How To Make Sweet And Sour Pork

All over the world, sweet and sour pork is one of the famous Chinese dishes. The dish is made from crunchy deep deep-fried battered tender pork pieces blanketed in a rich sweet and tangy sauce. Many who fail to achieve the perfectly balanced sauce resort to pre-mixed or bottled sweet and sour sauces, which may contain preservatives. If you’re one of them, then this recipe is all you’ll need. The use of rice wine vinegar and pineapple juice in this recipe creates a sauce that is not too sour. This dish is perfect for hot steaming rice.

Ingredients:

This recipe takes about 20 minutes to make. Serves 2 to 3.

• 250 grams of diced pork
• 2 cups of cooking oil

Batter:
• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup of cornstarch
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp water
• ½ tsp salt

Sweet and Sour Sauce:
• ¼ cup diced onion
• ¼ cup diced red and green bell pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• ¼ cup pineapple chunks
• 2 tbsp pineapple juice
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 2 tbsp water

Instructions:

In a bowl whisk together flour, cornstarch, egg, salt, and water until you get a smooth batter.
Add the pork cubes into the batter and mix well.
Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat until the temperature of the oil reaches 130°C.
Carefully drop each pork cube into the oil.
Fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until golden brown.
Place the fried pork pieces on a wire rack while you prepare the sauce.
Heat a pan over medium heat.
Sauté onions and bell peppers for 1 minute.
Add tomato ketchup, slurry, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, white sugar, and water.
Stir well and let the sauce simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
Place the pork cubes in a large bowl.
Pour in the sweet and sour sauce.
Mix well, then transfer to a serving dish.

Ideas And Tips:

For the frying oil, you can use peanut oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, grapeseed oil or vegetable oil.

Aside from pork, you can use chicken, beef, fish or shrimp.

You can substitute white sugar with 1 ½ tbsp of honey or maple syrup.

You can substitute rice wine vinegar with sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNWLdWoEQlU

Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham Recipe

During Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, or other festive occasions, we all want a really impressive spread. Skip the expensive pre-made glazed ham that lacks flavor. Buy a regular smoked ham from the market and make a mean pineapple honey glaze at home. From the appetizing pineapple and cherry toppings, a golden, shiny, sweet and tangy glaze, to a tender, juicy, and well-seasoned meat, this ham will surely be a star on your dinner table.

Ingredients:

• 1 fully-cooked, bone-less, smoked ham, about 11 pounds
• ¼ cup of yellow mustard
• 1 ½ cups of brown sugar
• 2 20-oz canned pineapple slices, drained and juice kept separately
• 1 10-oz jar of pitted maraschino cherries
• ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar

Spice Mix:

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp black pepper

Glaze:

• 3 tbsp butter
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• ½ cup of honey
• pineapple juice reserved from canned pineapple slices
• ¼ cup of cherry juice

Instructions:

This recipe takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes to make. The ham needs to marinate for at least 2 hours. Serves 20 to 22.

Thaw ham and rinse well.
Place the ham in a baking pan and pat it dry using a paper towel.
Cut deep slits on the ham in opposite directions to form a diamond pattern.
Using clean hands, coat all sides of the ham with mustard.
In a small bowl, mix cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, and black pepper.
Sprinkle spice mixture on the ham.
Coat the ham well with brown sugar.
Set aside for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat pot over medium heat.
Melt butter with sugar while stirring constantly.
Add cornstarch, honey, pineapple juice, and cherry juice.
Simmer until the glaze boils.
Turn off heat.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Pour apple cider vinegar baking pan.
Arrange pineapple slices all around the surface of the ham, using toothpicks to secure them in place.
Put a piece of cherry in the center of each pineapple slice.
Pour glaze into the baking pan.
Place the baking pan in the oven and bake the ham for 2 hours.

Ideas And Tips:

• Baste ham with the glaze 2 to 3 times during baking.

• You can also inject the glaze into the ham once you take it out from the oven. This will add more flavor to the ham.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIoTvUNQnFM

Pineapple, Berry & Coconut Smoothie

In the recent years, ready-to-drink coconut water has been made available in the market and has become a very trendy beverage. It is low in calories, fat and cholesterol free, high in fiber, and rich in antioxidants, amino acids, enzymes, B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, and minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. It is a great liquid to use in non-dairy smoothies, green smoothies and those that require a natural boost of sweetness.

This pineapple, berry and coconut smoothie recipe is a great post-workout drink as it is a natural way to re-energize after a strenuous workout. It is really refreshing and tastes like a piña colada without the alcohol! As coconut water is rich in electrolytes, this smoothie is also perfect when you are feeling dehydrated.

Ingredients:

• 750 milliliters of coconut water
• 1 cup of fresh pineapple chunks
• ¼ cup of fresh raspberries
• ¼ cup of fresh blueberries
• juice of ½ lime
• 8 mint leaves
• 7 ice cubes

Instructions:

This recipe takes about 10 minutes to make. Serves 3.

Put all the ingredients in a blender.
Blend until smooth.
Pour into glasses.
Garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Serve.

Ideas And Tips:

• If you want a thicker smoothie, you can use frozen berries and skip the ice cubes.

images – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usKUqFpkADw