Sweet and Sour Pork

Bunkie's Note:

This is from The Ultimate Bulk Buying Cookbook by Jan Muller and Bob Warden. I'm saving it here to help with my meal planning and grocery list.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 2 lbs pork shoulder, cut into large cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 large egg whites
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 green bell peppers, julienned
• 2 onions, chopped

Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 (8 ounce) cans pineapple chunks
• 1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions:

1. Whisk sugar, soy sauce, egg whites, and scallions until well combined. Vacuum seal with pork for up to 24 hours to marinate.
2. Add vegetable oil to a large saute pan or wok over high heat.
3. Remove pork from the marinade, coat with flour, and slowly add to the hot oil in the pan. Cook pork until all sides are well browned and meat is cooked throughout. Remove from pan.
4. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan, reduce heat to medium, and add celery, bell peppers, and onions, cooking until soft. Carefully pour 2 cups of tap water into the pan.
5. Create the sauce by adding the sugar, cider vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, and pineapple chunks to the pan and bringing up to a boil, stirring constantly.
6. Whisk cornstarch into an additional 1/2 cup of tap water, and stir into the pan, simmering until the sauce is thick. Return fried pork to the vegetables and sauce in the pan, stir to evenly coat, and serve immediately.