I make this amount for just two people so as to make sure I satisfy my craving for this dish once and for all - so I usually just serve it with rice and perhaps a fried egg (just like in the photos). If you are serving this dish to 4 people, you may want to prepare another vegetable stir-fry to go with it.
1bell pepper, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (best if you have a mix of red, yellow and green)
3pineapple rings, diced into 1/2-inch pieces (or 1/2 cup of pineapple chunks)
*If canned pineapple syrup is not available, replace with water and add in 1 more tablespoon of brown sugar.
Garnish
2teaspoonstoasted sesame seeds, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
Marinating
Rinse and pat-dry the pork meat. Cut into 1-inch cubes and place in a mixing bowl. Add in the Marinade ingredients and stir well. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to 8 hours. If marinating for more than 1 hour, keep the pork in the refrigerator, taking it out from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking so that the meat can return to room temperature.
Frying
Add oil into a big pot until it reaches 2 inches in height. Heat oil over high heat until 175C / 350F - if you don't have a thermometer, insert a wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If bubbles start to form vigorously around the chopstick / spoon, the oil is hot enough for frying. The oil should not be smoking. If it's smoking, it means the oil is too hot, remove the pot carefully from the heat and let it cool before using.
While the oil is heating, combine cornstarch and plain flour together and coat the pork pieces in the flour mixture evenly. When the oil is hot enough, turn the heat down to medium, then add the pork pieces gently into the hot oil. If your pot is small, you may want to deep-fry the pork in 2 batches. Use a pair of chopsticks or a wooden spoon and stir the pork pieces occasionally so that they fry evenly and don't stick together. Fry the pork pieces for about 3 to 5 minutes, until they are cooked and lightly browned. Remove the pork pieces with a slotted spoon and drain them over a wire sieve or rack. (Set the wire sieve over a bowl to catch the oil.)
Once all the pork pieces has been fried, turn the heat up to high again until 175C / 350F. Once the oil is hot, add in all the pork pieces (no need to divide into 2 batches) and deep-fry them for another 1 to 2 minutes over high heat until the pork is golden-brown in colour. This will crisp up the pork and make it taste less oily. Drain the pork pieces over a wire sieve or rack.
Making the Sauce
Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl until cornstarch has dissolved. Stir in brown sugar, pineapple syrup, vinegar, ketchup and soy sauce. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add in onion and sauté until onion is translucent then add in the garlic. Sauté until garlic is fragrant then add in the bell pepper and pineapple dices. Sauté for another minute until bell pepper is slightly softened.
Give the Sauce a stir (as the cornstarch tend to settle to the bottom) then add it into the frying pan. Bring to a boil then simmer until the sauce has thickened to your liking, which only takes seconds to a minute. If it's too thick, stir in a little water.
Add in the pork pieces and stir to coat them in the sauce. Spoon the pork pieces over rice (or onto a serving plate), sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.
NOTES
- The sauce makes enough to coat the pork pieces only. If you want more to go with the rice, double the sauce quantity.- Sauce recipe adapted from Panlasang Pinoy