liking, which only takes seconds to a minute. If it's too thick, stir in a little water.

4). Add in the pork pieces and stir to coat them in the sauce. Spoon the pork pieces over rice (or onto a serving plate), sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Menu sources：https://www.foodiebaker.com/sweet-and-sour-pork/