Sweet and Sour Pork!

So the inaugural recipe for this cooking blog is Sweet and Sour Pork. 

Let's meet the ingredients:

For the pork: 

Cornstarch, egg, pork, vegetable oil, carrots, onion, and pineapple chunks

I inadvertently left out the garlic from this image, so,here you go:

For the sauce:

Cornstarch, brown sugar, chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce

Start by combining the cornstarch and egg in a large bowl.

Add pork, which should have been cut into roughly .5 inch cubes.  Make sure the pork is evenly coated.

In a skillet (or work), heat 1 tablespoon of oil and cook half of the pork until it's no longer pink.

Remove from skillet and cook the other half.  Remove it from the skillet and set aside; keep it warm.

Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet and stir-fry the carrots, onion, and garlic for about 3 minutes.

Add two tablespoons of water and saute for another 2 minutes.

Add the pineapple and pork back to the pan.

In another bowl, combine the cornstarch and brown sugar.

Add the chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice.

Add to the pan.  Bring it to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Serve over hot, cooked rice and enjoy!

Recipe:

.25 cup cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

1.5 pounds boneless pork, cut into .5 inch cubes

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons water

1 8 oz can pineapple chunks

Sauce:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

.3 cup packed brown sugar

.25 cup chicken broth

.25 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Hot cooked rice

1)  In a large bowl, combine cornstarch and egg until smooth.  Add pork; coat evenly.  In a skillet or wok, stir-fry half of the pork in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink; remove.  Repeat with remaining pork and 1 tablespoon oil; set pork aside and keep warm.

2)  Stir-fry the carrots, onion, and garlic in the remaining oil for 3 minutes.  Add water; stir fry for 2 minutes.  Drain pineapple, reserving .25 cup juice.  Add pineapple and pork to pan.

3)  Combine cornstarch and brown sugar.  Stir in the chicken broth, vinegar, soy sauce, and pineapple juice; add to pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve over rice.

My husband and I loved this recipe.  It took about 45 minutes from start to finish, including all the dicing and slicing.  It was full of flavor, and with enough fruits and protein for us not to feel guilty about stuffing our faces.  I will definitely make it again, and probably include more garlic and maybe some manner of pepper to give it an extra little kick.

Taste: 4.5
Difficulty: 3.5
Good-for-you-factor: 3.5
Fullness-factor: 4.5
Overall: 4.0