Do you ever have a craving for Chinese takeout? Is it because of the fresh and high quality ingredients they’re using (doubtful), the mere 20-30 minutes it takes for them to have everything ready for pick-up/delivery (okay, maybe), or the fact that it seems like a relatively healthy option (okay, now you’re just deceiving yourself)...? Or perhaps it has something to do with the salt or MSG it contains that keeps you coming back for more. What if I could offer you big flavor, quick and easy preparation (prep and cooking time is under 20 minutes combined), and fresh/healthy ingredients without the excessive amounts of salt or MSG?
Not possible, you say? If you own a wok or large-ish saucepan, a couple cutting boards, and you watch my videos below for cutting up bell peppers, onions, and pineapple...well, you could end up with something like this in a very short period of time.
Not possible, you say? If you own a wok or large-ish saucepan, a couple cutting boards, and you watch my videos below for cutting up bell peppers, onions, and pineapple...well, you could end up with something like this in a very short period of time.
We sort of got away from the knife skills videos, so I figured what better way to introduce the proper cutting methods of a couple more very commonly used fruits and vegetables than with one of the most popular (and incredibly easy) Chinese dishes, sweet and sour pork. Naturally, making this a healthy dish required the removal of the typical battered and fried method of cooking the pork, so I devised a simple stir fry method that eliminates the need for such things. Don’t worry though, you’re not going to miss it.
Begin by slicing up the pork. You want a lean, thin-cut variety such as boneless pork loin chops for this. This step shouldn’t require a video, but here’s a picture of what you’re looking for.
Begin by slicing up the pork. You want a lean, thin-cut variety such as boneless pork loin chops for this. This step shouldn’t require a video, but here’s a picture of what you’re looking for.
Set that aside and find yourself another cutting board for cutting up the onion, bell pepper, and pineapple. DO NOT use the same cutting board for the pork and the vegetables. Keep the raw meat and vegetables separate. If you use the same knife, I’d also recommend using soap and water on your knife in between your slicing and dicing. Rinse it off and dry it thoroughly with a towel. Now you’re ready to cut up the vegetables and the pineapple. I’ve made these videos to show you the easiest way to break down each one.
Got all that? The cool thing is if you can multitask a little here, you can go ahead and start cooking the pork while you’re cutting up fruits and vegetables OR making the sauce (do this if you are worried about losing track of the three minute cooking of the pork). If you’re not quite there yet, don’t worry about it...it’s still going to take you less than 20 minutes for all of this because you now know how to cut everything up like a champion. Within a couple minutes, you’ll end up with something that looks like this.
See? That took almost no time at all. Now all you have to do is make the sauce. WHAT? I know, I didn’t mention that you would be making your own sauce from scratch, but this shouldn’t be too difficult if you have a few regular ingredients lying around or sitting in your fridge. Just make sure they haven’t been sitting there too long...because that five year old bottle of ketchup may not cut it. Easy mixture here: ketchup, sriracha, vinegar (rice or white), brown sugar (or regular sugar), pineapple, a couple fresh garlic cloves, and some low sodium soy sauce. If you have to make a substitution for the regular stuff, go easy on it (use half as much to start and taste for salt later).
(Note: I will receive a small percentage for anything bought through the following Amazon links): Whir it up in a mini food processor, blender, or Magic Bullet. What you end up with should look similar to this concoction:
I went a little avant garde with the sauce...I was taste testing for quality assurance purposes!
All the prep work on this shouldn’t take much longer than 10 minutes. If it does, you should watch my YouTube videos a couple more times until you’ve got it down. Toss a tablespoon of oil and the pork in the wok, cook for three minutes on medium/high, and then remove the pork strips to a plate with a pair of tongs. My favorite tongs are the Culinary Institute of America ones because they aren’t flimsy in the least. In fact, I'm ordering another pair of these right now since I noticed they have a lifetime warranty and a portion of the sales goes to the CIA Scholarship Fund. Bonus.
Immediately toss the julienned bell pepper and the sliced half of an onion into the same wok at the same heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the veggies are slightly cooked. You still want a little bite, but we very strongly dislike mushy vegetables, so don’t let them sit in there too long. Toss the pork back in and pour the sauce over the whole deal. Cook for about two more minutes and serve the resulting awesomeness with some brown rice (do not add salt) and top it with the chopped green onion and toasted sesame seeds (optional). To remind you what it is you’ll be dining on with this minimal effort, here’s what you should end up with after all is said and done:
Yep, I just wanted you to drool a little more before your weekend was over. Next time you’ve got a bell pepper and an onion lying around and start conjuring up ideas for using them, consider trying this dish. It’s got flavor for days and not a speck of MSG in sight!
For a printable recipe, please click here or visit the recipe page for a printable recipe or just to view the ingredients, directions, etc.
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