This dish is another one of my family’s regular meals. We have it every couple of weeks, and it’s one we really look forward to. Crispy coated pork, with crunchy vegetables, coated in a sweet sticky thick sauce. It tastes just like a takeaway, but this Sticky Pork Stir Fry is a whole lot healthier.
This version has bamboo shoots in, which I had never come across before making this meal. You can find them in most supermarkets with the tinned vegetables and they’re quite common. I think they really make this dish, they get coated in the sticky sauce, and add a crunch along with their mild flavour. You can really add whatever vegetables you like, but ones with a bit of crunch work really well.
The trick to getting the pork nice and crispy is to make sure you coat it properly with the flour. When coated, the pork can tend to stick together, so if you aren’t frying it straight away, it is worth dipping it in a little more flour just before you cook it.
If you fancy a takeaway style meal without the guilt, give this Sticky Pork Stir Fry a try!
Sticky Pork Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 8 oz pork
- 4 oz bamboo shoots (one tin)
- 1 green pepper
- 1 spring onion
- 100 ml apple juice (or brandy if you want to be fancy)
- 1 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- vegetable oil (for frying)
For the sauce
- 6 tbsp rice wine vinegar (you can use white wine or apple cider too)
- 5 tbsp sugar (you can use less if you'd like it less sweet)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 2 tsp sesame seed oil
Instructions
- Cut your pork into bite size pieces. Place in a bowl with the apple juice and a pinch of salt and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. (You can leave it for longer if you want an even stronger flavour)
- Dice the pepper, bamboo shoots and spring onion into small pieces.
- Mix together the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- Beat an egg, and add it to your marinated pork, along with your 1 tbsp cornflour. Mix together. Then take each piece of pork and coat it in your plain flour as best you can. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but this will make your pork crispy!
- Cover the base of a frying pan with a thin layer of oil. Heat until it is very hot, and then add the pork to cook. Stir, and cook for around 8-10 minutes until the pork is cooked through.
- Lower the heat, add your vegetables and the sauce and keep stirring until the sauce thickens and goes sticky.
- Serve with white rice or noodles and enjoy!
Method in Pictures
Gather your ingredients
Chop the pork into bite sized chunks
Add to a bowl with 1 tbsp salt and enough juice to cover. Leave to marinate
Meanwhile, chop the pepper, bamboo shoots and spring onion
to the pork, add a beaten egg and the cornflour
Mix to combine
Coat each piece of pork in flour
Now, make the sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth
Add the oil to a pan or wok and fry for around 15 minutes to cook the pork thoroughly
Now add the vegetables and the sauce
Stir on a low heat until the sauce thickens and coats the other ingredients
Serve with rice and enjoy!