Photographer: Benito Martin. Stylist: Kate Brown.
To give our classic 1980s sweet and sour pork recipe an update we left the deep-fryer in the cupboard in favour of stir-frying thinly sliced, lean pork fillet instead.
The sweet and sour sauce of old is replaced with the sweetness of honey and sourness of tamarind, studded with chunks of fresh, ripe pineapple. Served with a zingy rice noodle salad, it’s a fresh and flavour-packed meal for breezy family dinners.
Ingredients
Method
Make rice noodle salad.
Heat a wok over high heat, add oil; stir-fry pork and garlic for 3 minutes on each side or until pork is golden and almost cooked through. Add remaining ingredients, except lime wedges; stir-fry until hot.
Serve stir-fry with noodle salad and lime wedges.
RICE NOODLE SALAD
Place noodles in a large bowl, pour boiling water over to cover, stand for 2 minutes to soften; drain well. Return to bowl; add cucumber, tomato and herbs. Combine fish sauce, lime juice and oil in a small bowl; add to salad and toss gently to mix. Season to taste.
What makes this sweet and sour pork so special
Tamarind adds a tart, sweet and sour flavour to food, which works here in this modern take on the Chinese take-away staple, sweet and sour pork. Tamarind concentrate is available in jars or plastic containers from major supermarkets and Asian grocers.
Swap chicken breast fillets for the pork, if preferred. We used sweet cherry truss tomatoes, but you could use regular cherry or grape tomatoes, if you like.
