Ms. Mofet's Sweet and Sour Chicken (or Pork)

[msmofet]

Ms. Mofet's Sweet and Sour Chicken (or Pork)

Chicken (or Pork):

• 2 pounds skinned, de-boned chicken or boneless pork
• 2 TBS Rice wine or dry Sherry

Vegetables:

• 1 large clove garlic; chopped fine
• 1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 large yellow onion, skinned, root end removed, cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed, slice thinly on the bias
• 3 stalk scallion (cut into 2-inch lengths)
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice (no added sweeteners); reserve juice
• Oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 TBSP Plum sauce
• 1 TBSP Apricot preserves
• 1 TBS Orange marmalade
• 1 TBSP Cherry preserves
• 1 TBSP Peach preserves
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 6 drops each - Red & yellow food coloring
• 4 rounded TBSP cornstarch mixed in enough cold water to make a slurry

Batter:

• 4 TBSP flour (or enough to make a thick batter)
• 4 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Ground peppercorns, ground ginger and garlic powder - to taste
• Peanut oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1. Place pineapple juice, water, sugar, plum sauce, apricot preserves and orange marmalade in sauce pan.
2. Heat over medium flame.
3. When sugar has dissolved, slowly add the vinegar and the lemon juice while stirring.
4. Add corn starch slurry and stir while heating. Bring to a boil.
5. Stir constantly until thickened.
6. Add food coloring (a couple drops of each at first and then adjust until you have the orange color you like) and stir well to mix.
7. Continue to heat and stir until almost a syrup.
8. Remove from heat and set pot aside.

Prepare and cook chicken (or pork):

1. Cut the chicken breast or pork into bite-size cubes and marinate with 2 TBS of rice wine/dry sherry for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the batter in a bowl and add the chicken or pork cubes to the batter.
4. Heat oil in a wok or cast iron pan and fry the chicken or pork cubes. (Shake off the extra batter before frying). NOTE: You may use a deep fryer - Fry cubes according to manufactures instructions.
5. Drain the chicken or pork on a tray lined with brown paper bag or towels to soak up the excess oil.

Cook vegetables and put together:

1. Add several turns of oil to a large frying pan or wok.
2. Bring to frying temperature over medium heat.
3. Add garlic to pan and fry till fragrant.
4. Add vegetables (but NOT the pineapple) and cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize.
5. Add vegetables to pot with sweet and sour sauce and continue cooking and stirring until vegetables are bite tender and sauce has re-thickened and clings to the vegetables.
6. Add pineapple and chicken or pork to pot and fold into the vegetables and sauce.
7. Simmer until heated through.
8. Serve with white or brown rice.

 

[PattY1]

I just dip the meat in beaten eggs, whole, white or whole, your choice, then roll in corn starch. Cheap, easy and tasty

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

It's an interesting debate and I'm experimenting with various batters myself at the present. I've discovered that it depends on the recipe whether battering is appropriate, and what marinade you use before battering is important, or maybe you might even combine the marinade and batter.

IMO sweet 'n sour is particularly appropriate to heavy battering, and I favor a heavily sweet 'n sour marinade too, usually lots of sweet stuff (aji mirin, kotterin mirin--yes I know I'm mixing in my Japanese, rice wine vinegar, maybe some palm sugar--channeling my Thai). One thing for sure, sweet 'n sour calls for a lot of sour vinegary tastes and a lot of sweet tastes.

What's particularly good is to add a lot of vegetables. I particularly favor zucchini (or cucumbers) cut on diagonal with a wavy cutter, and carrots (similarly cut), onions, and of course lots of pineapple (preferably fresh). One of my favorites is adding leaches (I'm just kidding--lychees, the Asian fruit available in cans).

And of course plenty of bell peppers. They are so mellow and flavorful, and such good vitamins/nutrients...

 

[CookingBuddy101]

Sounds yummy!

 

[CharlieD]

if you ask me, drop the vegies all together just give me chicken and sweet and sour sauce with some fried rice, yum.
BTW GG, where do you by wavy knife/cutter, I have not seen one in years.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

BTW GG, where do you by wavy knife/cutter, I have not seen one in years.

Get it at a restaurant supply store. Or if you don't have one nearby I just checked Amazon (search "wavy cutter" in kitchen category) and they've got them too, for about $5-$10. They go for about $3-$4 in a decent restaurant supply store.

 

[Bolas De Fraile]

Ms. Mofet's Sweet and Sour Chicken (or Pork)

Chicken (or Pork):

• 2 pounds skinned, de-boned chicken or boneless pork
• 2 TBS Rice wine or dry Sherry

Vegetables:

• 1 large clove garlic; chopped fine
• 1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 red bell pepper, washed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 1 large yellow onion, skinned, root end removed, cut into 1/2-inch squares
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and trimmed, slice thinly on the bias
• 3 stalk scallion (cut into 2-inch lengths)
• 1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks in juice (no added sweeteners); reserve juice
• Oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

• 1/2 cup reserved pineapple juice
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
• 3 TBSP lemon juice
• 1 TBSP Plum sauce
• 1 TBSP Apricot preserves
• 1 TBS Orange marmalade
• 1 TBSP Cherry preserves
• 1 TBSP Peach preserves
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• 6 drops each - Red & yellow food coloring
• 4 rounded TBSP cornstarch mixed in enough cold water to make a slurry

Batter:

• 4 TBSP flour (or enough to make a thick batter)
• 4 TBSP cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• Ground peppercorns, ground ginger and garlic powder - to taste
• Peanut oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce:

1. Place pineapple juice, water, sugar, plum sauce, apricot preserves and orange marmalade in sauce pan.
2. Heat over medium flame.
3. When sugar has dissolved, slowly add the vinegar and the lemon juice while stirring.
4. Add corn starch slurry and stir while heating. Bring to a boil.
5. Stir constantly until thickened.
6. Add food coloring (a couple drops of each at first and then adjust until you have the orange color you like) and stir well to mix.
7. Continue to heat and stir until almost a syrup.
8. Remove from heat and set pot aside.

Prepare and cook chicken (or pork):

1. Cut the chicken breast or pork into bite-size cubes and marinate with 2 TBS of rice wine/dry sherry for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the batter in a bowl and add the chicken or pork cubes to the batter.
4. Heat oil in a wok or cast iron pan and fry the chicken or pork cubes. (Shake off the extra batter before frying). NOTE: You may use a deep fryer - Fry cubes according to manufactures instructions.
5. Drain the chicken or pork on a tray lined with brown paper bag or towels to soak up the excess oil.

Cook vegetables and put together:

1. Add several turns of oil to a large frying pan or wok.
2. Bring to frying temperature over medium heat.
3. Add garlic to pan and fry till fragrant.
4. Add vegetables (but NOT the pineapple) and cook, stirring frequently, until onions begin to caramelize.
5. Add vegetables to pot with sweet and sour sauce and continue cooking and stirring until vegetables are bite tender and sauce has re-thickened and clings to the vegetables.
6. Add pineapple and chicken or pork to pot and fold into the vegetables and sauce.
7. Simmer until heated through.
8. Serve with white or brown rice.

Its 07.00 and I could murder your dish MM

 

[msmofet]

Its 07.00 and I could murder your dish MM

Thank you again bolas.

 

[CharlieD]

Get it at a restaurant supply store. Or if you don't have one nearby I just checked Amazon (search "wavy cutter" in kitchen category) and they've got them too, for about $5-$10. They go for about $3-$4 in a decent restaurant supply store.

Thanks, I'll have to look more carefully next time. Couple of RS places I go to on the regular bases, haven't had them. Maybe I just did not notice.