Sweet and Sour was always a 'guilty pleasure' when thinking of ordering Chinese takeout food; battered, fried meat nuggets and pineapple bits with unnaturally bright sweet syrup = yummy, but a little scary. So, this version is not only a tad healthier and totally customized to your preferences, but it also avoids the 'rush home and break all the traffic laws before the nuggets go soggy' perils on account of the much shorter commute from stove to belly at home. Granted, it's not diet-food, but it is largely "real" food, under your complete control and supervision, which is more than I can say for some takeout places. I hope you try this, it's shockingly easy, and soooooooo good. Fair warning: I was never good with precision measurements, so, the structure of this recipe is going to be a little unnerving for those of the Type-A persuasion. I tried to bold the ingredients in case you need some kind of list, but this is a good pantry-purger -- just use what you have on hand.
First, start the rice. I always forget to do that early enough, and I end up waiting on it... I hate that. Especially since I use brown rice, and it takes like an hour. So, do yourself and start the rice now, if you want some.
Second, prep all your veggies and stuff by chopping into bite-sized pieces: 2-3 Carrots, 1-2 Celery ribs, 1 Onion, 1 Green Pepper, 1 Pineapple (canned or fresh, if using canned, save the liquid to use in the sauce), other vegetables if you wish (aiming for 1-2 cups vegetables per person), and Pork (I had some thick-cut pork chops taking up freezer space, but this works with pork roasts, chicken, beef, or even tofu. Heck, go nuts and use them all.)
Toss the Meat Cubes in 1/2 cup cornstarch, (the shaking-in-a-bag method works well for this) coating completely and evenly.
Heat up 1-2 tablespoons vegetableoil to medium-hot in a big skillet or wok, and add the meat, browning on all sides of the cubes. If your pan is too hot, the coating will darken too quickly and start to smoke, so watch closely and turn down the flame as needed. Don't overcrowd your pan, if you need to work in batches, do so, removing cooked pieces to a plate.
Meanwhile, start your sauce in a medium-to-large sauce pan (This is where those Type-A's are going to really hate me) by mixing:
1 cup of something wet: I used OJ, but broth/stock, tomato soup, wine, Soda Pop, the leftover juice from the pineapple bits, or even plain water works just fine. Avoid something creamy, that would just be too strange.
1/3 cup Vinegar (I used red wine vinegar, but apple cider vinegar is recommended, distilled white vinegar is fine, but avoid balsamic for this, it's just not sour enough, not to mention it would be appalled at being in the same pot with the next ingredient)
1/4 cup Ketchup (sounds gross, I know, but it turns the sauce that familiar red and adds a lot of flavors that you just can't create from the spice rack, if you hate or don't have ketchup, do be sure to try a couple tablespoons of tomato paste or strawberry jam)
1T Soy Sauce
Salt (optional) if you used something salty to start with, you probably won't need more. Soy Sauce is also salty. Taste first.
Sugar (optional) if you used something sweet to start with, you probably won't need any. Although, even though I started with OJ, I added about 1/4 cup (a.k.a. a handful) of brown sugar. Honey works as a lovely sugar substitute in the sauce, as does maple syrup.
Feel free to customize to your taste:
I like it hot, so I also added about 2T Sriracha Garlic Chili Sauce. Highly recommended.
I'm shamelessly addicted to garlic, so I added 2 cloves, crushed. Not advised for vampires.
My fella likes ginger, so, I added some of that, too. I think it makes the whole thing taste more 'oriental,' which is a plus.
After getting as creative as you care to be with your ingredients, bring the sauce up nearly to a boil, dissolving all the gloppy ketchup bits and rendering yourself a smooth hot syrupy soup of joy. Carefully (it's hot!) taste as you go: salt, sour, or sweeten as needed. Turn the heat down to a simmer while you're finishing browning the meat.
When the meat is all browned, and the sauce is smooth and tasty, plop the meat cubes right into the sauce to finish cooking while you address the vegetable stir-fry.
I like my pineapple browned a bit, so, I stir fry it with the veggies. That's weird for some people, and if you are one of them, just plop the pineapple chunks in the sauce right now.
Add vegetables to pan/wok, using a little more oil if needed. (I add a pat of butter here, because it browns things, and I'm into that, but if you're watching fats, skip it.) Try to add the vegetables in order from longest cooking time to shortest, starting with carrots or something, ending with more delicate things like green peppers or pineapple.
Your kitchen will now smell amazing. You're welcome. Almost ready.
When the veggies are tender, the meat/sauce will probably be ready for you, too. If you're not sure, fish out a piece of pork and cut it in half to check. If it's not yet done, let them continue to simmer 10 more minutes, tops. When the meat is cooked, then add the contents of the saucepan to the vegetables in the big skillet/wok and stir it all together. The cornstarch coating of the meat cubes will likely have thickened the sauce, as will have the simmering time and sweet ingredients, but if your sauce is still too runny, grab a small jar or tupperware container with a tight lid and shake together 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water. Add the slurry to the sauce, and crank up the flame to bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, it will thicken very quickly with that familiar clear gel-like wonder of chinese food glaze that comes from cornstarch thickening. Cut the flame, and serve with rice.
No need to tip the delivery guy.
No need for pants.
So much better than takeout.