SOW - 8/7/98 ~ " Imagine That "

THE RECIPE OF THE WEEK IS:

"Imagine That" You're Eating Sweet and Sour Pork
Sweet and Sour Pork


I love it when I get the opportunity to present a Chinese dish in honor of Patsy Cline who adored Chinese food. "And that's not the half." This week in addition to honoring Patsy, I pay homage to another amazing woman, Lisa Flood, for creating Patsified! and for chosing " Imagine That" as a domain name. Lisa, The Homesick Texan said she could eat Sweet and Sour Pork indefinitely, so Lisa, to thank you for creating the most original and fabulous Patsy Cline site on the internet, this one is for you! Imagine That!

" Imagine That " Sweet and Sour Pork

You'll Need

  • 1 lb. of pork cut in cubes about 3/4 of an inch (make sure meat is lean)
  • 1 tbs. flour
  • 1 tsp.cooking sherry
  • 1 egg yolk or Egg replacement equivalent
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbs. cornstarch
  • 1 tbs. oil
  • 1 tsp. fresh ginger (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup red pepper ~ diced
  • 1/2 cup green pepper ~ diced
  • 1/2 cup of Chinese mixed pickles ~ sliced (In a pinch, I've used sweet baby gherkins)
  • 1/2 cup of water
  • 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 1/4 white vinegar
  • 1 tsp. of minced garlic
  • 1/4 ketchup
  • 1/4 cup of the pickle juice
  • Oil for frying ( about 1 1/2 cups)

    Combine pork,(or chicken) flour, salt, egg yolk and sherry in bowl. Allow meat to marinate for about 20 minutes. Just before frying the meat, roll it in the 1/3 cup of cornstarch. In a saucepan, heat 1 tbs. oil and add the ginger, garlic and stir-fry for about 40 seconds. Add the pickles and the peppers. In a small bowl blend the water, the tablespoon of cornstarch, the sugar, vinegar, ketchup and pickle juice and then stir into the vegetables until the mixture thickens. Set aside and keep warm. In the meantime, heat the frying oil. Cook the meat, which by now should have been marinated and rolled in the cornstarch. Cook pork in approximately 3 batches for about 5 minutes. Remove from oil and drain well on paper towels. Reheat the oil and refry the pork for another 3 or 4 minutes. Drain well again and then arrange pork on serving dish and spoon on the sauce. Enjoy it with a side dish of white or fried rice.

    For those of you who do not live near a Chinese market, many major supermarket chains now carry specialty items. 1