I tried cooking something different this time around and to be evaluated by none other than my beloved hubby (how fortunate is he). Definitely, this recipe was challenging for a novice like me. But perseverance and support from my loved ones continue to drive me to try something new each time. Hence, I have decided to challenge myself to cook at least 20 new dishes for the year 2016.
The first challenge is the sweet and sour pork. Sweet and sour pork or ‘goo lou yuk‘ in the Cantonese dialect is commonly served in an Asian restaurant. Due to its flavourful sweet and sour sauce, kids love eating them and you can never go wrong in serving them during a family gathering. I recall those times when my parents would order this dish for me when I was younger and it has been a common dish for us each time we dine out.
Most often, pork tenderloin is used in this dish. But, both hubby and I prefer leaned meat and hence, I substituted ground meat for tenderloin. Also, we are really not a big fan of pineapples, and so, I replaced the pineapple with tomatoes. Surprisingly, the dish turned out well and most importantly, hubby loved it. I jokingly asked him how much would he rate this dish, and without hesitation, he said 8/10. Suffice to say, such a small gesture and support from him managed to put a big smile on my face for the entire day.
Cantonese Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs Recipe
Serves: 2 pax / Prep Time: 40 mins / Cook Time: 30 mins / Level of Difficulty: Medium
Ingredients
- 50o grams ground pork or pork tenderloin (not in the above image)
- 1 green bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into small pieces)
- 1 red onion (cut into small pieces)
- 1/2 cucumber (de-seed and cut into small pieces)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (de- seed and cut into small pieces)
- 1 scallion (finely chopped)
- Canola oil for frying (not in the above image)
Marinade
- 1 tsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. rice wine
- 1 tsp. corn starch
Frying Batter
- 6 tbsp. multi-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp. corn starch
- 0.5 tsp. salt
- 0.5 tsp. baking powder
- 1 farm egg
- 1 tsp. canola oil
Sauce
- 4 tbsp. water
- 3 tbsp. Maggi tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp. Po Po sour plum sauce
- 1 tsp. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp. oyster sauce
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 2 tsp. corn starch
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, marinate the meat with the ingredients and mix well with hands. Pinch off a piece of the meat and gently roll them between your hands to form meatballs. Continue shaping for the rest of the meat and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Using a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients well, then set aside.
3. In another medium-sized bowl, prepare the frying batter by stirring together the ingredients to form a thick batter.
4. Once the meat is well marinated, transfer the meatballs into the batter. Ensure that the meatballs are well coated.
5. Heat up the frying wok and add in the canola oil for deep frying. Deep fry the meatballs till it is golden brown on the outside. Remove the meatballs with the slotted spatula and let it drain on plate lined with paper towels.
6. Heat up the wok and add in 1-2 tbsp. of canola oil. Stir fry the garlic until golden brown, then follow by red onion and bell peppers. Stir frequently for about 1-2 minutes until the peppers are crispy-tender.
7. Add in the sweet and sour sauce and stir to coat the vegetables. After 1 minute, transfer the cucumber and meatballs into the wok and do a quick toss until well-coated with the sauce.
8. Dish out and top it with the freshly chopped scallion. Serve it immediately with steamy white rice.
NOTES:
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