Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!cca!ima!inmet!mjs From: mjs@inmet.UUCP Newsgroups: net.cooks Subject: Re: SQUAW BREAD again and now CHINESE - (nf) Message-ID: <1718@inmet.UUCP> Date: Sun, 19-Aug-84 00:44:38 EDT Article-I.D.: inmet.1718 Posted: Sun Aug 19 00:44:38 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 21-Aug-84 04:28:09 EDT Lines: 100 #R:decwrl:-324700:inmet:3500047:000:3731 inmet!mjs Aug 17 19:54:00 1984 This is a recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork, but I'm sure you can modify it for Sweet and Sour Chicken. (From 'The Chinese Restaurant Cookbook' by Barbara Myers.) Preparation: 1 pound lean pork (pork loin or tenderloin) Trim off fat, then cut pork into 3/4-inch cubes. Cut half way through the center of each to ensure that the pork cooks through without becoming dry. Set aside in a shallow bowl. Marinade: 1 tb cornstarch 1 tb dark soy sauce 1/4 tsp salt 1 egg yolk Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce. Add the salt and egg yolk; mix. Add marinade to pork cubes; mix and let stand at least 1/2 hour. Coating: 1/4 cup cornstarch Roll pork cubes, one by one, in the cornstarch, shaking off excess. Set aside on a rack until the cornstarch is partially dampened, about 20 minutes. (If this stage is omitted, the cornstarch will disperse into the oil during frying.) 1 green pepper 1 - 2 long thin carrots 2 slices canned pineapple Cut ends from green pepper. Cut ends in 1-inch triangular pieces, dis- carding core. Shake out seeds from remaining piece and split one side. Lay out flat and, with a cleaver held almost flat, trim off and discard spongy membrane. Cut pepper into 1-inch triangular pieces. Set aside. Peel carrots, then roll-cut to make 1/2 cup. Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the carrots and return to a boil; blanch 2 minutes; rinse to cool. Add to green pepper. Drain pineapple; cut slices in sixths. Set on plate, separately, with pepper and carrots. Sweet and Sour Sauce: 4 tb white rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar 4 tb sugar 4 tb chicken broth or water 2 tsp light soy sauce Combine these ingredients in a small bowl. 1 clove garlic Mince and set aside to season the oil for Sweet and Sour Sauce. 3 cups peanut or corn oil for deep-frying 2 tb peanut or corn oil 2 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tb water Have oils and dissolved cornstarch at hand; do not combine. Deep-Frying the Pork: Heat the 3 cups oil to 350 F in a wok. One by one add half the pork cubes. Fry 2 minutes, or until light brown. Remove with a strainer and set aside on a plate while frying the remainder. Let second batch cool at least 5 minutes. Reheat the oil to 375 F. Return all of the pork cubes to the oil and fry 1 to 2 minutes longer, or until golden brown. (Test a cube at minimum time by cutting in half; the pork should be juicy but cooked through without a trace of pink.) Remove and drain on paper toweling, then keep warm in a 250 F oven while preparing the Sweet and Sour Sauce. Sweet and Sour Sauce: Pour off the oil from the wok; rinse. Heat over highest heat to dry. When hot, swirl in 1 tb of the peanut oil. Add the garlic and sizzle a few seconds. Add the green pepper and carrots. Stir-fry 1 minute, or until the pepper turns a brighter green. Add the Sweet and Sour Sauce mixture. Stir to dissolve the sugar while bringing to a boil. Add the dissolved cornstarch; cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens and is clear. Add the pineapple and pork. When heated through, stir in the remain- ing 1 tb oil to make the sauce glisten. (The pork should be hot when added, or it will soften in the sauce by the time it is reheated; the cubes should remain crisp.) Serving: Transfer the contents of the wok to a serving platter; serve hot. (Note: the sauce will not have the same color as it does in restau- rants. This is because they add red food coloring or tomato sauce to the sauce to make it redder.)