Sweet and Sour Pork
- 10-12 oz of lean pork
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
- 4 oz. bamboo shoots
- 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- vegetable oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 green onion, cut in short sections on a bias
- 1 small green pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 fresh red chili, seeded and diced
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste or puree
- 1/2 cup stock or water
Start by cutting the pork into bite-sized cubes and place in a shallow bowl. Add the salt, peppercorns, and the rice wine or sherry, and set aside to marinate for 15-20 minutes. Drain bamboo shoots and cut into cubes about the same size as the pork. Dust the pork with flour, dip in the beaten egg, and coat with more flour. Heat the oil in a pan or wok to about 325-350 degrees. Deep fry the pork for about 2-3 minutes, stirring to separate the pieces. Remove and drain on a rack or paper towel. Remove all but about 2 Tbsp of the oil and quickly stir fry the pork with the bamboo shoots for 1 minute. Remove and drain everything while making the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a pan or a wok and add the garlic, green onion, green pepper, and red chili. Stir fry for 30 seconds or so, then add the soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, tomato paste or puree, and stock or water. Bring to a boil, then add the pork and bamboo shoots. Heat through and serve with rice.