Sweet and Sour Pork

It is not often that I try a new recipe and tell you about it the same day.  I also don’t often post two similarly themed recipes in a row. Tonight however, I’m breaking with tradition.  Partly because I finished cooking and cleaning up early enough to tell you about what I made for dinner tonight.  Mostly because it was just that good.  And easy.  And perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

This recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork was an unexpected winner.  I don’t normally like sweet meat, but I had most of the ingredients for this recipe on hand, and I needed to figure out what to do with the pork tenderloin taking up space in my freezer.  I found this recipe in TakeOut Tonight!, one of my current favorite cookbooks, and the source of my recipes for Broccoli with Garlic Sauce and Szechuan Chicken with Peanuts.  Since I love those recipes, I figured it was worth giving this one a try.

And I have to say, I’m glad I did.  This recipe comes together very quickly using everyday ingredients.  The pork (or you could use chicken) is lean and tender.  The sauce is sweet and savory and has a nice zing from the rice vinegar.  The bell peppers give the dish a nice crunch, and the pineapple chunks add juicy pops of sweetness.  Served up with some rice and a vegetable (and maybe an egg roll), you’ve got a fantastic dinner for any night of the week.

One Year Ago: Molasses Spice Cookies

Two Years Ago: Cincinnati Chili

Sweet and Sour Pork

Adapted from Take Out Tonight!

Ingredients:

1 lb. pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes *

2 T. cornstarch, divided

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

3 T. ketchup

2 T. soy sauce

1 T. canola oil

1 T. minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bell pepper, seeded and cut into1/2-inch pieces (I used a mix of green and red)

8 oz. can pineapple chunks in juice, drained

* Boneless skinless chicken breasts would also work well.

Directions:

In a medium bowl, toss the pork with 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch until evenly coated. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining tablespoon of cornstarch, water, rice vinegar, sugar, ketchup and soy sauce.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat.  When hot, swirl in the oil and add the pork.  Stir-fry until almost cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.  Add the bell pepper and pineapple.  Stir-fry for another 3 minutes, or until the peppers are crisp-tender.

Add the sauce.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce boils and thickens and the pork is just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Serves 4.