Pork with Sweet and Sour Sauce

World Kitchens: Thai, p. 171

8 oz can pineapple slices in light syrup, each slice cut into 4 pieces (reserve the syrup)

1 ½ tablespoons plum sauce or ketchup

2 ½ teaspoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

9 oz pork, sliced

4 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

¼ medium carrot, sliced

1 medium onion, cut into 8 slices

½ medium red bell pepper, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 small cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise and cut into thick slices

1 medium tomato, cut into 4 slices, or 4-5 baby tomatoes

A few cilantro leaves, for garnish

Chop-chop-chippity-chop.

Mix all the pineapple syrup (about 6 tablespoons) with the plum sauce, fish sauce, and sugar in a small bowl until smooth.

Ketchup was, predictably, cheaper.

Heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat and fry the pork until browned and cooked. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Just crispy enough on the outside to be interesting!

Add the garlic to the wok or pan and fry over medium heat for 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Add the carrot, onion, and red pepper and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the cucumber, tomato, pineapple, and the sauce and stir together for another minute. Taste, then adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Return the pork to the pan and gently stir. 

It's almost too pretty to eat. Emphasis on the "almost."

Spoon onto a plate and garnish with cilantro leaves. 

My Rating: 4/5 "It doesn't seem like it would be a filling meal by itself, but a bowl full of this stuff will actually keep you going for quite a while. The sweet and sour sauce from scratch is much, much better than the radioactive-looking pink stuff you might be used to from counter-service Asian places. Get excited."